Nourse Theatre

Super uncomfortable seats and hot. A Warfield event got moved here, very unfortunately, and the staff switching out tickets were disorganized and consistently giving out incorrect info. God, did I need a glass of wine due to the major hassle, but guess what? There were NO CONCESSIONS.

This is a beautiful vintage theater with TONS of seats, but I did not have the best guest experience here. I visited Nourse to see Upright Citizens Brigade (they were amazing, by the way) but the journey to find our seats was annoying. The ushers are not very knowledgeable about the layout of the theater, so we were misdirected to our seats. Once we sat down, another couple came over and claimed that they had our seats. Turned out we were in the wrong section of the theater… but then a third couple came and had those same seats so I’m not sure what happened after we left, but that was super confusing.
The seats are packed together and not comfortable. I felt like I was sitting in an old college lecture hall. Then it got really warm towards the end of the show (too much body heat in the room) with insufficient ventilation. On the bright side, with such little lobby room, I like that we were allowed to find our seats as soon as possible instead of having to wait for the doors to open. Again, not my favorite theater experience, but of course I would come back if there was someone worth seeing.

Came here on a Friday night for a taping of a podcast called Star Talk Radio.
The theater is vintage but the seats themselves felt rather new and comfortable. All of the seats seemed to be fairly close to the stage and I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the house.
Bathrooms were pretty vintage as well.
My primary complaint was there was no air conditioning in the building, although I do kind of expect it with such an old building.
All in all I would come back to this venue for another event in the future.

An absolutely functional theatre! I’ve seen two shows here and have no complaints. Not much mingling space — but the audience section is well organized and there’s a good view of the stage in most sections! Washrooms are slightly hard to find but overall it’s a nice theatre!

The theater was lovely and it was easy to find parking, so that should be a 5 star BUT:
1 — The seats truly are horrible. Not only are they EXTREMELY narrow (like equal to or less than a United airlines economy seat), but they are wooden. If sitting on a hard, wooden seat is hard on your back, then I would take a cushion — seriously.
2 — We were in the middle of the balcony and I couldn’t really see any speakers anywhere, so i was disappointed in the sound quality overall (we went to a vocal performance).
3 — Finally (and this has nothing to do with the theater)…please leave your infants and kids under 5 at home. We pay to see a performance, not listen to a kid babble and coo all through the performance!

Cool old auditorium from the 20’s. People must have been extremely short then because at 5’3″ my knees were touching the balcony seat in front of me. This made for a cramped stay in my seat and downright painful for my taller companions. Borderline skanky part of town, but this isn’t the theater’s fault. On the positive side, there are several restaurants nearby to grab a bite before the lecture.

I was so fortunate to see Mindy Kaling in conversation with Michael Lewis. We got Mindy’s new book — signed, which was awesome! The theatre was beautiful! I think I lucked out with a good seat in loge, though, because I don’t think those in the balcony could see the stage too well. The reason I’m giving this venue a 3 is for the Q&A portion of the event. The woman holding the microphone and choosing who to ask the next question did an unfortunate job. She stayed in one spot and only chose those people around her to ask Mindy’s questions. Anyone who was not in arms reach of her did not get considered. That was a bummer. Bummed me out enough to write a review on Unilocal two days later.

I went here for the first time recently to see Darren Criss (love him!!). The acoustics here are excellent, the seats were relatively comfortable, and it is in a great location in Hayes Valley easily accessible by Muni (21, 47, 49) and BART at Civic Center.

Traveled over 500 miles and denied for entry because the venue sold more tickets than the occupancy of the building. Made calls and tried to contact venue through email for a couple of weeks since the incident for a refund and no response from this venue or MGM, who owe back what they could not give. Very disappointing and terribly unprofessional. The traffic and city engineering is a nightmare within itself.

First up all I have to say is «I love you Yuna Zarai» I must say for a concert venue this place is so much better. When I go to a Yuna concert they are held in clubs or wine bars. This place is really traditional and the seats are really vintage. I cannot find anything like this in Houston. This place however is smaller than city national civic of San Jose. The Yuna concert was my first time here. If you want to get something to eat or drink do no think about it because it is all about the performance. I love the vintage-​ness that this placed offered. The event priced offered by the theatre are a bit costly by Singapore standards. If you are a die hard fan of just about anybody go for the front row. When I sat down there was enough legroom for me to stretch out and leave my stuff nearby. Only problem I had was that taking the bus here.

Old classic theatre. Kind of no-frills.Bigger than SFJAZZ in size but sound quality not as good as SFJAZZ. Experience here wasn’t intimate, a bit more commercial.

Still like the Nourse and glad for the events there, but twice in the past few months I’ve been stuck behind someone tall and really haven’t had a good time at all couldn’t see the stage! The way the seating is staggered and sloped is a real problem for sight lines, or it can be anyway. I’m not super short — about 5’6, so I feel sorry for those shorter than I.

Beautiful old theatre. The architecture is magnificent and the location is easily accessible. Sign up for their email list and you’ll find out about some great speakers visiting San Francisco!
I came last night to see one of my favorite bloggers, Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York. The lecture was amazing and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to hear him speak. My friend and I purchased tickets in the first row of the balcony and had a great view. The seats were wooden and not the most comfortable, but everyone else seemed to have cushioned seating. You win some, you lose some!
We found parking in a lot on Hayes and Polk for $ 10. The lot was practically empty and it was a Friday evening. I would definitely check it out if you’re going to see a show. They also offer parking in the Performing Arts Garage, but I am unsure about the rates.
We had a great experience and I highly recommend attending a lecture at the Norse!

I came here recently to see the «band members» of Spinal Tap speak in a City Arts and Lectures/​SF Sketchfest combination event. I was quite pleased with the venue. I didn’t need to use the restrooms, but the seats are pretty new, and are in great condition. The floorplan doesn’t seem to have a lot of obstructed views, and the seats were comfortable to boot.
Parking, can be interesting, or easy, depending upon the night. The Nourse is in the Civic Center area, and if it’s packed, parking can be painful. We went the night of both the symphony and a sold out show at the Civic Auditorium, so we barely made it to the theater before it started, because it took us half an hour to park. That said, I love the events that take place here, so I’m sure to be back many times.

It’s a very pretty theater. Kinda old school and cute. Also the stage is setup pretty well so even if you’re seated all the way to one end you still get a pretty good all round view.
But the seats are cramped. And that totally is NOT okay. Anyone over 5’10″ would have a really uncomfortable experience and this is supposed to be relaxing. I should specify that we got the seats in the loge/​balcony.

I’ve been here twice to see Daniel Tosh and most recently for an Inforum talk with Mario Batali.
Parking can be tough in the area, so leave ample time. There are multiple entrances/​exits which is great. There’s never a long queue to enter.
If you have seats on the lower level, I think all the seats are great. We were upstairs for Daniel Tosh and it was a bit hard to see since it was just a comedian. I think if you came for a larger production like a play or something, all the seats would be good.
I quite like this theater and I wouldn’t hesitate to come here again. The staff are friendly and efficient as well.

Old school… literally!
This is in the back of the San Francisco Unified School District offices.
I never would have known this was here except for the fact that I attended a Commonwealth Club Inforum talk with Mario Batali last night.
We entered in through Hayes Valley after grabbing Happy Hour at a nearby restaurant. The benefit of this venue is you’re not stuck in the desert. There are places to eat & drink before and after the activity. You’re not stuck in Union Square area where the prices can be a little bit steep.
The auditorium we went into really, really looked like my middle school auditorium. There were very narrow fold-​down seats that were made out of wood. These were really shallow with «economy airline-​like» leg space (yeah, really really tight).
I felt a little bit claustrophobic sitting there over the course of an hour and a half but I’m one to look at the bright side.
I got to listen to the very funny Mario Batali and Michael Chiarello (the host). I got a book as part of attending the talk. And, I got to sit next to a man who was visiting the City from Alaska. He was a very tall (they grow ‘em tall in Alaska) with salt and pepper hair.
He was able to endure sitting through the talk without complaining — which was amazing. Anyway, I enjoyed ease-​dropping on his conversation with his female friend. He was a foodie… my kind of guy. Too bad he was too old for me and lived far away.
There it is… another case of ships passing in the night…

I came here to see Daniel Tosh… He was funny, but the venue… Not a fan. Here is why:
1) Bathrooms are limited, small and pretty much no matter where you are, a long walk.
2) Concessions were limited with no alcohol and long lines.
3) The air conditioning seemed to turn off half way through the show.
2) Seats are made for someone 120 pounds, 5 feet tall… No joke. These seats were not only narrow but there was no way to sit without inserting my knee in the poor slob in front of me. These seats make someone who flys a budget airline go «oh man, this is a small seat.»
It was a cool looking old theater, but the small… I mean SMALL seats had me looking at my phone wondering how much longer I could take this. When I got home, I had a bruise on my knees and thighs… Did I mention the seats were small?
I enjoyed the show, but because of the seats made for your average 4^th grader, I will avoid all future shows at the Nourse.

Historic (not so little) little theater… Was there last night to catch a Micheal Krasny event celebrating his 20 years at KQED and hosting Forum. Everything was nice as we walked in. Seats were comfortable, everyone left with a smile.
My only tiny complaint which nothing can really be done is you can sometimes hear the traffic noise. I’m sure if there was a concert or something a production of some sort you wouldn’t but since last night was a sit down conversation, you could definitely hear the buses and the occasional honks.
So glad I went and discovered this place.

I absolutely adore history and architecture, The fact that I have been coming to this area of Cultural Civic Center SF since the days of frosh Cal years and had season tix to the SF symphony, and never knowing this theater was here until a few months ago… flummoxes me.
There is some kind of relationship with the SFUSD here (erstwhile school auditorium it was). the outside set of restrooms are from decades ago, as the toilets and stall doors are funky, as the main public library’s. In sore need of some TLC.
Theater interior is stately. City Arts & Lectures parks itself here now, Came to watch an interesting evening discourse with Amy Tan. Great way to spend an evening after a snack in Hayes.