Theaters Around Rochester - Day Trips Around Rochester, NY (2024)

Sit back, relax, and enjoy a show on stage or screen. Experience diverse artistic expression, including interpretive dance, chamber music, Shakespearean plays, and Broadway productions. Whether historic auditoriums or multiplex theaters with reclining seats, Rochester’s movie theaters offer a wide range of first-run, independent, foreign, and student films, live-stream events, and festivals. And be sure to check out a high school musical!

Most theaters offer refreshments on-site or are within walking distance of bars and restaurants, making planning an entertaining afternoon or evening easy.

City of Rochester

75 Stutson Street

Rochester
75 Stutson Street
Rochester, NY 14612
(585) 615-4551

This multi-purpose venue offers exceptional performance spaces, including a 120-seat auditorium with professional lighting, sound, and HD streaming capabilities, and a unique Sanctuary with 30-foot ceilings, stained glass windows, and impeccable acoustics featuring a grand piano and pipe organ.

The Avenue BlackboxTheatre

Rochester
780 Joseph Ave.
(585) 491-6730

The Avenue offers a fully accessible and inclusive space to enjoy the performing arts. Their productions amplify artists’ voices and creative expressions from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Blackfriars Theatre

Rochester
795 E. Main St.
(585) 454-1260

This intimate 126-seat theater offers a variety of plays and musicals, from one-actor dramatic performances to comedy, plus its free Hourglass Play Reading Series.

Comedy @ The Carlson

Rochester
50 Carlson Road
(585) 426-6339

Laugh out loud with some of the country’s funniest comedians. Enjoy dinner and a show, with table seating for 325 people.

The Company Theatre

Rochester
50 Liberty Pole Way
(585) 622-4664‬

The Company Theatre, established in 2021, aims to produce unconventional and thought-provoking theatre for audiences. The Theatre operates out of the historic 500+ seat Temple Building Theater.

Dryden Theatre

Rochester
George Eastman Museum
900 East Ave.
(585) 327-4800

Enjoy a different cinematic production nearly every night in George Eastman Museum’s 500-seat Dryden Theatre. They screen moving pictures from their collection of over 28,000 titles spanning the entire history of international cinema in their original format, including nitrate films.

Eastman Theatre

Rochester
255 East Ave.
(585) 454-2100

This grand theater, built by George Eastman in 1922, features several stages, the largest being the 2,326-seat Kodak Hall, the principal concert hall for the world-renowned Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). Hanging above the auditorium is a stunning 20,000-piece crystal chandelier. The Eastman School of Music offers over 700 student recitals and faculty shows each year in the 222-seat Hatch Recital Hall and 444-seat Kilbourn Hall, many of which are free to attend. The school provides concerts via live stream at esm.rochester.edu/live, making it easy to enjoy the music from the comfort of your home. But the pleasure of attending a live performance at Eastman Theatre includes admiring intricate architectural details and the fantastic 19-foot-long glass chandelier created by world-renowned sculptor Dale Chihuly that hangs above the stairway in Wolk Atrium.

Geva Theatre Center

Rochester
75 Woodbury Blvd.
(585) 232-4382

Geva is a vibrant theater that offers an intimate setting for classic and contemporary plays and musicals. Major productions, including the annual showing of A Christmas Carol, are performed on the 522-seat Wilson Stage. Smaller-scale productions, including improv comedy, one-actor shows, and readings, use the 180-seat Fielding Stage.

Fun fact, Geva (as in Geva Theatre Center) is a portmanteau of Genesee Valley. Like Brangelina, Brexit, Bollywood, andbrunch.

The Hochstein School

Rochester
50 N. Plymouth Ave.
(585) 454-4596

Enjoy student and faculty music and dance performances throughout the year and concerts, including the noon-hour Live from the Hochstein series.

Kodak Center

Rochester
200 W. Ridge Road
(585) 254-0181

The 1,968-seat theater hosts touring concerts, comedic performances, and family-friendly productions.

The Little Theatre

Rochester
240 East Ave.
(585) 258-0400

Specializing in screening independent and foreign films, The Little Theatre also shows first-run movies, live-stream events, themed series, throwback features, and cult classics. In its cafe, you can enjoy food, live music, and art.

Multi-use Community Cultural Center (MuCCC)

Rochester
142 Atlantic Ave

The 80-seat repurposed church is the primary home of The Rochester Community Players, Rochester’s oldest community theater group. They offer a space for locally produced plays and musicals, including performances by Off-Monroe Players, Out of Pocket, Inc., and Polite Ink. Comedy.

Roc Cinema

Rochester
957 S. Clinton Ave.
(585) 271-1786

Opened in 1914, the Cinema is the city’s oldest movie theater. New owners reimagined Roc Cinema to offer Rochester’s first dine-in theater, offering a creative food and bar menu delivered to your seat. Enjoy a first-run movie, themed throwback, or special feature.

The Theater at Innovation Square

Rochester
131 Chestnut St
(585) 281-4893

The Theater At Innovation Square is a multidisciplinary performing arts center for local arts organizations, community engagement, esports, and more. Parking is available in the garages at Innovation Square on Court Street, Washington Street, Midtown, or on-street.

The University of Rochester Sloan Performing ArtsCenter

Rochester
407 Alumni Road
(585) 275-2121

This 200-seat theater showcases student music, dance, and theatrical performances.

West Herr Auditorium Theatre

Rochester
885 E. Main St.
(585) 222-5000

This 2,464-seat Art Deco theater is the home of the Rochester Broadway Theatre League, which brings Broadway’s biggest hits to the city, including The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Hamilton, and many more. The architectural details, from the lighting to the ornamental dome ceiling, are as captivating as the performances.

Monroe County

AMC Webster

Webster
2190 Empire Boulevard
(585) 671-0941

With 12 screens, enjoy a first-run movie from a comfortable reclining chair.

Apple Cinemas

Pittsford
3349 Monroe Ave.
(585) 991-1900

Apple Cinemas is a nine-screen movie theater that offers a dinner-and-a-movie experience. WNY’s only BurgerFi provides delicious and hearty foods like burgers, wings, and fries, which you can enjoy alongside traditional movie concessions and co*cktails. To get the most out of your experience, it’s best to arrive 30 minutes early and scan the QR code at your comfortable reclining seat, which comes with a swivel table. Alternatively, you can place an order at the bar and have it delivered to your seat.

CenterStage Theatre

Brighton
JCC Hart Theater
1200 Edgewood Ave.
(585) 461-2000

The Jewish Community Center offers a wide range of programming, including comedy, musicals, concerts, original plays, Broadway hits, and the annual Big Wigs New Year’s Eve and Hitmakers music series.

Cinemark Tinseltown USA &IMAX

Gates
2291 Buffalo Road
(585) 247-0042

Enjoy first-run movies across 16 screens, plus the only Rochester-area IMAX theater. They also feature spacious reclining chairs with extendable footrests.

Movies 10

Henrietta
2609 W Henrietta Road
(585) 785-3335

Enjoy first-run movies across 10 screens.

Nazareth College

Pittsford
4245 East Ave.
(585) 389-2170

Enjoy live performances and community events across several of NAZ’s stages, including the 1,000-seat Callahan Theater.

OFC Creations TheatreCenter

Brighton
3450 Winton Place
(585) 667-0954

OFC Creations Theatre Center is a professional regional performing arts center. Since 2005, OFC has created unique, beloved, and high-caliber theatrical productions with professionals and the next generation.

RIT Visual and PerformingArts

Henrietta
One Lomb Memorial Drive
(585) 475-2411

RIT’s 505-seat Ingle Memorial Auditorium hosts concerts, recitals, theater productions, and guest speakers. In the fall of 2023, check their calendar for performances in the new 180-seat Student Hall for Exploration and Development (the SHED). Plans are in place for a performing arts complex to be completed in 2025 featuring a 750-seat theater. A future addition includes a 1,500-seat orchestra hall.

RIT/NTID Robert F. Panara Theater

Henrietta
One Lomb Memorial Drive
(585) 475-2411

RIT/NTID has been performing for deaf and hearing audiences for nearly 50 years. The newly renovated Panara Theater on the RIT campus seats 400+.

NTID Department of Performing Arts was established in the fall of 1974, with the opening of the college’s new permanent buildings, as an integral part of the curriculum following the success of the student drama club founded byDr.RobertPanarain1969.

Robert F. Panara Theater, named in honor of Dr. Robert Panara, RIT’s first Deaf professor and founder of the NTID Drama Club, has a rich heritage of offering challenging, entertaining, and provocative works of theater, all created for both Deaf and hearing audiences.

Roberts Wesleyan University

North Chili
7 Apple Lane
(585) 594-6008

The 1,000-seat Andrews B. Hale Auditorium hosts a performing arts series that features choirs, bands, musicals, plays, dance, lectures, and the annual Christmas Gala.

Strand Theater

Brockport
93 Main St.
(585) 637-3310

The Strand shows first-run, single-feature movies. Opened in 1908, it is the second-oldest active movie theater in the United States.

SUNY Brockport

Brockport
Tower Fine Arts Center Mainstage
180 Holley St.
(585) 395-2787

The college’s Fine Arts Series offers dance, musical, theatrical, and visual arts performances in the 100-seat Black Box Theater.

Greater Rochester

Avon Park Theater

Avon, Livingston County
71 Genesee St.

The 1938 theater offers music, comedy, and classic and independent movies.

Bristol Valley Theatre

Naples, Ontario County
151 S. Main St.
(585) 374-6318

This professional 196-seat theater produces a robust summer season of plays and musicals from late June through mid-August.

Fort Hill Performing Arts Center

Canandaigua, Ontario County
20 Fort Hill Avenue
(585) 412-6043

The Fort Hill PAC hosts exceptional shows in the 427-seat Sands Family Foundation Theatre. Thanks to the continued backing of the community, Fort Hill delivers an array of performing arts, including music, dance, theater, speakers, and visual arts.

Ohmann Theatre

Lyons, Wayne County
65 William St.
(315) 946-4604

Owned and operated by descendants of the Ohmann family since 1915, the theater features first-run, single-feature movies.

Palace Theatre

Wolcott, Wayne County
12053 E. Main St.
(315) 594-2785

This 1938 theater shows first-run, single-feature movies on weekends.

Regal Eastview Mall

Victor, Ontario County
70 Eastview Mall Drive
(844) 462-7342

Offering reclining seats, enjoy a first-run movie on one of 13 screens.

The Geneseo Riviera

Geneseo, Livingston County
4 Center St.
(585) 481-0036

This 1914 mixed-use performing arts space hosts live music, periodic film screenings, and community events.

Silver Lake Twin Drive-In

Perry, Wyoming County
7037 Chapman Ave.
(585) 237-3372

Enjoy dinner and miniature golf at the Charcoal Corral before a double feature at the drive-in.

Smith Opera House

Geneva, Ontario County
82 Seneca St.
(315) 781-5483

The Smith opened in 1894 and can accommodate 950 people on the orchestra floor and 450 on the balcony. It has a rich history of hosting music, dance, theater, speeches, and films. A major 1994 restoration preserved the building’s original 1894 exterior and its opulent 1931 Art Deco interior. Visitors can marvel at the detailed restoration work, including the restored decorative elements and twinkling starry-night-sky theater ceiling reminiscent of the 1930s.

Spotlight Theater

Warsaw, Wyoming County
23 S. Main St.
(585) 786-2222

See a first-run, single-feature movie on one of three screens in this 1948 theater.

Star Theatre

Dansville, Livingston County
144 Main St.
(585) 622-6722

Enjoy a single-screen, first-run movie in the 1921 theater.

Vintage Drive-In

Avon, Livingston County
1520 W. Henrietta Road
(585) 226-9290

The drive-in opens for weekend-only showings around the first Friday in April, then every night during the warmer months. Enjoy a double feature on one of four screens.

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Which are your favorite performing arts theaters?

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Debi Bower is the founder and creative director of daytrippingroc.com and author of the award-winning book Day Trips Around Rochester, NewYork.