Krannert Center for the Performing Arts — Attraction in Urbana

The performers for the Carnaval event were amazing, but the experience made me not want to visit again. It seemed like a great idea, with a jazz band & 'street' performers in the lobby before the show. Then the jazz band led the acrobats & audience from the lobby into the theater. The theater allowed audience members to sit & watch performances from a variety of operas.

Here's where it all went bad. Me & my family went to our seats in the theater but the row was so full the 3 of us couldn't sit in our assigned seats. We went back to the top of the theater & an employee said she would look into getting us reassigned seats. She didn't return.

So we split up, with me going to sit in a single seat close to the front as I wanted to get the experience for which I paid (5 times the lowest priced tickets). Then I was constantly distracted by people raising their phones to take photos or record the performance. I watched 2 different employees come up on 4 occasions to tell people to stop. The 5th time this happened I got up to tell the patron it was annoying & then left. Flashing phones & not being able to sit in the seats that I bought, no thanks.

Great 'street' and operatic performers! Sorry you had to perform in a theater that treats audiences like they're seeing a...

A huge complex housing a set of superb performance spaces, a public mezzanine that has become an important gathering place and event center for the area, and educational spaces for the the theatre school. It is a critically important cultural landmark for both the area and the state, routinely drawing world-class performers and offering highly discounted tickets for students, giving them an opportunity to interact with fine cultural fare. It is a jewel upon the prairie. You can expect all the services of a world-class venue here, rare in Central Illinois. A work of important architect and UIUC alumni Max Abramovitz, the building's grandeur and ambition still manage to enchant, despite its lumbering form and program bearing all the dated, misguided flaws of modernist...

Huge space. The venue is pretty cool! There is free parking on the surrounding streets after 6pm. It's definitely a college town with lots of restaurants around that serve a variety of foods but don't have a lot of atmosphere.

The Krannert theater itself is really big. Lots of levels and side balcony seating. It felt clean and bright, and very accessible. There is odd seating behind the stage.

We enjoyed a good show, though it was a late start due to a security check they had everyone go through. One of the volunteers told me that they hadn't done security like that before so they had misjudged the start time. I trust they will...