Temple Of Music And Art

This could be a fabulous venue but the absolute worst most uncomfortable wooden chairs in the cabaret and didn’t tell us to get there early to be seated together. So we were split up very hot and no one at door seemed to know what to do. Very disappointed as this is a lovely area of town. Lit with lots of lights for holidays and the architecture is gorgeous but omg I still ache from seats and ticked as we could not find out about lounge for drinks or food ahead of time.

What a great place to see a show! When I am unsure of a places seating, I like to get the first row of the balcony to make sure that my short self can see okay. Those seats were nice, but it also appeared that most anything in the orchestra would have worked well too. The theater itself is very simple, yet it still maintains a type of elegance. The theater feels slightly hidden which is cool. The courtyard is beautiful. The little restaurant has some nice pre-​show snacks. I thought it was silly that the wine was in a plastic cup given that we are all adults… but la de da. Parking is hard around here, and it was a little far from the streetcar on a rainy night. I look forward to many more shows here.

I had the privilege of giving a recital here many years ago, and what a first-​class crew runs this place! They were a real pleasure to work with. This Spanish colonial style arts complex was built in 1927, and features a beautiful entrance patio (we had a great reception out there), art gallery, restaurant, cabaret theater, and of course, the 623 seat Alice Holsclaw Theater, replete with a balcony, orchestra pit and full fly space. The resident home of the Arizona Theater Company when they play in Tucson.

There are many excellent reviews already posted about this facility. It is definitely a class A house. Excellent view from any seat, excellent acoustics and a overall a beautiful old Spanish style facility.
This past Sunday I and about 500 or so attended a Vocal Concert of 5 member choruses in the Arizona GALA group of choruses. Three groups from Phoenix — Arizona Women in Tune; Voices of the Desert and the Phoenix Metropolitan Men’s Choir along with two Tucson groups, the Desert Voices and Reveille Men’s Choir all performed together for the first time ever in Arizona. The entire performance was very good but I think (trying not to be prejudiced toward our Tucson groups) that Tucson beat Phoenix by a large margin in standing ovations!!!
My only problem with the facility itself is where it is located!!! Parking is terrible and I had to park 2 blocks away, there is no private lot available for parking next to the theater and there probably never will be as this is a high rent «old renovated» hotel/​loft district of down town Tucson — so the old structures are a forever item!!!

Wow! How does this place only have 7 reviews. Maybe it gets watered down by the ATC reviews that belong here… because this place ain’t all about theatre. Although, seeing a play here would be an enjoyable experience because, like Debbi W. says, there’s «not a bad seat in the house»… spot on. The tiered seating assures a good view and the acoustics are great as well.
I’ve been here, long ago, pre-​Yelp (for me) and I didn’t even realize this is where I came. As we were walking to the event, my wife reminded me that we had been here before for a play… oh yeah!
Downtown is where all the new restaurants are popping up. Having a quality venue like this will make for a perfect combination of dinner and a show. It may not be Broadway, but it’s a little piece of culture Tucson can call it’s own.

Absolutely A National Treasure! One Of The Most Delightful Local Theatre Complexes In The Nation. Our Very Own «Globe». I Adore The Mini Theatre as Much As The Larger Setting. Can’t Wait To Go Again And Again!

This venue is class in every way. I’ve been here on many occasions seeing some really good plays. We saw a wonderful play last night «Freud’s Last Session» which was so entertaining. Getting back to the building itself, it’s been in existence for ages. There even is a plaque dedicated to John Phillip Souza who performed there in 1928. I’m sure it has been renovated several times since then. I love the courtyard with the fairly newly opened restaurant, gift shop and art gallery. It has easy access to street parking. What can be better than enjoying a great play on a Tuesday night, have a bite in the restaurant aka café and see a delightful show featuring the Arizona Theatre Company. Every seat in the house is good because it is not a huge theater. It’s intimate setting is just perfect. So nice to see almost a full house of Theater goers on a Tuesday evening. We are very lucky in Tucson to have so many wonderful places to enjoy a bit of culture. This is among the best of them.

The Temple makes me ache with pride and joy for the Scott Avenue rehab and the arts scene in Tucson. The twinkling patio and gurgling fountain greet theatergoers who mingle under the stars, and the acoustics here are world class. I’ve seen many plays here, but Leo Kottke was the first musical act. Leo and his 12-​string were enough to bring down the house, and a more polite and reverent crowd could not be had. No glowing cell phones, inappropriate mid-​concert chat, or obnoxious body noises interrupted our enjoyment. Somehow the aging seats are still plush enough and the caring staff troubles itself to ensure all theatergoers are coddled and comfy. The target demographic is over 50, and the deep-​pocketed baby boomers are too often ignored in this area. Their matinée program for students is a gem I’ve taken advantage of for years, and the Temple is a community centerpiece that Tucson should prize.

Have been to the Temple for two recent productions. 39 Steps and 2^nd city tour. Had great seats for 39 Steps, row X, and really enjoyed the theatre, the production and the energy of the show. Can’t say the same for 2^nd city. Our seats were 2^nd row in the balcony. (The balcony seats seemed smaller than the seats below but I can’t verify that.) They were horrible seats since the people in the 1rst row had to lean forward to look over the rail to see the show. This made it difficult for us and all in row 2 to see the show. The cast of 5 did not use any sound system and it was very difficult to hear what was being said. The idea of comedy is to hear the jokes!!! Needless to say, we missed some of the humor because of visual and audio problems. One would think that a $ 35 seat should not have either of these problems. Pretty sure we missed a good show and that was $ 35+$ 4 handling per tix. down the drain. Avoid the balcony !

Not a bad seat in the house. I love it when you can see a show without doing the bobblehead dance with the heads in front of you. The tiered seating is expertly layered that unless you’re sitting behind a 7 foot tall person you’ll be-​able to see over the persons in-​front of you.
While the seating is important, before you get to your seat you’re welcomed into the Temple and are prepared for your music/​art enlightenment. At some ceremonies there’s 1 or 2 carts in the courtyard serving sweets/​snacks/​drinks.
Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS was very good and I’m glad I got to see it at the Temple. I laughed so hard my stomach started to hurt & tears were flowing.

What a beautiful venue. We came here for the CMYE event featuring The Mystery of Irma Vep put on by the AZ Theater Co. The outside of the building is so inviting with a great courtyard to converse in before the show and during intermissions. The auditorium has great acoustics and each seat has a great view of the stage with stadium style seating. Even if you’re not going inside for a show, lounging about in the courtyard and enjoying good conversation is a great time. The fact that it is walking distance from some of downtown’s greatest restaurants is an awesome plus. See a show, support downtown and the arts, and just visit this great venue!

Firstly, let me state – THIS VENUE IS NOT CLOSED!
This is THE hidden gem of a theater in Tucson. Seriously, inside and out, this place is just beautiful. A courtyard invites you into the hub, where you are surrounded on three sides by the theater, with the side to the East open to the lovely and historic South Scott Avenue. From this hub, you could sit for hours on a bench by the fountain, or decide where within the theater to go next.
The primary use of the space here is for theatrical productions – it’s the Tucson home of the Arizona Theater Company (
) – but concerts occasionally are scheduled for the venue as well. Also, the space houses an art gallery upstairs, and a small dining area with bar next to the theater entrance. I believe though that this is only open starting an hour before performances. On the North side of the courtyard is a small store, catering to those looking to bring home some small souvenir of the show or of the Arts in general. I’ll admit, I have yet to try either the restaurant or the shop, but I mention them so you might!
The theater itself is rather small. I would estimate a capacity of no more than 1,000 could fit into the bucket seats of the floor and balcony combined. This simply makes the intimate venue all the more inviting. The style of the theater is like no other in Tucson that I have seen. Interior walls are stuccoed with a scalloped motif in places. There’s also a strange, almost Mohican face carved above the stage. Very cool looking! Light and sound quality are more than adequate.
If you are a fan of theater, or if you happen to find a concert you might enjoy, I couldn’t recommend more that you make the effort to get down and patronize this theater. Even if there is nothing going on theatrically, it’s worth just checking out the building and courtyard and this lazy street South of downtown Tucson.
By the way, it really deserves 5-​stars but I am reserving one until they get even more exciting events. This is purely my greed here!