Buffalo Takes Center Stage
The diversity and abundance of performances, put on by nearly 25 professional theaters, makes it easy to find something to see in and around Buffalo. The MusicalFare Theatre stages new and classic musicals. Torn Space Theatre breaks ground with the avant-garde. At the Alleyway Theatre the work of up-and-coming playwrights are on the marquee.
Shows & Musicals for Every Season
The Theatre of Youth’s plays for young people unfold at a restored movie house in the historic Allentown neighborhood. See productions rooted in African American traditions at the Ujima Theatre Company. In the summertime, join the crowd bringing picnics to sit on the lawn and take in the Bard’s comedies and tragedies at a Shakespeare in Delaware Park performance.
From Contemporary to the Classics
West of the city, the Lancaster Opera House continues a tradition of live entertainment that began in 1897. The Kavinoky Theatre’s restored 1903-recital hall on the D’Youville University campus is an elegant, vintage setting. Baroque grandeur suits the Broadway shows at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, a gilded former movie palace on Main Street. For a more intimate production, consider its neighbor on the block, the Irish Classical Theatre Company. Performances suit any proclivity – from murder mystery comedy to a Stephen King movie-turned-play, a Jane Austen interpretation, golden-era shows like Guys and Dolls and the cutting edge. Let us entertain you.
Buffalo: It’s Showtime!
A glimpse into our vibrant theater scene
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Perfectly Tuned: Kleinhans Music Hall
You have to experience this amazing concert hall!
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Buffalo’s Theater Menu
A critic talks about Buffalo’s vibrant theater scene
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Harold Arlen
Buffalo’s Great American Songwriter
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Excellent Pairings for Dinner @ A Show
An evening of delicious food and entertainment
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Architectural Spotlight: Shea’s Performing Arts Center
A touchstone for downtown’s exciting revitalization
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Erie County Theater Companies
With 22 professional theater companies in the Buffalo area, there’s no shortage of show-stopping performances to enjoy. View some of our favorites below!
Buffalo: It’s Showtime!
Alleyway Theatre
American Repertory Theatre of Western New York
Brazen-Faced Varlots
Buffalo United Artists
Desiderio’s Dinner Theatre
D’Youville Kavinoky Theatre
First Look Buffalo Theatre Company
Irish Classical Theatre Company
Jewish Repertory Theatre
Lancaster Opera House
MusicalFare Theatre
O’Connell & Company
Paul Robeson Theatre
Raices Theatre Company
Road Less Traveled Productions
Second Generation Theatre
Shakespeare in Delaware Park
Shea’s 710 Theatre
Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
Theatre of Youth
Torn Space Theater
Ujima Theatre Company
Upcoming Shows & Musicals
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
02/19
MusicalFare Theatre
When a distant heir to a family fortune sets out to speed up the line of succession by using a…
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Beyond Boundaries The Inquisitor
02/19
Burchfield Penney Art Center
THE INQUISITOR (Angela Lynn Tucker, 2025). Barbara Jordan’s political life was a series of firsts: she was Texas’s first Black…
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God of Carnage
02/19
Shea’s Smith Theatre
Get ready for Second Generation Theatre Company’s Production of “God of Carnage” at Shea’s Buffalo February 27-March 15!
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Exit Strategy
02/20
Road Less Traveled Productions
The teachers of Tumbldn High School bring mousetraps from home, they make the toilet paper last, and they show up…
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Lucky Stiff A Musical Comedy
02/20
Lancaster Opera House
From the Tony Award-winning duo behind Ragtime and Seussical comes Lucky Stiff, a madcap musical farce full of mistaken identities,…
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Hedda Gabler
02/27
Kavinoky Theatre
Newlywed Hedda has it all beauty, class, privilege. What she lacks is the one thing she wants: freedom. Trapped by…
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The Brothers Size
02/27
Ujima Theatre
In the Louisiana bayou, big brother Ogun Size is hardworking and steady. Younger brother Oshoosi is just out of prison…
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The Masque of the Red Death
02/28
Forbes Theater
The Merry Shelley and The Miss Demeanors with DJ Servo Present: Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Masque of the Red Death”.…
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“She Late!” – Mickey Harmon & Jordan Celotto Tribute Screening
03/06
North Park Theatre
In this intimate portrayal of friendship, patience, and transformation, filmmaker Pierce McCleary follows Buffalebrity drag trio She Lives through a…
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One of the Good Ones – Premiere
03/08
North Park Theatre
The North Park Theatre is no stranger to unique movie screenings. There’s one coming up that Buffalonians should be particularly…
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Beyond Boundaries : Ratified!
03/12
Burchfield Penney Art Center
RATIFIED! (Sabaah Folayan and Deborah R Draper, 2025). Legal equality for all genders has still not been officially added…
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Riverdance
03/13
Shea’s Buffalo
Get ready to jig and reel, New York – the rumble of strides and resounding beats of Riverdance are marching…
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Kimberly Akimbo
03/17
Shea’s Buffalo
THE MOST TONY AWARD-WINNING SHOW OF ITS SEASON A new musical about growing up and growing old (in no particular…
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Complexions Contemporary Ballet
03/28
Center for the Arts-Mainstage Theatre
Led by dance icons Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, Complexions Contemporary Ballet has awakened audiences to a new, exciting genre…
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Jesus Christ Superstar
04/02
MusicalFare Theatre
Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice’s classic rock-musical about the final week of the life of Jesus Christ, complete with…
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The Odd Couple
04/10
Lancaster Opera House
This classic comedy opens on a friendly card game in the untidy apartment of divorced Oscar Madison. And if the…
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Water For Elephants
04/14
Shea’s Buffalo
“Many wonders await audiences in this gorgeously imaginative Broadway musical.” & The New York Times The critically acclaimed bestselling novel…
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Aperture/Afterimage
04/17
Torn Space Theater
A live audio-visual performance by Groupwork Independent Artist Performance Part of the in.sight series Part of the in.sight performance series an ongoing investigation…
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Ghost Brothers of Darkland County
04/17
Road Less Traveled Productions
A bluesy rock score by legend John Mellencamp and a claustrophobic, refractured parable from the master of thriller Stephen King…
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PARKER PRY- PRIVATE EYE: A Free Reading
04/20
Shea’s Smith Theatre
WORLD PREMIERE! In BIG CITY, no case is too little for Parker Pry, the least famous detective in town. A…
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