Koger Center For the Arts

I’ve been coming to the Koger Center since it opened. I’ve seen some amazing things there over the years. From the Kingston Trio to Tommy the Rock Opera. Willie Nelson to Once the Musical. It never disappoins. Not a bad seat in the house in my opinion. Columbia is lucky to have such a venue.

This is such a mainstay of culture in Columbia. I can remember from youth performing with the USC String Project orchestras. I remember seeing ballets, symphonies, and graduations. It’s a beautiful building with a great stage. I always take a look to see what they have going on when I’m in town.

Nice clean atmosphere. Attracts a respectable cliental. The wine was perfect temp. Vendor is very friendly with nice Xmas options. Sitting front and center, very good view from here. Usually get comp tickets to all events but even if I had to pay I would come back for more events in the future.

I’m sorry this is a really negative review but this place was frustrating. It’s a nice building and the Columbia Ballet was lovely. I saw The Nutcracker here tonight and thought they did a great job. The sets were vibrant and creative and the dancers were all wonderful.
However, the audience sucked and I think most of it is the center’s fault. I saw no less than three people videotaping the production. One was even using a mini-​tablet. She was the only one that was told to put it away and that was about 15 minutes after she had already started. However, they might not have even known they weren’t supposed to use their cameras and phones. The only thing saying no videotaping was allowed was a small sign when you first walk into the seating area. There were quite a few speeches before the ballet started and that might have been a good time to mention it.
I loved that there was a lot of children there. I think I was about 6 or 7 the first time I saw The Nutcracker and remember thinking it was the coolest thing in the world. I loved that they were laughing and enjoying the ballet. The little girl next to me kept saying «wow» as the Christmas Tree grew taller and taller and clapping at the end of each dance.
However, I wasn’t a big fan of the infant next to us that was constantly either babbling or crying. But its ok because her mom brought a tub of cereal for her to snack on and shake. She eventually had to leave because the crying was getting louder and louder. I’m pretty sure no baby wants to sit in one spot completely quiet for 2 hours. This might sound really bad but most of the times I’ve seen Nutcracker they don’t allow children under three to certain productions. They usually have matinees when the entire family can come.
My seat was a really good one if you didn’t know what was going on because the people behind us discussed it the whole time. The gentleman had no clue what was going on so his wife explained every character, dance and plot line. This might have been remedied if they had provided programs. They did provide a program with the dancer’s bios and a bunch of ads but that was it. It would’ve been nice to have a program describing the plot, characters and dances.
I think the worst part though was the constant opening and closing of the doors even after the ballet had started. It’s pitch black and the dancing is beautiful then there’s a blast of light as the door opens and people are moving around and getting up so they can get to their seats. Then someone gets up, everyone shuffles around and they leave. A few minutes later it starts over again. At most theaters and playhouses this isn’t allowed. Once the lights go down and the program starts, if you’re not in your seat your out of luck. If you get up and leave, you have to wait until intermission. The constant movement was distracting in the audience which means it probably wasn’t that great for the dancers as well.

My first visit to the Koger Center and it’s pretty nice. I’m in the 8^th row off to one side but still have a great view of the stage and can hear all the performers in The Jersey Boys perfectly.
It’s a very nice theatre — almost intimate feeling even though it holds a lot of people.
I do agree with other reviews that when sitting near the side of a row the security lights low on the wall get a bit annoying. It looks like sitting towards the center would be better. But overall it’s a great venue.

I have been to the Koger Center many of a time — mostly for the Broadway in Columbia Series that always passes though. Went to the Koger Center last night to see West Side Story, and as usual, was impressed with the theater. This is probably one of the newer buildings on the USC Campus, so that does not hurt. Seating is good (I guess it depends where your seats are). Our seats were on the first floor, but right by the doors and we were able to see the whole show without any problems. Acoustics are good and we were able to hear all actors.

In the last month, I’ve been to the Koger Center twice — once to see a ballet show, and more recently, to listen to the SC Philharmonic perform. Both times have been fantastic and a lot of the positive experience is thanks to the gorgeous space the Koger Center provides. It’s a large glass building named for philanthropists Ira and Nancy Koger, and it dominates the block of Assembly and Greene Streets. It cost $ 15 million to construct (nice chunk of change!) and has a seating capacity of a tad over 2,250 (I know, big for Columbia!).
When we saw the Columbia City Ballet perform Dracula, the stage design was awesome, and the lighting was AMAZING. When we listened to last night’s Mostly Mozart concert, the sound system was phenomenal, and even with nose bleed seats, we heard and loved every sound.
As a person who appreciates the Arts, the Koger Center really does a great job of providing some wonderful shows in a well maintained and large venue.
If you haven’t been, highly recommend checking out a show at the Koger Center, I have a good feeling you’ll love it!