With two top-tier theatres, Santa Fe and Taos each offer exceptional summer theatre options. We are strong believers in the power of performing arts, and while the Santa Fe Opera and it’s rich art history often take center stage for visitors, these two playhouses are must-sees for all travelers.
Theatre Highlights in New Mexico
Lensic Performing Arts Center
The Lensic Theatre is a 821-seat theatre designed by Boller Brothers of Kansas City, well-known movie-theatre and vaudeville-house architects who designed almost one hundred theaters throughout the West and mid-West. The pseudo-Moorish, Spanish Renaissance Lensic was opened in 1931. Offering more than 200 dynamic events in dance, music, film, theater, opera, lectures and spoken word each year, The Lensic’s graceful interior and stunning exterior in both Moorish and Spanish Renaissance style was successfully transformed in 2001 from a movie palace to a state-of-the-art, nonprofit performing arts center.
Santa Fe Playhouse
The Santa Fe Playhouse is the oldest continuously running theatre west of the Mississippi. Producing quality theatre and performances for everyone, they produce eight to ten productions each year, including the Fiesta Melodrama, which has been a Santa Fe tradition since 1922, and Benchwarmers, Santa Fe’s longest running one-act play festival.
