Touhill Performing Arts Center

+ $ 10 student tickets
+ Abundant parking
+ Beautiful venue
Being a perma-​student (aka «everyone around me is getting married and having babies, and here I am just trying to be a doctor») is less depressing when you are in your late 20s and you are still able to milk the perks of student-​priced tickets everywhere. Student tickets at the Touhill are $ 10 plus a small convenience fee.
The Arianna String Quartet calls the Touhill Performing Arts Center home, and for their level of big-​shotness in the chamber music world, it’s quite a treat to be able to see them play in such an intimate and beautiful setting. The ASQ performs in the Touhill’s smaller performance halls where there is no bad seat in the house. The acoustics are great, with soft lighting and comfortable seating.
The Touhill also has a much larger auditorium where there are larger ballet performances.
For those who have never been to the UMSL campus, the venue might seem hard to find especially in the dark. When you pull into the campus just keep going uphill and you will see signs for the «Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center», which is at the very top of the hill.

I saw St. Louis Ballet perform The Nutcracker at the Touhill a few years ago. It’s a nice-​sized venue and, I think, pretty new. Wow, this must be my shortest review ever. I will be sure to update it after my next Touhill visit when some details are fresh in my mind.

Basically Fox Theatre’s little brother.
This theatre is the pride and joy of UM-​St. Louis, and it CONSISTENTLY offers amazing experiences for people of all walks. Even though it’s located on a college campus, the performances are always high quality. I’ve had the opportunity to see the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, watch the Shanghai Ballet, and even hear Maya Angelou recite poetry.
While the Fox Theatre is going to offer musicals and broadway-​esque performances, Touhill shines in bringing in world class jazz bands, comedy troupes, and dancers. The facilities are always clean, and the prices are never outrageous (normally $ 30 and up)
If you ever make plans to go, take my advice and sit on the far left or right side balcony. Those seats hover very close to the stage and offer a clear line of sight to the stage. Plus they’re right next to the side doors if you need to make a quick exit.

Parking was a little wonkey. However, facility is quite nice. Not too big, but good sized. Open and broad stairwells to access to balconies. Great feel. Ushering staff were friendly and helpful. Not really close to anything else that I normally visit, but I’d go back for other events.

Like… whoa.
Probably one of the most amazing theaters I’ve ever been to. Majestic, gorgeous, frou frou, upscale, brand-spankin’-new.
The seats were UBER comfortable. Yeah, it still sucks if you are trying to get to the middle of a row and there are people seated on the end, but still… 2 of Kim Kardashian’s a$$es could have fit in one of those seats. I could have worn a fanny pack and still gotten into one of those things. For reals. And I’m huge. Not saying that in a self-​depricating way. Saying it in a matter-​of-​fact, point-​of-​information, I-can’t-believe-I-didn’t-have-to-suck-it-in-because-I-require-a-seatbelt-extender-on-airplanes kind of way.
The acoustics were so amazing that people didn’t even need microphones to ask questions of the speaker. The lighting, the sound. all amazing. I felt so close to the stage. Mainly because I was, but still, there is NOT a bad seat in this house. Okay, that’s not an actual verified fact since I did not, in fact, sit in every seat, but seriously, I could have been hugging the back wall and still probably could have thrown my bra onto the stage. Oh wait. I don’t do that.
The downside? It’s UMSL. UMSL sucks. Sorry. Parking sucks. Getting a student discount when you’re actually a student sucks. Communication sucks.
But if you have to endure an event at UMSL, do it here. Also, there is a metro stop like 5 feet away from this theater, so you don’t even have to worry about parking, actually. Also, despite my UMSL bashing, the ushers were über friendly and as patient as they could be with the throngs of women waiting by the stage door to touch Common.

I love the Touhill. I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the entire place. The main hall has approximately 1600 seats, but it feels like there is much less. It’s structured so it’s rare that you have a blocked view. The acoustics are excellent. I love how diverse the bookings are… from jazz to dance to classical to even storytelling. It’s a hidden gem in St. Louis.
There are always discounts to be had, if you’re savvy with season tickets and free concerts. I think parking is definitely reasonable… it is NOT that far of a walk, as a previous poster said. You can approach and park at the Touhill from both sides… how many theaters have that kind of accessibility? And best yet, uh, it’s free! I’ve never been to an acclaimed theater with free parking.
Just a heads up: if you want refreshments, you’ll have to enjoy it outside of the actual auditorium. I also wish they had a store or a merchandise counter… for all of the companies that come through here.

Don’t bother with their groupon deals. They weren’t able to validate groupon’s mobile coupons and then gave crappy seats once we returned with paper receipts. Also, parking is a mess here and it’s way too far from anything.
I’ll take Grand Center over touhill any day.

As an UMSL student, I’ve been to many concerts here, Mirthday (UMSL birthday) or not.
Essentially, it’s like Fox theater, but without the pristine décor. It’s still very elegant. The ushers are warm and friendly, and there’s always a seat. Sound and visuals are spectacular! On Mirthday, seats are first come first serve. Get there ASAP cause usually the artist/​band will go into the crowd (side note: I touched Travie MCoy’s ARM!!! OMG OMG OMG!!! YEAH BOIEEE!!!). Touhill is awesome considering they get fairly popular artists for $ 5 a pop (free for UMSL students). We have a great orchestra, but that’s not really my thing.