american shakespeare center

If you have the courage get seats on the stage. You'll be included as part of the play. You'll never forget the experience. Short of that get seats in the "lords chairs", front row. Good Seats and right on top of the play. But most of all GET SEATS. You'll never regret it.

You enter the building and think so what is the big deal. Once you step into the theater, you are transformed to another time. I like Shakespeare but who I went with was unsure. Seeing Shakespeare come alive made everyone enjoy! Just a tip, come early to park and find the theater, it is a little tricky. We parked at the Stonewall Jackson hotel. Use the lobby. Take the time to enjoy the past.

I have attended performances at the theater since 2002, and very highly recommend the Blackfriar's Theater for those visiting Staunton. During the winter holidays, the theater puts on several seasonal offerings-- not Shakespeare. In December, I attended a performance of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" with a friend and her 12-year-old daughter-- the daughter was captivated by the performance (as was the rest of the audience) and has put the theater on her must-do list for her next visit.

The ASC in Staunton is a one-of-a-kind attraction. You'll see Renaissance plays in original practice in the world's only reconstruction of Shakespeare's Blackfriars Theatre. No microphones, no fancy sets, no dimmed lights. Just Shakespeare as it was written to be performed. These actors are top-notch, almost all of them have intensive training in the form of an MFA. Sit on the stage if you can-the actors will interact with you and you may be a part of the show. I got to hold a prop during a recent performance of "The Rover."

So often I find that the actors in Shakespeare plays are impressed by the fact that they are in a Shakespeare play and tend to recite the lines in a lofty manner. They forget that Shakespeare wrote dramas and comedies depicting real human emotion. The American Shakespeare Center company put all that emotion back into their staging of the plays. I come back to Staunton on a regular basis just to see ASC plays. It's the best place to see a Shakespeare play in my opinion. Fabulous fun.

Wonderful play with an outstanding cast, up close and personal, in a beautiful facility. What a wonderful draw for downtown Staunton!

A TRULY outstanding show. We come here at least once a year. Well worth the trip! And there is an AMTRAK station two blocks away.

My ten year old son and I visited ASC to see Comedy of Errors. We were able to join on stage on the gallant stools since they were not full yet. It is such an engaging troupe and atmosphere that my son had a blast. We ended up staying longer so that we could also see Cyrano (equally fabulous) and my son was one of the only folks to be able to join on stage due to another stool vacancy. Great memory forever. I hope we make it back!

The American Shakespeare Center presents various productions throughout the year. A Christmas Carol is presented in a reproduction of the Globe Theater in Staunton, VA. The venue is gorgeous, the detail beautifully presented and is as uncomfortable as the original theater in England. That is the space is limited the seats duplicate those in the original.The presentation itself is great, the players are excellent, costuming is true to the period and definitely meant for the whole family. Our party ranged in age from 7 to 69 and the scary, nasty parts affected the younger ones as you would guess. The interact presented period music with period instruments. A real joy for a mixed age group.

Local plays! Son involved. He is working on his MA on william . Wife and son almost live there. Will return.

We have attended the ASC many times and always marvel at the excellent performances, the wonderful theater, and the tremendous value. A must for theater fans or anyone with even the least interest in culture.

We went to The Black Friars Playhouse last night to see A CHRISTMAS Carol. Wow! What a fantastic show! Great for all ages. The Ghost of Christmas past was a lil creepy - but SUCH a great representation! A MUST SEE!

We saw "A Christmas Carol" and "The Santaland Diaries". Great experience....they "Do it with the Lights On" at the ASC. Would definitely go back.

We went to both the Friday and Saturday night shows last weekend, and we've gone regularly for several years. We love the mix of classic staging conditions, traditional scripts and modern interpretations. For the holidays, both A Christmas Carol and The Santaland Diaries are well worth the trip. Love it!

We have been to Staunton several times for the playhouse, traveling from Georgia for the experience. Mcbeth was one of our all time favorites! We would have loved to stayed to see it a second time.