5 Best Performing Arts in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Of the three notable performance halls in UNM's Center for the Arts, Popejoy Hall, with just under 2,000 seats, is the city's go-to for the New Mexico Philharmonic, blockbuster Broadway touring shows, dance performances, concerts, comedy acts, and lectures. Rodey Theatre, a smaller, 420-seat house in the same complex, stages experimental and niche works throughout the year while Keller Hall, a 274-seater with superb acoustics, is the perfect home for the much-acclaimed annual John Donald Robb Composers' Symposium for new music (in spring) and the university's excellent chamber music program.

Flamenco music and dance speak to something in Albuquerque’s soul, and for folks new to the tradition or yearning for a taste, this venue—with food and wine to match—is the perfect spot to kindle that flame. In an intimate, appropriately sultry setting, enjoy the four-course prix fixe menu offered with evening performances or small bites with the Sunday matinee. Arrive early, and be dazzled by the world-class artists performing here.

Albuquerque Little Theatre is a nonprofit community troupe that's been going strong since 1930. Its staff of professionals teams up with local volunteer talent to produce comedies, dramas, musicals, and mysteries that range from Amadeus to The Odd Couple and Singin' in the Rain. The company theater, across the street from Old Town, was built in 1936, and though its facade has been redesigned in recent years, there are still many clues that the original design was by John Gaw Meem. It contains an art gallery, a large lobby, and a cocktail lounge.

The stunning KiMo Theatre, an extravagantly ornamented 650-seat Pueblo Deco movie palace, is one of the best places in town to see any type of show. Jazz, dance, blues, film—everything from traveling road shows to an inspired city-sponsored film series (Hitchcock pre-Hollywood, for example)—might turn up here. Former Albuquerque resident Vivian Vance of I Love Lucy fame once performed on the stage; today you're more likely to see Laurie Anderson, Wilco, or a film-festival screening.

In January and February, theater fans of the fresh and new flock to the Revolutions International Theatre Festival, presented by the Tricklock Company. Recognized internationally, Tricklock mounts productions throughout the year and emphasizes works that take it—and the audience—to the edge of theatrical possibility.