Power Center

Great place to see a show! Saw Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Blind Boys of Alabama over the weekend as part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival and we had a fantastic time.
Acoustics are great, the seating is comfortable, and the venue is small enough that every seat in there is a good one. I also liked that each row was high enough above the row in front that you had a great, unobstructed view of the stage.
Ushers were very friendly, parking was a breeze, and the performers themselves were excellent. I’d highly recommend keeping an eye on their schedule and attending a show there sometime. It’s a great spot!

You would think that the raw cement, reminiscent of the Detroit RenCen, would have resulted in an echo chamber. But thankfully somehow the sound profile isn’t that. Instead, if anything, it errs on the side of being a bit dead. Luckily the theater is small so even when the duo decides to do a couple of tunes with no amp, everyone can still hear them. Power Center is a nice smallish theater with great parking connected.

Really not a bad space — it feels more intimate than it looks on the seating chart. Chairs are comfortable and not too cramped.
Re: seating — I would recommend sitting at least 7 rows back from the stage as the first three rows basically put the stage floor at eye level. The far flanks are also fairly terrible so avoid those as well. Balcony is not bad — again, better to sit toward the center.
Most of the performances I’ve seen here are enjoyable (presented by the UMS), staged well, mic’ed well, lit well. The one exception is the recent performance of Six Characters in Search of an Author which were super-​titled (the play was performed in French). The super– and sub-​titles were disgracefully placed. Impossible to read while watching the performance.
People’s dress varies from super dolled up opera style to casual chic (nice jeans, nice fitted t-​shirt). There are free coat lockers next to the theater entrance and other lockers available in the center of the waiting area (I believe those take a quarter or two?).
Restrooms are downstairs — the women’s gets crowded (as usual. sigh.) so you can also check out the lesser-​known secondary bathroom with an entrance right next to the stair case (instead of in front of it).
There’s a cash bar (don’t know about the prices, never have partaken). Almost never a wait at the will-​call window.
All in all a solid, accessible, and convenient place to see strong musical, theatrical, and dance performances.

Not a bad seat in the house! Went to see Pink Martini. Took off a star for lack of dance floor. Why so many musical acts but no dance floor?! This should be remedied.

Perfect venue for a show in Ann Arbor. Not only are the acoustics great but the seating style is perfect. I’m short and no matter how good my seats, unless I’m in the front row, someone taller than I always plops down directly in front of me. This venue has stepped seating so it doesn’t matter how tall the person in front of me is, I can see.
Clean, friendly staff and nice ambience.

A top-​notch venue for entertainment, performance, and conferences!
The Power Center hosted the TEDx University of Michigan 2012 conference. More than twenty speakers addressed the audience with life stories, lessons, demonstrations, and presentations ranging from Vienna Tang’s brilliant piano concert to distinguished U of M alum explaining rockets, social justice, and transforming the developing world. Lighting and acoustics were fantastic, and the technological aspects went off without a hitch. We heard everyone loud and clear.
Putting 1350 people or so in one place without it feeling cavernous or claustrophic is a trick, but the sharp amphitheatre descent of seats ensures clear views and space to mingle with your neighbours. After several hours, the seats are a bit uncomfortable on the back but my derrière appreciated the extra padding. Multiple entrances help stream the guests out of the way, but filling up and emptying the auditorium is a lengthy ordeal hampered somewhat by the spiral staircases leading to the balcony which feed into the already crowded foyer.
The front most seats are extremely close to the stage, and I was comfortable on the fifth row right wing. Superb positioning and easy to enjoy everything. The layout of the Power Center is clean and easily navigated, so no running around in the dark for the washrooms.
I didn’t pay for tickets to a specific performance, as they were bundled into the TEDx conference, but there were a host of performances being advertised. I may pop back for the likes of Chicago.

went here last night to she a A2 ballet school put on The Nutcracker. $ 5 for garage parking and the door was right there in the garage. stadium seating, all seats looked like good seats to have except the ones in the very front row and i don’t even know why these people stayed there (tons of open seats), if they stuck out their tongues they would of touched them to the stage.

Took a ballet class here in college and really enjoyed both the facility and the instructor. I would highly recommend this if you have the opportunity!

The Power Center is the best and sadly one of the few places to see top-​tier, professional theatre in Michigan. While the Wharton Center (Michigan State), The Fischer Theatre, and the Detroit Opera House seem to have focused on Broadway musicals as of late, the University of Michigan, my alma mater and the alma mater of Arthur Miller, still brings in world-​class plays from around the world. The Power Center also hosts a variety of other world class performance art, including dance troupes and musicians from around the world.
The content of the performances at the theatre gets 5 STARS! The only reason I gave the Power Center 4-​stars overall is the set up of the theatre itself. If you are seated very far right or left in the orchestra section, you will not be able to see the back part of the stage and may literally miss some of the action. This happened to me once! I’m sure the design of theatre has something to do with getting the right acoustics, but I was still disappointed.
A tip for theatre-​goers: don’t buy cheap here, upgrade to at least the second cheapest seats and you’ll be fine. I really miss the $ 10 rush tickets they offered to students… Now I pay more but I always leave the venue satisfied that I’ve seen some really grand theatre.

Huge auditorium for some of the best drama performances. I am partial to this campus venue because to continue with my saga of boredom, I auditioned for a play… well monologue really. With no drama experience, I was in. Talk about an experience to perform in font of hundreds for matinée and evening shows. My friends were amazed that my sheepish voice could carry, thanks to the venue’s acoustics.