Michael Shimmel Center For The Arts

I’m so surprised that this arts center is lesser known and Unilocaled about. It’s a clean, spacious venue for lectures, dance, movies and theater, all at reasonable prices. The lighting and sound are good, the stadium seats are cushiony and wide enough for the brawny and there are bathrooms on both the upper and lower levels. There are even vending machines selling snacks and sodas and drinks, though I think they are more for the students at Pace than for patrons of the arts center! Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company was on the day before Snowstorm Jonas hit, so dance company and audience lucked out. For those who aren’t familiar with Paul Taylor, he created the Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company to bring dance to a wider audience by having the 6 member company perform in smaller venues with smaller budgets. The Paul Taylor ensemble, not as edgy as some of the troupes I am fond of, gave a lovely performance with three sets. The first, Cascade, had such beautiful Tyrolean style costumes and seemed more ballet than modern dance. The second, Runes, was slow and haunting. Company B, was a quick change of pace, being the most fun in music and the liveliest, with the theme ranging from sailors about town and in port and WWII sentiments. It was an entertaining way to spend an evening. Tickets for most performances are in the $ 29-​$ 39 range, much more affordable than Broadway, though you can also check around to see if discounts are being offered.
Ushers here were sweet, and welcoming and seemed young, as if they were students.
*If you are a fan of Grease, there is a Grease Sing Along and the audience is encouraged to come in costume. UYE anyone?

My family visit Michael Shimmel Center for Shakespears and some new plays. It’s a medium scale theater offering very interesting repertoire, usually perfected by beautiful setting and lighting design. Great value in terms of quality production. We’re most impressed by Merchant of Venice and The Soldier’s Tale, very creative contemporary renderings.
Ticket price quite reasonable, one can even get $ 5 rush ticket if purchasing 1 hour prior to show time!