Rogue Theatre — Attraction in Tucson

The Rogue Theater is a gem. Its founders, Joe McGrath and Cynthia Meier, have a half dozen or so local actors that are regulars that are joined by visiting actors for some plays. The theater produces about 5 plays annually starting in early September and continuing through early May. Performances are at 07:30 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2:00 pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. General seating reservations are $47 and the 5-play season reserved seat tickets are $220.

The theater is small with U-shaped gallery seating. Every seat is a good seat and is close, sometimes only a foot or so, from the actors. Another plus is the theater's practice of meeting with the audience a few minutes after the play ends to discuss the play. We have been visiting this theater for 8 years since we moved to Tucson, sometimes purchasing season tickets if the full offering suited us, and have never been disappointed. The quality of the actors, production, sets and music is surprisingly high quality for such a small theater. Highly...

This theatre is considered in the top ten in the country in the small theatre category. Seating is comfortable and visibility excellent. Choice of material is extraordinarily good. Parking is easy and free. They do something that few theatres do. Before each production they offer a presentation about the play. So by the time you see the play you have good insight to what is coming. This facilitates appreciation of the play. If that is not enough, after EVERY performance there is a discussion with the cast, crew, and sometimes the playwright about the play. They offer the best and most complete theatre experience. They also get A+ for enthusiasm. In my opinion it is the best...

What to expect: this is a theater for lovers of the art of theater, who are willing to overlook that this isn't a big, glamorous production machine. For me, the big draws were having true voice (no microphones, which bother me because sound systems result in a delay between seeing the lips and hearing it) and seeing the three-piece orchestra there on the stage. There was a discussion offered after the show, which I could see would be a highlight for connecting and processing the message of the art. The con was most players had a half dozen roles, making it harder to follow. All this is based on a single visit to see Left hand of darkness, so may be different from...