Cornish Playhouse — Attraction in Seattle

Full disclosure, I am an employee of the Cornish Playhouse, so this may be slightly biased. The Playhouse primarily hosts theatre and musical theatre performances, both by outside organizations and those by students at Cornish College of the Arts. There are also some dance shows throughout the year, alongside a few other events like private galas and fundraisers. The facility has both restrooms and drinking fountains, and most shows have concessions. Drinks are allowed inside the theater, as long as they're in a plastic container. No food is allowed to enter the theater. Also, the patron restrooms are, unfortunately, gendered, but we encourage all customers to use whichever restroom they feel is most appropriate for them.

The Alhadeff Studio is located in the back of the Playhouse, and has it's own entrance. The studio also has gendered restrooms and a drinking fountain.

The Playhouse is wheelchair accessible, and has a number of accessible seats reserved for patrons that need them. The ADA entrance to the Playhouse is on the side of the Playhouse facing the Rep (Seattle Repertory Theatre). The door is small, but marked. If you ring the doorbell, staff will come to the door to help you collect your ticket from Box Office, and will continue to help you throughout the performance as you need.

The Cornish Playhouse does offer assistive listening devices! To use one, ask a member of the House Managing staff. You will have to leave your ID with the staff as collateral, but the listening devices are free. The Playhouse has two kinds of listening devices, one of which is compatible with certain types of hearing aids and...

Absolutely phenomenal experience at The Cornish! I came here to see The Empire Strips Back and it was truly one of the most entertaining, hilarious, and surprisingly well-produced shows I’ve attended in a while. The venue itself is stunning—historic, beautifully restored, and intimate enough that every seat feels close to the action. The acoustics were great, the lighting was spot on, and the staff were friendly and helpful from the moment we walked in.

As for The Empire Strips Back—what a wild ride! It’s irreverent, clever, and laugh-out-loud funny, with just the right balance of parody and artistry. The performers were incredibly talented—not just dancers, but true entertainers who fully committed to the theme in the most delightful way. The costumes, props, and music were all top-notch, and it was clear that a lot of love went into crafting this experience.

It was also refreshing to be part of an audience that was fully engaged and having as much fun as the performers. I honestly didn’t know what to expect walking in, but I walked out completely thrilled and already telling friends to grab tickets.

Can’t recommend The Cornish or The Empire Strips Back highly enough. Five...

This theater is quite nice, with comfortable seats, good viewing lines to the stage, nice lighting and a decent sound system. Unfortunately, what made the experience today of seeing The Nutcracker rather unbearable was the extreme heat in the room. It had to be at least 80 degrees in there! I understand that when a room is full of people, it's going to heat up, but that's why you have temperature controls! I spoke to someone about the heat during the intermission, and was told that they have no control over the heat. This was my first experience at this venue, and sadly it may be my last, because I can't imagine going to another event and suffering through extreme heat...