Portage Theater

If i could give this place zero stars I would. I spent some crazy amount of money buying NXT tickets off stubub (because the Portage theater website was a joke) only to have to argue with someone over our seats. None of the ‘security’ would do anything to get these people out of the seats we paid for, and it was only perchance that we found one usher who took initiative. We only managed to get 1 of the 2 seats back (the other guy refused to move because ‘someone was sitting in his seat). So I had to sit on my boyfriends lap for the entire show while the jerk that stole our seat tried to make small talk with us. This event was beyond unorganized. I hope NXT never does another show there again. Just horrible.

Total dump. Went to a show and folks were stuck outside in the freezing cold for a few hours because of some issues. Once the doors opened, nobody around to assist with assigned seats. The seats were jumbled all over the place so people just sat wherever.

What is with the security here?! I honestly don’t think I’ve been treated that way with even with air port security. They were honestly making me nervous in the pat down lol and then they have the nerve to question my bottle of anxiety meds I brought in? That are in a legitimate prescription bottle with my name on it. I dropped my ID and then they YELLED at me to pick it up. Thanks for assuming I’m trying to do something illegal instead of just trying to enjoy my friends show.

I’ve been to this theatre twice and I can honestly say I had a great time, however I highly recommend that you guys limit the amount of unknown artist. I understand and believe in exposure and showcasing other ppl but 2.5 hrs of listening to unknown artist is ridiculous. I paid to see certain individuals and would appreciate it if I didn’t have to wait 2.5 hrs to see them perform. Last but not least it’s really sad when the artist can’t perform because the stage is full of ppl. why does it have to be so
many ppl on stage while the artist perform? It truly takes away from the main attraction. I hope you guys get it together or I may take my business elsewhere.

If I didn’t have to give at least 1 star, I would give this place 0! Not only did I wait outside (in the cold) for an hour before anyone came out to address the crowd and line, they didn’t turn on the heat once I entered the theater. I, amongst other patrons moved from the outside to wait inside for 40 more minutes like herding cattle. They made us wait in anxiousness … as if when we walked in, we’d embrace the presence of a nice establishment or a concert ! But nope we just sat and waited for another 45 minutes. To make matters more unbearavle, it was just as cold as it was outside! How is this place still open?
The staff was unprofessional (except for the happy man shouting «get your drinks here!» At the bar (I didn’t buy one), but he made the wait less horrible. Yet, despite the entry no one came out to address the concert goers for the delay and wait time (someone on Tamia’s staff is to blame for that!- extremely disappointed.) To make matters worse, my sister sat in POP! THEY didn’t clean the seats and sections… such a shame.
An hour and 37 min later and STILL NO CONCERT!

Where is the no star when you need it? In a nutshell this place has really gone down the drain. I was emailed free tickets and I remembered enjoying the venue a few years back so I figured why not? Big mistake. Ended up leaving immediately due to the sour taste from the, pretty much, full body cavity search upon entering. Either your staff assumes everyones a doper muling drugs in through chapstick containers or they themselves are druggies looking for it to keep for later. Either way I was disgusted and left as soon as I «passed» your harassing security check. Get your staff in check. There is keeping a safe venue and then there is harassing and making customers feel violated. No way would I ever return to or speak good words of this venue again. Which is unfortunate because you have offered some cool/​unique events.

Like others mentioned, the physical space is in need of improvements. I wouldn’t attend another event there, it’s not worth the money. The bright side is, there is a nice restaurant just south of the theatre (Community) that I am looking forward to visiting.

THIS VENUE IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC!!! Doors open at 8 and the 1^st act doesn’t come on until 11pm??? Really? Ridiculously over priced drinks. But you have to purchase something BECAUSE THERE’S NO AIR CONDITIONING in the building and over 500 people in one room. Then when trying to use the ladies room your told to go out a back door and walk up 2 flights of a FIRE ESCAPE to another bathroom? Oh and with wet stairs. The management and every employee in this place were a disrespectful disgrace. They will never see a penny more of our money!
Jagged edge concert 8.22.15.

This place is terrible. It was so hot and just over crowded. I will never come to another show here again.

Time Takes Us All.
The Portage, once a beautiful throwback to the days of the movie palace, is now a depressing wreck. The new management ripped out a bunch of seats and all the carpeting down the aisles between the seating sections, so now the auditorium looks more like a rock quarry with seats than a movie theater. The projection and sound for movies are just flat-​out terrible. Everything that was great about the Portage even just a few years ago is gone after it changed hands to its new owners/​managers. This used to be such an incredible place, and now it’s a disaster.

I love this place! It was a total shithole before it was taken over and finally our neighborhood gets to celebrate this place. I love movies but I wasn’t always into the «Indy» horror films here so am glad to see more music shows. It also looks better. They could use more bathrooms, and better snacks – that would be a good upgrade.

I hate to give 1 star ratings but this theater definitely deserved it. I had bought 13 total tickets for the Magic Men Live show for Saturday July 11^th. My girls and I were so excited, as we had no idea what to expect.
Initially, we were all confused as to what time the doors opened and what time the show started. Your website said doors open at 630, show at 8. The tickets said doors at 8, show at 9. I called and spoke to someone who confirmed that it was indeed doors at 630. This was about 2 weeks ago. We then noticed that the website had changed from doors at 630 to 8. I wanted to talk to someone to make sure 100%. I never received a response to my email and the phone number to the theater was temporarily disconnected. The number is still disconnected today. How can you run a business and not respond to calls or emails?
We decided to take our chances and hope the doors really opened at 8. We showed up around 730 and they had already begun letting people in, really?! We entered the theater and the entire theater was full besides the last 4 or so rows. Seeing that we had 13 people, it took some creativeness to find seating near each other. At about 830, there was absolutely no seating left with about 100 people left without seats. I felt terrible for these girls as they were forced to stand the entire show. How do you oversell a show like this by this many seats? Seems like a total fire hazard, with ladies crowding all in the back and down the aisles.
Bathroom lines were long but as to be expected with that many people of the same gender. Drinks were SO OVERPRICED! I paid $ 13 for an 8 ounce solo cup mixed drink. That is outrageous. Also, it seemed like there was no air conditioning within the entire place. Everyone was a sweaty mess. I’m surprised I did not see anyone faint due to the heat.
I wouldn’t go back to this theater if I was paid.

At the Los Amigos Invicibles concert right now. The band is awesome! But the acoustics are HORRIBLE. Total distortion & feedback, can’t understand what anybody is saying or singing. The lead singer, bass and guitar players keep trying to talk to the sound guy while they are performing on stage. Tried moving around in the theater, didn’t help. DO NOT SEE A CONCERT HERE. Wait until your fav band comes back to a different venue. Can’t speak to their other events. 2 stars for Revolution on tap and free parking in the nearby Sears parking lot.

Classic theatre, yet terrible for live music, as the acoustics are mediocre at best.
It’s good for small events.
Plus is Revolution on tap!

This place needs a MAJOR renovation. The ladies bathroom reminds me of world war 2 barracks, and yes all the reviews about the theatre being cold are true. I found myself quite annoyed with the lack of organization & tardiness of Big Z’s production. A 10pm start yet Rob Base did not perform until midnight & I got tired of waiting & wasting my time so I left and didn’t care to see Fat Joe.
The theatre is old and it really is cold in there. I will not come back not even if they paid me to.

Went to the Freestyle Forever concert and dance party on Feb 14, 2015. Everything outside the arena is quite filthy but inside its huge! The sound system was not bad. My only big issue was the location of the VIP section which is practically pushed to the side of the stage! You can spend spend less to get standing and have a better view. Overall Stevie B is still the freestyle king!

I love the Portage and wish I could give it more stars. I’ve been there a couple times this winter and there is no heat. It’s February in chicago. Heat is not optional. I’d like to see more bands and movies here if they fix the heat problem.

I only give this place for stars just because of how great their entertainment once before their concerts game they were known as the SilentFilm Society in Chicago and they had great movies with an orchestra and a movie or again it was great and the whole place for to fill up now I went to a concert January 30^th and the place was a complete disaster some of the seats for taking out people are doing Dr and also way too many fights there was people that were late for the concert I waited up to 5 hours for the people to come out on stage and the service was not bad but there wasn’t enough people to work I feel bad because I had so many memories at the old Portage Theater now it’s just another Congress Theater ruined

First time at the venue, this place is located on the oddest shaped block, don’t believe me, try walking around the block once, there are more turns then expected, thus six corners moniker? (
) Nice enough neighborhood, got lucky with street meter parking opposite side of block. Went here to see the minimalists book tour and learned during the presentation that the Portage offered to host the event, very cool, so kudos to them for doing so.
The theater itself is straightforward to navigate; you walk in, standard lobby type space, next bathrooms on either side of interim lobby with drink/​snack bar. Draft beer $ 6/​mixed drinks $ 7 /​popcorn $ 3. The theater itself is good sized, not massive but big enough to get the job done, as one of the oldest movie houses in Chicago, it is a 1,300-plus-seat theater. It seemed to the naked eye to be in decent enough shape.
Worth noting — the area has been slated for redevelopment as an urban pedestrian shopping district with the recent reopening of the theater, the upcoming construction of several retail-​condo buildings and a street beautification project.
The only downside I experienced the entire evening was that the boys room air dryers did not work and there were no paper towels available either — eeewww. So hopefully they resolve that before the health department does ;)

*******Alert ********Alert
According to people on the 56 Milwaukee bus the theater is open again. They said it reopened during the 6 Corners BBQ Fest.
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I was able to stop in here during the 6 Corners BBQ Fest as they had it open specifically for this event. The Portage Theater is currently not active due to some disputes with the community and ownership. It is unfortunate and I look forward to coming here for future events hopefully when it reopens.
During the BBQ Fest it was open and I was able to go in. Portage Theater is a old style theater with the single ticket booth and open doors on each side. They have a concession stand and entrance to the theater to the side of this area. The theater has a large amount of seats to accommodate a significant crowd. This is a truly iconic location and it would be in the best interest for the involved parties to try and come to a resolution sooner than later.
Bring back Portage Theater!