Venues & Seating
On-Campus
Music Center Venues
Map of Theater Arts Center Venues
Parking for the UCSC campus venues:
Please arrive at least 45 minutes EARLY to events on campus to allow time for parking, ticketing, and seating. Parking for Mainstage, Recital Hall, Second Stage and the Stanley-Sinsheimer Glen events is located in the Performing Arts lot off of Meyer Drive. A parking fee of $2 (payable at the Performing Arts parking lot) or a UCSC A or B parking permit is required. For more information on UCSC parking permits, please visit the Transportation & Parking Services website.
Mainstage Theater
The Mainstage Theater at the UCSC Performing Arts Center seats 528 in an intimate performance space. The theater features a thrust stage and seating in five sections "in the round". The Mainstage Theater is mobility impaired accessible. View the Mainstage Theater Seating Layout (PDF format). You may also view the Theater Arts Mainstage website for more images of this unique performance space. Seating for most events in the Mainstage is reserved. Gold Circle seating varies between show Producer. Please check with the Ticket Office when ordering tickets for specific Gold Circle seating, if available.
Second Stage
The 231 seat Second Stage Theater is adjacent to the Mainstage Theater. It is a small performance space used for student dance and theater productions. Seating is usually reserved. Download the Second Stage Seating Chart (MS Excel format).
Experimental Theater
With about 200 modular seats, the Experimental Theater or "Black Box/Ex-Space" provides a highly flexible performance space for theater production. Seating is usually general admission, as the seats are rearranged for each production.
Stanley-Sinsheimer Festival Glen
Each season, Shakespeare Santa Cruz performs two of its Summer festival productions in this magnificent natural outdoor amphitheater. The Glen seats upwards of 600 patrons, with both reserved seating and general admission seating. This is a venue not to be missed! Visit shakespearesantacruz.org for information on the Glen and enjoying the Shakespeare Santa Cruz Festival.
Music Center Venues
Map of Theater Arts Center Venues
Music Center Recital Hall
Opened in 1997 as part of the UCSC Music Center, the stunning Recital Hall is a carefully designed 396 seat acoustically variable performance space featuring a state of the art sound system and theatrical lightingcapabilities. Download the Recital Hall Seating Chart. You may also visit the Recital Hall Facilities website to view venue information.
Off Campus:
Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
Civic Auditorium seating chart
Driving directions
Map of downtown parking lots
307 Church Street (at Center Street) Santa Cruz
(831) 420-5260
The Civic Auditorium seats 1900 and includes floor and rake seating.
Rio Theatre
Rio seating chart
1205 Soquel Avenue (at Seabright Ave) Santa Cruz
Parking is available on the street or in the public lot at 1111 Soquel Ave.
General info: (831) 423-8209
The historic Rio Theater seats approximately 680 in its authentic folding theater chairs and features a thrust stage. View images of the beautiful main theater.
Holy Cross Church
Map and directions
126 High Street, Santa Cruz (located next to the Santa Cruz Mission)
(831) 423-4182
Holy Cross Church is situated on the site where the Santa Cruz Mission was founded in 1791. This beautiful building has been resurrected after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Holy Cross is the church of an active Catholic Ministry, seating about 500 on wooden church pews. It is a spectacular place to experience vocal performances, with it's vaulted and painted ceilings and stained glass doors and windows.
Henry J. Mello Center
Map and directions
250 East Beach Street (at Lincoln St.) Watsonville
(at Watsonville High School)
General info: (831) 763-4047
Located in Watsonville, the Henry J. Mello Center is a premier 790 seat concert performance hall with some of the best acoustics on the Central Coast.
First Congregational Church
Map and directions
900 High Street, Santa Cruz (located near the UCSC campus)
(831) 426-2010
Cabrillo College Theater
Map and directions
6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos (located on the Cabrillo College campus)
UCO/Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is located at Mount Hamilton, about an hour from San Jose. They host an annual Summer Visitor Program and Summer concert series that invite the public to view through the telescopes at the observatory. Please visit the UCO/Lick website for more information about these programs. You can also view a virtual tour or photo tour of Mount Hamilton.
Late Seating
PLEASE ARRIVE AT LEAST 45 MINUTES EARLY to all on-campus events to allow time for parking, ticketing, and seating. Latecomers will seated at the discretion of the House Manager or at suitable interval in the program.
Wheelchair Accessibility: All venues are wheelchair accessible. For accommodation, please contact the UCSC Ticket Office at 831-459-5829 or the Civic Box Office at 831-420-5260.
Assisted Listening Devices for the hearing-impaired are available for performances at the UCSC Theater Arts Mainstage, Stanley-Sinsheimer Festival Glen, Second Stage, Experimental Theater and Recital Hall. Please check with the house manager at least 30 minutes prior to the performance.