Center For Arts In Natick

Ok… I have never been here, but my parents have, and they LOVE it. The variety of entertainment is amazing. That’s why I rated it with 3 stars.
However, this review is for the ladies at the desk, during the holiday season, when I went in to purchase a gift card for my parents.
I called before I went, to make sure they were open, so I could go and get a gift card. The woman who answered seemed less than enthusiastic about me calling, and it seemed like I was bothering her.
When I got there, a sweet older woman was working at the desk. She said she didn’t know how to process the purchase of a gift card, and she would need to call for assistance. We both waited patiently for someone to come help her. When help arrived, it was a woman who seemed VERY annoyed that she was being summoned to help a PAYING customer. In fact, her words were ‘I need to make this fast, I have things to do’. Oh… that’s comforting. I’m not about to spend money with you, or anything!
The whole process of her ‘showing’ the older woman how to do a gift card was one of the most heart wrenching, painful things I have seen to date. The woman was totally impatient with her, used a stick to point to things on the screen, completely spoke down to her… all while huffing and puffing… IN FRONT OF ME! She angrily told the older woman how to write the gift card in the log, and how to add it into the computer. I was mortified for myself AND for this older woman who was clearly just trying to do the best she could. We all have to learn how to do new things… why does she need to be embarrassed for not knowing?
When the debacle of buying the card was over, I looked directly into the older woman eyes, and said,‘thank you very very much, I appreciate it. Have a great holiday.’ I just looked at the other woman. and walked out.
Respect of coworkers, and customers is a keystone to a business… I was appalled by the interaction I saw.
I hope my parents love their gift card!

Fun. Cute. Cool. All these words can be used to describe #tcan. Our daughter is in a kids theater (as she says «theeayyter», with a British accent) program which is top notch. They song. They act. They design their own sets. Lots of fun for the kids and family. Now, if I can just find time to see one of the great concerts here that everyone raves about…

This is such a great little concert venue. They get great acts, and every seat in the house is a good seat. Also, they have a great little snack bar in the back that serves wine.

Absolutely love this place! They get great musicians, the lighting and sound are top notch. The refreshements are great also. Be sure to check out the plays done by the Natick Players (I think that’s their name) — we’ve seen some surprisingly good theater here in addition to music.

Cool local place to see a show. It’s a small venue perfect for acoustic acts inside a converted firehouse with beautiful brick walls. I got tickets for $ 26 each to see two great singer-​songwriters that I’ve always wanted to see live, and couldn’t believe that this place gets some great acts to come to Natick, of all places. Low-​key and intimate– I’d definitely go back were they to host another one of my favorites.

love this place! great small venue, not a bad seat. lots of parking, plenty of restaurants in the area.

With the high price of tix for live music these days this place is a real find. Small venue, fantastic sound, world class acts and inexpensive (free) on street parking.
UPDATE ¹⁰⁄₁₅. Large increase in ticket prices and added 20% service fees no longer a good value

Pocket Full of Tales is an AMAZING program for children. My kids LOVED the program and they had the best week of camp. The instructors were very nice and my kids felt comfortable right away, which I loved too! I can not wait to sign them up again this summer. It is a hidden gem in Natick!!!

I just received the flyer from this summer camp and my kids are so exited to go back. We travel to visit my husband’s family is Wellesley every summer and our nieces attend this camp, so we decided to give it a try. The girls did musical theatre in the morning and moviemaking in the afternoon. My girls, now 8 and 10, LOVED this program. It gave me and my husband time to visit with our family and the girls were so excited every night telling us about what they did during the day. My sister in law’s kids are now 10 and 13, and the 13 year old has been attending since she was 6 years old! The founder and director has known this girl for 7 years and has become a mentor to her.
We just got the flyer and are planning our trip around the dates for Pocket Full of Tales. We had to catch a plane and the director was so accommodating and patient. Everything was so efficient — from check-​ins, to performances, I always felt my kids were taken care of and safe which is important to me because I’m not from there.
Throughout this school year, the girls have gotten more involved in performing at school and have taken to making short films with my iPhone. So, keep your eye out for «Max the Dog Saves the Day» at your local movie theatre! Haha!

This review is for the kids summer theater camp program Pocket Full of Tales.
I called in March of 2011 to sign my child up for a week at of the theater camp. My daughter was 8 at the time and I spoke to the director with some questions, one of which was will she be put in a group with kids her age? They assured me on the phone that they group the kids by age and she would be in the 8 – 12 age group. Fast forward to first day of camp, she is with a 4 (!!) year old and a 6 year old along with 5 other kids ages 9 – 12. The 4 year old was running around the stage, unable to repeat any lines much less memorize them, destroying their props and totally disrupting the group. I called immediately and was told by the same director, «Well, he is a sibling of another child and the parents did not want to separate the siblings.» So, they chose to appease one family while ruining the experience for the other kids. The 6 year old was also unable to participate to the level of the older group and was disruptive as well. Horrible week for my daughter who hated the experience because all the time was spent reining in these two kids. Called the director to complain, as did two other parents. No change was made. Will never go again.
This program is under a new director and the new director is terrible.

We went to TCAN last night to see Grace Kelly, and we had a fantastic time!
We paid around $ 23 per ticket that we got online, including taxes and fees, and picked up the tickets at the main desk when we got there 20 minutes before the show.
I love how intimate the room is — there really isn’t a single bad seat in the house. The acoustics were good, the crowd was lively, the attire was casual, the coffee smelled amazing… But the only drawback here was the uncomfortable seats. They’re just chairs with minimal cushioning. For an hour-​long presentation they might be fine, but our show was a generous three hours, and our backs and butts paid the price.
I especially like how casual of a setting this place is — lots of people comfortable in their jeans, and they even let you eat and drink during the concert. The ushers and the people working there are all volunteers, so it’s just filled with a very friendly vibe — kind of like Trader Joe’s. :)
I highly recommend seeing a concert here, but remember to dress comfortably, or bring some back support if you really need it!

We went here this weekend to see Cadence (an a cappella group from Canada) and it was my first time. It’s a really cool venue to see a show — it’s in an old firehouse!
The seats are basic metal frames with cushions — not uncomfortable but not super comfy for 2 hours straight — but we had awesome seats! Third row, center. And they were only $ 25 each. They have a good selection of performances (including J. Geils!) and sells snacks & drinks. I would definitely go back!

terrific, great, fabulous & wonderful place to see a show. was there just a bit ago to see a favorite singer — the seats are very reasonably priced considering i was no more than 20 feet from her… they serve beverages in the back, it’s easy to get to, it’s an old firehouse converted into a place to enjoy art of all kinds… if you get a chance go there. support the local small stage!