Rise Above Performing Arts Centre - Sarasota, Florida

bennie B.

I was blessed enough to be invited to their 1st Annual Gala! It was 1920's Great Gatsby themed. My only mild complaint, food was a little sub par with the ticket price. Doesn't help that I am a culinary graduate. ‍♂️ That being said, it was wonderfully decorated, they had fantastic online AND in person raffles, amazingly talented people singing, dancing and performing for the duration of dinner service! I can't wait to attend a show in person to further immerse myself into this talented creative group of people!

Kory M.

Went there Friday night to see a play Grease. This theater is located next to Cinebistro in Sarasota. Must’ve been made out of a closed down restaurant. Tickets were value priced at only $25 plus a service fee to pick them up at the box office. Upon arrival you walk through the door and the tickets are waiting right to the left side. I thought I was in the lobby, but surprise I was actually in the lobby/Theater. The theater is So so small.. I thought to myself what kind of acoustics could they possibly have in here? I was pleasantly surprised and actually had a great time. I had great seats. They were in the front Row literally 6 inches from the stage. It was amazing. I was immersed in the talent on the stage and felt as if I was part of it. They do have a bar if you’d like to purchase drinks and also snacks and other beverages for sale. The only downfall is the theater is very small so the seats are all squished in together, so you will be very close to your neighbors. I recommend you looking into this theater. It reminds me of the Venice little theater where I had seen Rocky horror up close and personal list of it makes it wonderful.. Sorry, there were no photos allowed during the show so I could not capture any photos

Kathy C.

These talented individuals were amazing!! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and so did everyone in my group. The acting was superb along with their singing. Choreographed beautifully. Can't wait to see another show.

Denise B.

I’ve seen two amazing shows at this theatre, The Sound of Music and Grease. The singing and dancing were amazing. I look forward to seeing more shows there in the future.

charlie F.

This place smells like sewage and sweaty balls. The production of beauty and the beast was so awful except for the lovely boy who played cogsworth. Putting 50 kids on a tiny stage isn’t cute and neither was the bathroom. Fix it.

Pegi M.

What an unexpected and over the top play “The Sound of Music” was. I had never been to the Rise Above Centre but I will definitely be going back often. The singing, acting and sets were more professional than many plays I’ve been to. Thank you all for a wonderful experience!

Glenda

This is an event space we went to to see a dance recital. Although it is small it serves it's purpose. It was cozy and intimate.

We arrived after everything started and sat where we could find a seat for 4 people together. Our seat was located in the front but we did not want to disturb the show. It turns out the people who belonged in these seats came after we did. The usher told us we had to move but we negotiated with the other people and they took our unused seats up front.

It's a cute little place but when you walk in you don't know who works there and who doesn't.

Tonisha B.

I would not recommend this venue for your future event based on the less than professional treatment I received after booking. My company contracted with Rise Above Performing Art Theater three months before a company event. I confirmed the size and space of the venue and all amenities included well in advance of the date of the event to ensure that it would serve the needs of the performance that would take place. Two weeks prior to the event I was informed that there had been structural changes to the venue stage, which dramatically reduced the floor space and impacted the formations that had been planned and rehearsed for months. I had invested time and resources in developing a program for patrons that designed to the specifications that were initially presented to me. When I had the opportunity to visit the space again after being notified of the changes, it no longer accommodated the number of performers that was initially quoted to me at the time that the deposit was made, and resource were expended for a performance that no longer reasonably fit the stage. The inconvenience of having to revamp the performance in the eleventh hour, in addition to casual dismissal of my concerns, was unacceptable and deeply unprofessional.