View Attractions Related to: Performing Arts
by TourGuideTimWhy San Diego Performing Arts are a Step Above the Rest
Enjoy the Slideshow – Starts in 6 seconds.
Actor Gregory Peck started the original La Jolla Playhouse in 1947, bringing with him the likes of Ginger Rogers and Charlton Heston to San Diego.
Peck originally desired to bring the experience of theatre from Broadway to Hollywood but he could never find enough support for theatre among the residents of Los Angeles. However, he found plenty of support for theatre in his native San Diego.
Since then, San Diego has not only produced many of Hollywood’s most famous stars – Cliff Robertson, Raquel Welch, Dennis Hopper, Whoopi Goldberg, Kelsey Grammar, and Robin Wright – but also dozens of Tony Award winning Broadway Productions, including the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical – Memphis.
You see, San Diego provides a nice lifestyle for actors, a quiet place for producers to perfect their works outside of the limelight, and great community support for the performing arts.
But, theatre is not the only place where San Diego excels. Consider the San Diego Symphony, which is one of the few symphonies in the world to own its performance hall. (It is an original Fox Theatre where Walt Disney would premier his movies.) Today, it offers over 100 performances a year with the help of a $120 million gift.
San Diego also has a vibrant opera company, a number of ballet companies, and several visiting artists series that attract the top jazz musicians and classical performers in the world.
Start learning more about the upcoming performances in San Diego by selecting each of the pictured venues above to learn more.
Sunshine Brooks Theatre
Location: Oceanside (38 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Performances: Year-Round
Cost: $17 – $20 (Discounts for Seniors, Students, & Military)
Features: Community Theatre is home to Plays, Musicals, and Concerts; Just a Few Blocks from the Oceanside Pier
Gaslamp Quarter Attractions and Nightlife
Location: Downtown San Diego (Gaslamp Quarter)
Features: Shopping, Restaurants, Nightlife, Performing Arts, Historical Tours
Horton Grand Theatre
Location: Downtown San Diego (Gaslamp Quarter)
Performances: Wednesdays through Sundays
Cost: $36 – $46; ($5 off for Seniors 65+ and Half Off for Ages 29 and Under and Active Military Members)
Features: Popular Theatre for Long-Running Crowd Favorite Musicals
Copley Symphony Hall Tours & San Diego Symphony
Location: Downtown San Diego (Core District)
Performances: Year-Round
Cost: Copley Hall Tours are Free; Performance Tickets Range from $20 – $93 (Some $10 tickets available for Students)
Features: Watch the San Diego Symphony and other International Music Acts Perform in one of the Most Elegant Theatres on the West Coast. You can also Take Tours of the Historic Copley Symphony Hall, which was an Original Fox Theatre where Walt Disney Premiered his Movies.
San Diego Civic Theatre
Location: Downtown San Diego (Horton Plaza / Core District)
Performances: Year-Round
Cost: Ranges from $15 to $200
Features: Home to One of the Top Opera Companies in the Country; See Pop-Stars in Concert; View Productions from Broadway San Diego, the Classical California Ballet, and Tour Companies from Around the World.
Balboa Theatre San Diego
Location: Downtown San Diego (Horton Plaza / Core District)
Performances: Year-Round
Cost: Ranges from Free to $70+
Features: View Productions from Broadway San Diego, the Classical California Ballet, and Tour Companies from Around the World in a Brand New Facility.
Lyceum Theatre San Diego
Location: Downtown San Diego (Horton Plaza / Core District)
Performances: September through March
Cost: Theatre – $34 and Up ($18 for Students); Ballet – $40 ($20 for Students)
Features: Home to the Progressive San Diego Repertory Theatre and the Contemporary San Diego Ballet
The Old Globe Theatre Complex
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Show Times: Year-round
Cost: $29+ Per Show; Cheaper with Subscriptions; $20 Tickets for those Under 30
Features: Tony Award Winning Theatre is “Home to the Most Acclaimed National Artists, Designers, Directors and Playwrights in the Theatre Industry”. Twenty Productions have gone on to Broadway including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, Damn Yankees, and A Catered Affair.
Starlight Theatre in Balboa Park
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Show Times: June to September at 7:30PM
Cost: Ranges from $10 – $75
Features: Musicals Performed Outdoors by Well-Known Actors from Hollywood and Broadway
Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Show Times: Generally Wednesdays – Sundays at 11AM, 1PM, and 2:30PM. (More details below.)
Cost: $5 ($3 for Kids 2 and up; $4 for Seniors 65+)
Features: Nation’s Longest Running, Full-Time Puppet Theater
San Diego Junior Theatre
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Show Times: Six Performances Each Year in Balboa Park with More in Additional Locations
Cost: $10 – $15
Features: Watch Performances of Future Academy Award and Tony Award Winners. Past Alumni Include Dennis Hopper, Raquel Welch, Annette Bening, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Christian Hoff. This is the Oldest Youth Theatre Program in the Country.
Print the San Diego Map
Print the La Jolla Map
San Diego Attractions on Twitter