Cal Performances Review

UCBerckeley, in addition to field for basketball ballet game, also serves for graduations

Been watching shows here since my college days more than 40 years ago. The venue is great, the shows that they have performing there are varied and world-class. Much cheaper and easier to get to than those in San Francisco venues.. MUCH CHEAPER, and in many cases just as good or better.

The 5 stars are for the Robert Lepage performance and for the fact that Call Performances was alert enough to book him. But the theater should have been a sell out! You need to work harder to get the word out when you present such a genius.

Always a delight to attend an event from Cal Performances! The venue is great and there are always great performers and speakers. Highly recommended!

Parking can be very difficult so allow plenty of time to find parking and still make it to your seats on time. This is a nice theater and there are plenty of workers to help you find your seats and restrooms. Don't sit in the orchestra unless you get a front row seat. All orchestra seats are on the same level and it can be hard to see over the people in front of you. They also allow late entry so late comers trying to find and get to their seats can be extremely frustrating and distracting.

Great theater. Amazing performances. Friendly staff and in the heart of campus.

Nice theatre, located on the beautiful UC Berkeley campus. Great patio and two levels in the lobby as well. Great ushers for programs and leading us to our seat.

We saw Cloud Gate Dance Theatre performance here a few times. Really like to see more.

Fantastic venue, with outstanding talent booked: we are fortunate to have this level of entertainment locally! Almost anything booked here is worth seeing.

I saw the Shen Yun dance performance here. Such a great venue. The whole experience was great - including the sound and lighting. I hope to see more performances here soon.

One of the best venues to see entertainment, particularly classical music in the Bay Area

Incredible Meyers sound system

Really nice theater. The play barbershop chronicles was very good. I would revisit this place again.

Spacious leg room and great acoustics. Will definitely come back.

Beautiful lecture hall, close to great things on campus.

Zellerbach theater what an amazing place every seat is a good seat there are no bad seats there I was there yesterday to see my daughter graduate and was amazed by the access the exits always going to an enclosed area and look for the exit in case there's a problem you know what I mean this is definitely nice place to see a play Hamilton whatever they may be producing at the time highly recommend if it's at the Zellerbach theater that that you go in at end thank you

This is a great venue. You can usually find great seats, and UC Berkeley puts on some great events here (some of them are even free for students!) Is usually best to park in the lot on Durant.

The concert was very good. A nice mixture of music from the civil rights movement and renowned black musicians from the 40's to present day. Took BART not realizing how far it was to Zellerbach Hall.

One of the best places for the performing arts on the West Coast, no question

Great room. Even from the balcony, we see extremely well, as if we were close to the dancers or actors on stage. The programming is really excellent and modern. The prices are competitive and the staff is very friendly and smiling. We can even dine there.

Fabulous place to see good shows n I hope to see Shu Yem theatre with.mom

Great music, beautiful venue, lots of independently owned restaurants nearby. Traffic was a bit tricky, what with the endless stream of collegiate sporting events crammed into such a small town, but I guess that's what rideshare is for.

Lazarus is an outstanding new work. Creative and emotionally moving. The troupe is of a high caliber. I was thrilled by their performance.

The Ethnic Dance Festival is, as always a wonderfull show. And this, the 41st year was batter than ever.

Excellent venue for the Berkeley Symphony. The interior architecture is pretty interesting before the lights go down too!

The performance with the UC Berkeley Orchestra was fantastic.

World class performance art events, right on the Berkeley campus. Great prices for students, so take advantage!

Came here with a friend who got free tickets to a choir performance. Pretty decent sized hall and there were lots of different tiers for seats. They have a cafe out in the mezzanine that allows you to buy wine and food. You aren't allowed to bring the food into the hall though.

So many good peformances here, check out their show schedules

Kinda old, though the acoustics are still good. Parking is a pain

We attended a terrific performance by the Kronos Quartet featuring high school aged students who played as well. We began with a delicious light dinner before in the Zellerbach Cafe, on the hall's second floor. Very convenient and affordable. All in all, a great night of music.

The venue is really nice and the seats aren't cramped and the food is ok and you can get beer and the place has great sound and.... There is no parking. Downtown Berkeley at the University on a Saturday night for a show in the University music Hall and they close off the University parking garage. Did I mention it was raining. So had to walk 3 blocks. Not horrible but the only downer.

Bright spacious concert hall with good acoustics and comfortable seats.

Helpful ushers, overpriced concessions. The facility itself is very good, only thing you need to be wary of is the wine selection, cheap and extremely overpriced. Well, I expect to be fleeced at concessions, but at least have a good selection. Besides that, everything else is on solid footing. Extremely helpful staff, and selection of performances which puts SF symphony to shame.

Great concert hall. Very large, pretty good seating

Had the opportunity to see the Alvin Ailey Ballet..It was Wonderful waited a long time to get here

Mahler Chamber Orchestra was a delight! The front rows of EE and FF put you right next to the musicians but those rows are not for long legged people who need a little room. The Cal Performances series is an amazing opportunity to attend world class performers!

Oh my god, we got seats in the first row on the right side and half of our view was obstructed!!!

the Joffrey ballet was excellent, i loved the performances, the sets, the colors, the costumes, the dancers. the building is lovely

Great venue in the UC Berkeley campus. International cuisine all around. Short walk from downtown Berkeley BART. World class performance!!!

If I were to design a theater it would probably look something like this. Super nice accoustics and great layout with descending seats that allows people all the way in the back to see clearly.

Ok so this is actually my 2nd time being at the Zellerbach Hall and i enjoy it every time.

Seating: Anywhere you sit is a good spot because the hall isn't TOO big. I've sat on the ground floor in the back by the doors (Alvin Ailey Dance Company performance) and was able to see perfectly (I wear glasses). I've also sat on the top level all the way on the side by the stairs (Shen Yun performance) and the view & dancing angles were still very good.

Intermissions: ALSO (very important) the Hall was serving snacks.. correction, GOOD snacks (roasted glazed almonds, dessert treats), free filtered water, AND fancy hot meals (like herb chicken w/rissotto & riblets or some sort of steak, I don't remember exactly but they were meals like that).

Ticket Booth/Will-Call: The will-call line goes by rather quickly as well. I can't speak for the ticket booth though.

Parking: Parking can be difficult so come at least 40 minutes to an hour before start time, solely for parking. It's ok if you find parking early and have 40 minutes to spare. The Hall is along a lively street that you can stroll to pass any extra time.

You'll love it! I recommend everyone catch a show there at least once!

This is a great venue, great acoustics and features some really amazing performances. Just saw a group of Taiko drummers

very nice room. easy access with parking at $ 4 per evening in the parallel street. reasonable price for winter sales

Saw Shen Yun. Excellent experience. Must see if you get the chance. You will not want to miss this

The music, the performance, the colors were pretty good. The story line for some performances were funny and humorous. The only bad thing I was say is the acoustics in the building we were in. The sound was very mono due to lack of good speakers. I sat in the middle of the theater and you can tell the music was only in the front. My suggestion is to see it where the theater is modern or up to date. Overall a good show.

Excellent theater visibility is perfect from any point.

It's okay. We recently went to a performance and the room was so stuffy. No air filtering through. Good seats are everywhere though it looks like.

Saw THE HARD NUT, a parody of The Nutcracker. Spencer Ramirez' inspiring performance in the Mark Morris Dance Group was so incredible. Zellerbach Hall on the Cal Berkeley campus is the perfect setting for this laugh out loud 70's themed take on the classic with the Tchaikovsky score. A must see holiday treat for all ages.

We sat up at the balconies for Alvin Ailey show and had an excellent experience. The cafe/bar service during intermission is very swift.

I attended the Estrella Morent concert over here and I was gratefully impressed about the acoustics. The venue is not any gem from an architectural design (too much concrete) but the acoustics were superb. I'd definitely get back for other concerts here.

Amazing. The performances are all incredible. Very nice space with good parking. Good options for food nearby too.

Mark Morris Dance performance at Zellerbach Auditorium in Berkeley. Soothing and beautiful.

A Large auditorium/lecture hall, pretty standard for what it is. Holds events, and a few of my lectures. Pretty neat layout, but then again, I'm a fan of these kinds of venues.