Straz Center050

The David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts - (formerly the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, or TBPAC) - covers nine acres along Tampa's Hillsborough River and features five theaters:

Carol Morsani Hall is the centerpiece venue of the Center. The 2,552-seat hall, formerly known as Festival Hall, hosts some of the biggest shows and performances in the Tampa Bay area.

Louise Lykes Ferguson Hall is the site of numerous plays, musical concerts, and dance events. Formerly called The Playhouse, the venue contains 1,042 seats in both orchestra and balcony seating.

The 292-seat Jaeb Theater is designed as an intimate theater or cabaret setting, as well as a site for smaller productions and meetings.

The Hinks and Elaine Shimberg Playhouse, with just 130 seats, is also for smaller productions, including poetry readings, speakers, performance artists, and shows by small theater companies.

The TECO Energy Foundation Theater is a two-story, 3,500-square-foot open space for rehearsals, classes, and recitals. Rehearsal Hall is a 70-foot-by-50-foot area featuring full-length mirrors and ballet barres.

Seating charts are accessible on the Center's website.

The Center is also home to the Patel Conservatory, which offers classes in dance, theater, music, and media for all ages.

The campus also features its own on-site eateries, Maestro's Restaurant, which features a five-course Bistro-style brunch and dinner buffet for $21.50 and $25.50 respectively, as well as light post-performance offerings such as appetizers, salads and light entrees; Maestro's Cafe, which provides buffet-style eating and outdoor seating with prices from $18.50-$22.50; and Maestro's On the River, which offers light fare foods ranging from $8 to $15. Reservations are recommended for the Restaurant and Cafe and can be made by calling 813.229.STAR or going online (you can get a peek at the night's menu, as well).

Straz - winner of our 2009 Parents' Picks award for best local theater for kids - offers guided tours Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10am, beginning outside the ticket office. Groups of 10 or more should call in advance.