Center Stage Theater

This is a small intimate theater, nothing fancy about it, the seating is old and as someone else said a bit rickety, but with all that said I also found it to be part of the charm.
I attended a small Christmas production of Twas the night before Christmas, and while at first i was surprised at the simple nature of the set, in the end it didn’t matter because the performers were able to capture your attention and you soon forgot that there were no back drops or real props other than a couple of chairs and two suitcases.
My suggestion would be that if you have high standards when it comes to Theaters and like big performances then you should look elsewhere. But if you love art in general and are able to visualize easily then you should have no problem enjoying any performance here.
The girls that performed in Twas the night before Christmas danced their little hearts out and I had a smile on my face throughout the entire show, brava ladies!

If you’re a musician or a band thinking of booking this theater for a performance, I would think twice before doing that. My first advice is:
Have a professional lawyer read through your contract CAREFULLY. REMEMBER: EVERYTHING cost extra at this venue.
Make sure you bring your own rugs, your own monitors etc. because the sound is not that good, the technical director is decent, but if you are particular about your sound, bring your own sound man (if they even allow that!) too many bare walls and floors there makes the sound very difficult to manage, AND don’t expect the theater to lift a finger in regards to helping you promote your event.
Don’t expect, just because you’re in the heart of Santa Barbara, that a built in crowd will come… because they wont.
Watch out for extra fees and don’t take the cold and bordering on rude demeanor from management personally, They’re just that way.
I travel all over the world, I have an international career and following, yet here… well, it was not a very good experience (I’m being nice when I say this).
I’d rather recommend the Plaza Playhouse Theater in Carpinteria, great helpful people, wonderful atmospheric stage, good communication, and a lot more affordable.

I haven’t been to a play in many years but when heard they were doing «Evil Dead the Musical» I had to come down from LA and check it out. The play was fun and I liked this small venue quite a bit. It probably only seats a few hundred people and I rather liked that as it felt more intimate and all the seats had a good view. Nice staff and easy parking too.

Omg, what is happening to me, I’m getting all cultured and stuff, going to plays and concerts and being all arty. Me getting edumacated.
I’d been to the Center State Theater during the SB International Film Festival, but most of the films shown here weren’t considered the Big Ones, so what does that say about the venue. In fact, attending the short films here was such a disaster, I don’t think I’ve voluntarily wanted to set foot in the space since.
But, who can turn down a free +1 opportunity for Shakespeare? I might be a glutton for punishment, but I’m also no dummy. Of course I went.
And it was great. The small, intimate setting was well-​suited for a performance by a gang of actors with a minimum of props and a maximum of passion and expression of their art.
This isn’t a 5 star, because the seating is rickety, and you can feel someone crossing their legs from the opposites ends of the row. And there’s only one door, so if you return from the intermission a wee bit late, and your seats are on the other side, you must do the Walk of Shame across the theater for all and sundry to see and judge you.
It was like experiencing our own Winter’s Tale: exit stage, pursued by a bear.
How meta.