The Carnegie

I love the Carnegie! There. I said it. Their plays and musicals are of a phenomenal quality and you get less of the stuffy vibe than you get at the Playhouse (which I also love, don’t get me wrong). This theater just feels like it has a little more heart. Plus, they do adorable novelty drinks to coincide with the performances, and have great art exhibits even when it isn’t play season.

Had the pleasure of seeing the Wizard of Oz at the Carnegie a few weeks ago. The production was so much more than I expected it to be! The theater is SMALL, but they used some serious creativity to make the stage feel larger than it was – somehow they crammed all that you would imagine from a Wizard of Oz set (Emerald City, Munchkin Land, Witches castle) PLUS a full orchestra on the main stage. The performers were lovely and the orchestra was the KY Symphony – no part-​timer musicians here! I was seriously impressed by this local theater production that felt so professional and well put together. Sound could have been a tad louder, as the orchestra overtook the singing on occasion, but a small quibble. I took my 6 year old and he loved it. Perfect venue for little ones as the seats are so close to the stage.

DISCLAIMER: I have only experienced the Carnegie as a performer, never as an audience member. And I was performing with a community theatre organization that was renting the space out, not in a show produced in-​house. But the experience I had working in the space was one I will never forget.
The space is historic and incredibly well preserved, the facilities back stage are comfortable and more than sufficient. With the art gallery space, grandiose architecture, independent flair, and subtle self-​awareness of the space, I was very much reminded of BAM (the Brooklyn Academy of Music). There are sections of seating in the house which only offer limited views of the stage. However, the box office staff do their best to avoid seating patrons in these sections.
I certainly plan to return to The Carnegie as a patron, and highly recommend you do the same!

I love this theater. It’s the perfect size. Very intimate and you feel like you are right there with the actors. We sat dead center in the very top row in the balcony and had a perfect view. I can’t speak for the rows on the side though. High quality performance and really neat venue.

Went to a local show here. The facilities are great, beautifully restored Carnegie building. They have a theater and art gallery space. The theater has great acoustics, and small intimate setting. The show was just ok, but don’t hold that against the theater. The ticket office was a little difficult to work with, your best bet is to just buy tickets in person.

I have continued to be impressed by the number and quality of seeming small to mid-​sized historical theaters in the Cincinnati area. I was at the Carnegie for a showing with the Cincinnati World Cinema. The theater space seemed to be rather recently renovated, spacious, and comfortable. It was a Sunday, and a small-​audience event, so I snagged a street parking spot quite easily. For other events, I would study the parking map on their website more closely, as I didn’t see any lots clearly marked for Carnegie parking (maybe I’m unobservant?). O, and bring a sweater. Maybe it’s just me, but I find most theaters chilly, and this one fell right in line for this expectation.

I recently revisited the Carnegie for a preview of Chicago and I think this is one of my favorite regional theaters in Cincinnati. The art exhibit in the front room was excellent and kept us interested both before the show and during intermission. The actors and actresses were some of the most talented I’ve seen in Cincinnati theater. And the venue is the perfect size — very intimate with no bad seats in the house.

Who doesn’t like a neighborhood arts and cultural center? I have been to the Carnegie for a Unilocal event and the other times to see Cincy World Cinema showings. I do like the theater atmosphere for watching films. I have yet to see a play here. The building itself is something to enjoy — wonderful architecture.

I’ve seen shows here a couple times and both were a great experience.
The Carnegie is the combination of an old Carnegie Library and a Town Hall for the city of Covington. The old hall now serves as the theater and the library is now an art gallery. In more recent times, the two have been connected with a handicap accessible hall that once was an alley between the two buildings. The Carnegie routinely hosts some excellent works in both Visual and Performing medias.
I have seen friends perform in both Oliver! and most recently in Xanadu. This was the première for Xanadu in Cincinnati, a show that is characterized by a healthy tongue-​and-​cheek look back at the goofiness of eighties pop culture complete with roller skates, leg warmers, and every post modern woop-​dee-​doo you can think of. Xanadu is a comical parody of the Olivia Newton John movie of the same title. One more week in the run, so check it out if you can!
Meanwhile, the gallery is showing a beautiful tribute to the art of colored pencil. Some of the artwork is so well-​mastered that the renderings are of a photo-​realistic quality. If you have a couple thousand bucks lying around you may find yourself a souvenir to take home.
Another accolade for the Carnegie– they sure do know how to host. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The gallery serves as an excellent dwelling space before the shows and during the intermission and is complete with a bar where you can get beer, wine, and some specialty beverages, all at a reasonable price.
Show tickets can be a little on the pricier side (more than twice the cost of a showboat show), and the acoustics in the theater aren’t the strongest in the city. However, both of the shows I’ve seen here have been wonderful.

Just saw Xanadu, a very lighthearted and fun musical. The theatre is perfect for intimate productions. The pricing and subscription plans can’t be beat. The prices for drinks (alcoholic and n/​a) are very reasonable and you are allowed to bring them back into the theatre. I think the only thing I have a gripe about is parking. Their lot is kinda small so one often has to park on street or somewhere else. Thankfully, I’ve never had too much trouble finding a spot. And to close out this review, the seats are comfortable and the workers are friendly. The bathrooms are in the basement. I’m going to try to keep attending productions here, as they seem to have some interesting and unique musicals in the works.

I had a great experience here, watching Avenue Q. I loved the show (it’s hilarious, go and see it while you still can) — but just a good show isn’t enough. The people in the Carnegie Center make the difference. As soon as we stepped through the door, someone was asking us if we knew where we were going, they helped us find our seat (without asking) and pointed me to the restroom with a smile. God, how I love that small neighbourhood friendliness!
The theater itself was cosy, and comfortable, the building impressive. I didn’t realize just how much else the Center hosts until I read the other reviews, so will definitely be back for more!

This is a great place to see art exhibits because of the broad and many spaces available for individuals artists shows. There are (at least) three levels with varying sized rooms for different exhibiting artists or events. The space itself and the building is beautiful and expansive. The upstairs is absolutely gorgeous with its large circular atrium cut-​out to fully see into the downstairs level.

I am an art nerd. There I said it, and I don’t even feel bad about it. I have loved drawing, painting, photography and random nonsense all my life. This place has each of those things and then some. I went for a Unilocal event so I didn’t get to experience the full allure this place has to offer during normal hours, but I still loved it enough to hand over that 5 star rating. It’s a beautiful place, just tucked away and I never knew about it till now. The building is elegant and the artwork makes me smile. My life is now better because of this place. Why? I dunno it just sounded good and I love to brag about other people’s art work. So, you should go too and experience the awesomeness and artistic romance this place exudes. You won’t be sorry, for that I promise, and an artist’s promise can be etched in stone, painted on a canvas, or even just peed into the snow. but that’s serious business right there.
I will go back to see what other awesome things I can get myself into since I’m seeing I’ve missed alot based on the other reviews. Go, stop reading right now, and GO. (unless you’re reading this at night and they are already closed or something. they probably don’t want you trespassing in that case.)

I was at this venue for a Unilocal even, so we got to explore quite a bit of the facility. The place is beautiful and the artwork on display is intriguing and very different that what you would find in a traditional museum. Five Starts all the way… the place is a gem!

Constructed in 1904 as one of the elaborate Andrew Carnegie libraries, The Carnegie has been immersing Covington with both visual and performing arts. It became an art museum in 1972, and has since expanded to include a theatre and a community education center.
The Carnegie features six galleries with over 6,000 square feet of exhibition space. The focus is on works of local and regional artists, which are selected during an annual «Call to Artists». Up to 30 artists are selected for shows each year. Art can be purchased from the exhibits, with all sales benefiting both the artist as well as The Carnegie.
I bought my first piece of art from the Art of Food exhibit two years ago. Bill Seitz, the gallery director, gave me certificates of authenticity and explained how this was important to hold onto in case my artist ever became a Van Gogh of our generation. I doubt I’d ever part with it though; my purchase has become a focal point of my kitchen décor.
Speaking of the Art of Food, it is The Carnegie’s most popular art exhibit, taking place annually at the beginning of March. On opening night, 20 local chefs line the galleries cooking up specialty dishes for guests to sample as they please. Not only is the museum lined with art that looks like, or is made out of food, patrons get to consume unique tastes too.
The Carnegie is also home to the Otto M. Budig Theatre, which boasts the original 1904 architecture. Over 120 performances are held here annually. The Eva G. Farris Education Center provides arts education to 5,000 underprivileged children annually. The staff works with area schools to provide both creative and performing arts classes to youth both in the school system and as extra-​curricular activities.
The Carnegie is a wonderful asset of the Northern Kentucky community, both for arts patrons and Covington residents alike.
Cost: Free
Theatre Performances: check pricing on website

Grab a beer and see a show!
This place is definitely a hidden jewel in this city. Alright, to be fair, it is over the river in Covington. So if you are part of some gang that is currently in an Ohio vs. Kentucky turf war, well you probably want to stay away. I mean, I don’t want anyone getting hurt or anything.
For those who have no such turf war issues, get yourself over to the Carnegie. It is the only theater in the area that can boast having a gallery, with rotating exhibits, as part of the center. Ensemble can’t say that, neither can Playhouse, or even Cincy Shakes.
I have been to both the theater and gallery portions of the center. I have even had the privilege of performing on the stage when I was a member of an improv troupe. So I can tell you first hand that the facilities, while not the most technologically advanced (that probably goes to Playhouse in the Park), are definitely first rate.
The three things I love the most about the Carnegie though are as follows:
1. They get social. Recently, they partnered with Groupon to offer discount tickets to The Odd Couple. Yes, I grabbed that offer up. Yes, the show was quite good. They even staged it with the rarely used 2^nd intermission (for other theater geeks out there).
2. The prices. The prices for both the gallery showings, movies, and the live theater pieces are probably the cheapest you will find in town. Considering the quality of performances/​pieces I have seen so far, it is an amazing value.
3. Alcohol in the seats. So far this is the only theater in town that I have attended where you can bring your drinks back to your auditorium seat with you. Are you kidding me? Can you imagine Playhouse in the Park letting you get away with that? Uh… don’t think so.
So there must be something wrong with the place, right? After all, I did not give them the full five-​star rating, right?
Well, the concessions are an issue. For a place this size, they only have one small (two bartenders only – that’s if they squeeze in tight) concession stand, located in the gallery portion. So it is a good thing that they allow you to bring the drinks to your seat, because most often the lights flash to let you know the show is beginning again by the time your drink first touches your hand.
If they expand that, they get my five-​star rating.

Without being told by a friend, I wouldn’t have known this place existed, but what a neat place it is! It is a former library turned art gallery, theater and education center.
My visit was to take a tour (I’m a librarian and wanted to know more about the building) and my second visit was to see The Odd Couple. I really enjoyed taking in a play in small theater setting where it seemed every seat, would be a good seat. During intermission we visited the first-​floor gallery and bar.
Parking: the lot behind/​next to the education center is small and filled up quickly the night we attended the play. But there is street parking or when facing the building there is a bank to the right side where you can park, you’ll just walk to the far left side of the building to enter (the front/​main doors are locked).

I had heard of an art gallery that was featuring an exhibition of vintage bicycles, so we clambered into the car and headed to Covington to the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center. None of us had ever visited, or heard much about this gallery.
We found a dozen different reasons to love the Carnegie, and I’m already counting the days until they shuffle the galleries and we can visit again.
Even when we were planning on visiting, we didn’t realize that there was a theater within the Carnegie. The museum staff explained that the building used to have political uses; the theater was an area where elections were held. Now they have concerts and theater performed on their intimate stage.
Free admission!

An art gallery, a stage, a movie theatre, a café, a bar — seriously, what more could you want from the Carnegie?
This place is one of those beautiful, hidden gems where you’d never know it existed unless you were invited there for some reason. This is not a space you’re just going to wander into. However, once you go in, it’s a place you’re going to want to come back to.
Everything is just taken up a notch in the Carnegie. The movie theatre’s is large with great sound and comfortable seats (and there’s even a first floor and a balcony. Seriously, when was the last time you watched a movie from a balcony?) The gallery is spacious and always well designed. Even the bartenders behind the bar are nice and I’ve had a few good conversations with them as they work.
This place isn’t open all the time, and what’s being shown always changes (from plays to what movie someone is screening to the exhibits and so on), so keep an eye on the site’s calendar and see what’s coming up.
The space is a little confusing (the movie theatre is tucked away behind the ticket counter and there are multiple floors so you’re not quite sure where to go until you ask someone). Also, depending on what you see, ticket prices are known to be a little high (not always their fault though, since the space is rented out to different groups who choose their price).
Still, neither of these things should keep you away. This is a great spot to get a little culture in your life… and we all know you could use a little culture in your life. Come on, you know it’s true.
Ps. Take note: this is not to be confused with The Carnegie Theatre or all the other Carnegie event spaces in the area. Seriously, I know there are like a million of them, but this is the one to check out.