Best in Show
San Antonio’s favorite theater named the best in the world
San Antonio’s thriving arts scene is an undeniable source of city pride. Contributing on the theater front is the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, which brings in a diverse array of performances and programming in its state-of-the-art venue. So, it should come as no surprise to San Antonians that it just received an all-star ranking, placing it among the top theaters in the world.
According to Pollstar, a trade publication covering the worldwide concert industry, the Tobin Center is the No. 1 theater in Texas, No. 16 in the U.S., and No. 22 in the world. When you scale back to theaters under 2,000 seats (the Tobin seats 1,738), the venue ranks No. 1 in the world.
To come up with the rankings, Pollstar looked at ticket sales from January 1 to March 31 of 2016. The Tobin Center sold over 60,000 tickets during that time, averaging approximately 660 tickets each day. To give some context, the Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie — the only other Texas theater on Pollstar's top 50 worldwide list — sold under 40,000 tickets during that same timeframe, and that's with 6,000 seats to boot.
The Tobin Center’s new space, which includes the H-E-B Performance Hall, River Walk Plaza, and Studio Theater, has helped revitalize the downtown area with programming that appeals to San Antonians of all ages, income levels, and backgrounds. That, along with surging ticket sales, will ensure that this beloved theater will never have to take a final curtain call.
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