George Washington Lisner Auditorium

The Lisner Auditorium was built in ’46 and is located on the GWU campus. It offers various public performances, and you can also rent the auditorium for public/​private events. I was able to attend an event held by an embassy, and with the crazy amount of attendees, the ushers at the doors were disorganized and were not able to keep up with scanning the tickets. The lines were pretty ridiculous at different booths, and there was not enough space to accommodate the amount of people. I personally thought that there should have been a cap, as well as more monitoring of people blocking the stairways. The auditorium was a little old school, with more emphasis needing to be on the acoustics. Extremely limited restricted parking around the area, as you will be competing for a spot with students and residents alike!
+located on the GWU campus
+extremely limited restricted parking

1. Just saw Lucinda Williams at Lisner last week — great concert! Rates even higher except for point 2.
2. The redesign of the seats is truly horrible and embarrassing to me as an alumni of GWU. I am 5’4″ and my knees don’t fit in the seat and force you to sit sideways. I love seeing the Washington Concert Opera perform here but with the new seating it will be torture to sit through an opera performance for several hours. All the men nearby had their legs splayed apart in order to fit. Whoever decided to sacrifice the leg space to make more money deserves a special place in Hell. I feel sorry for the performers because audiences will soon stop coming to such an uncomfortable environment. Didn’t anyone in charge actually sit in these before agreeing to this awful design???

At first glance this seems to be a nice venue, but in the details it’s awful. There’s very little signage in the lobby so as I stood by the concession stand an endless parade of people came up to ask where the bathrooms were. Speaking of concessions, it consisted of average everyday candy like peanut butter cups for $ 2 cash only. There was a beer/​wine stand, but I didn’t venture there.
No signs labeling sections to help you find your seat, but at least the ushers were nice and friendly. Once you find your seat, except something smaller than an elementary school chair with zero legroom. I’m 6’2″ and was in excruciating pain the two and a half hours I sat there, constantly trying to find a way to get comfortable without imposing on my neighbor. I seriously could not sit with my knees forward, I had to contort and splay my legs just to fit.
The lack of amenities and signage would be fine if the seats weren’t so awful. I seriously can’t understand how they thought the lack of leg room would be okay. If you’re over 5’5″ prepare to be uncomfortable. It’s too bad as this could be a convenient location with a garage across the street and the Foggy Bottom Metro just blocks away.

Viewed the Christmas Revels with 3 of my good friends. There was a good view from where I Sat. The actors and actresses onstage did a superb job in showing off the traditions and music of the Christmas Revels. The public areas of the entire building and auditorium are clean and well maintained and the staff are friendly, cheerful and helpful with the Christmas spirit. I also honestly and respectfully agree with Jeremy F that the auditorium seats are way too close together horizontally and diagonally leaving only a cramped space for the knees. Yao Ming will not be able to sit in these seats because he is so tall. The horizontal Distance between the rows of seats seriously needs to be adjusted outward as soon as possible.

Despite multiple doors all leading to the same place, an usher requested we enter through one door and wait in line. Luckily, the lines moved fast, and I made my way through pretty quickly. There was no intermission so attendees purchased drinks and snacks up front. There was also a coat check for those interested.
My colleague had arrived early and saved us a seat right behind the reserved seating section. It was fantastic to be so close to the stage because as I would later learn, when it was time to get our books signed by Bill Nye, they started with the rows in front.
Seating is a little cramped, as my colleague warned me it would be. Otherwise, I thought the ushers did a pretty good job handling crowd control. The lecture was part of Smithsonian Associates, and this is the first I’ve attended from them.
Restrooms are downstairs, where there is a second station to pick up drinks.

Went to see So You Think you can Dance show. These seats in this place are made children. They are so uncomfortable It’s crazy. Why would anyone make a place wherever the rows are spaced 2 feet apart. If you are over 5′ and have legs think twice before you go to this place.

I got a distinctly «old» vibe from Lisner Auditorium when a few friends and I went here for a concert recently. For all the events that I’ve known are held here, I actually never been. But now that I have, I’d be hard-​pressed to return.
At the end of the day, an auditorium or any concert hall is more about the event you’re attending than where you’re actually sitting. I understand that, but at the same time, the seats at Lisner Auditorium are so scrunched up, had the concert not been relatively empty and offered us the ability to move seats, I don’t think I would have stayed the length of the concert. My friend, who is roughly 6’3, was so squished into the seats it looked like he was sitting in a baby’s highchair. Even I could feel how tight in the seats are, which honestly makes the event kind of secondary to your discomfort. The auditorium is clearly geared towards lectures and things where you have to sit down the entire length, which makes the packed in seeing that much more annoying.
So the event is really what matters, but if something were held at the Lisner Auditorium, I would have to think long and hard about wanting to be packed like a sardine for an hour or two.
There are no food or drink services to think of, unless the event itself since them up temporarily. There’s no place to mill about in the lobby, so that’s another negative aspect about Lisner Auditorium.

After hearing about this venue dozens of times over the years, I finally had a chance to attend a benefit concert here. It’s very convenient, just three blocks from the Foggy Bottom Metro station on the orange and blue lines. Will Call was just inside the doors (on the far left side) and the staff was super-​friendly.
The auditorium is very beige, without any distinguishing architecture or decorative elements. The seats are comfortable… if you’re under five feet tall. I’m only 5’4″ and my knees were smashed up against the back of the seat in front of me. I don’t know how anyone taller could deal with this. Fortunately, the concert wasn’t full, so we moved down to some seats that didn’t have any in front of them.
The acoustics of the auditorium were decent. There was some bad mixing in the show, but I’d blame that on the sound guys. Overall, a good time, but I’d try to get seats with guaranteed leg room!

Came here to see a Jake Shimabukuro concert and really enjoyed myself. The staff were really nice before and after the show. They even pointed out where I could get a post-​show autograph. Since it’s relatively close to a metro, convenient, quick to get in and out of, I will probably come back for a future show.

Lisner was redone a few years back, and there is a special place in Heqq for whoever made the decisions about the seats. Many of the reviews have commented on this, but they don’t convey the full suckacity of the seatage. Maybe the most expensive seats are better, but the midrange ones we sat in were shocking. The lousiest airplane seat you’ve ever sat in is a palatial throne compared to these. (And no; I’m not tall. 5’9″ if I stretch.)
Seems as though someone, somewhere, made a calculated and deeply sleazy corporate decision. It’s true: I can save myself the legache by not buying a ticket. But for a University venue to treat its patrons with this kind of contempt is embarrassing. Shame on you, GWU!

I came here tonight to see comedian Ralphie May perform. I was impressed with our seats for the price. However, the seats are made for «little people». I’m a little over 5’7 and I had my legs hanging out in the aisle the majority of the show. This is a huge factor to consider when purchasing tickets here.
I was happy to learn upon entrance there was alcohol purchase. That was until I saw the sign that only bottle water was allowed into the auditorium. Ummm okay wtf???
I am glad I saw the show but other venues in the area are better.

Lisner’s a good auditorium for pretty much any type of concert or show. It’s relatively straightforward, with little non-​functional decoration. It’s got very good acoustics and is a decent size, but not too big that there are any bad seats. The stage is relatively deep. The volunteers are patient and friendly. The one ‘negative’ note for me is the bathrooms, which are very dated and relatively small and awkwardly shaped for theater crowds (narrow and wrapped awkwardly on short stairwells, making it difficult for people to move in and out or wait in the lines); however, they’re clean, which is always important.

I visited Lisner last night for the first time, to see Anoushka Shankar perform. I have mixed feelings about the auditorium, so I’ll list the pros and cons:
Pros:
1) Good views. I was very pleased with my seats, which weren’t even in the expensive section. I got a good view and the sound was perfect. I could see the artist really well.
2) Ease of entry. There are a lot of doors with efficient ticket checkers. I walked right up and within a minute was inside the venue. A+ for that.
Cons:
1) The house managers. The people in the red coats who showed patrons to their seats were one of the worst parts about the whole night. Not only did they talk in very loud voices during the show, they have little flashlights which they used to sweep the auditorium and shine in our faces. I would say their flashlights hit my section about 6 or 7 times, and it really was distracting. I assume they use them to guide themselves in the dark, or to illuminate the ground… but these people used them to gesture up and down the aisles. I was really disappointed at their behavior.
2) The legroom. The seats in the terrace section were uncomfortably small, and I found it barely fit me — I’m 5’9″.
I’ll go back, just because it’s convenient and a good place to see shows. But I really wish they could train their house managers better to not interfere with the enjoyment of the show.

Every time I go there, the air conditioning seems to be turned off. Even though they put millions into refurbishing the place with really nicely recovered seats, new paint, and new lighting, it would be nice if they could anticipate the temperature for a performance and, actually give the guests a reasonable temperature.

Worst concert venue ever. Seats are so small with so little legroom that even at 5’7″ my legs spent most of the Jewel concert in painful cramps. So unless you’re less than 5 feet tall, stay away.

I came to this place for a book signing for Justice Sotomayor. The line was long but very well organized. Everything moved very quickly and we had our books signed in a very orderly manner. I thought it was going to be chaotic the place was full. Very nice Auditorium and very well organized.

Located in the heart of George Washington University this is a surprisingly roomy Auditorium. They happen to host some really fun and cool events here though sometimes they are fairly expensive.
We went to see Kollaboration DC with some VIP tickets and had a whole two rows to ourselves pretty much. Wow! Also they seem to collaborate fairly well with food truck vendors to make them available during intermission, awesome! The seats and aisles are clean and comfy, though the place can get a little hot when crowded even with the AC on!
Looking forward to more events here sometime soon!

I came here for the 2^nd time to See Yamato, the Taiko drummers of Japan. The first time was to see Rex Navarette, a Filipino comedian, and that was a few years ago. Not much has changed. Obviously it’s located in the heart of GW University. Driving around it’s bustling pedestrian traffic can be a little annoying. The locals act like they own the streets and will just walk right out in front of you as if you didn’t exist. Street parking is scarce. The good news is there is a 24hr parking lot right around the corner from the entrance to the auditorium.
If you buy your tickets online, you can print them out and then you’re good to go. Once you arrive, walk straigt to the doors leading in the theatre and show them to the ushers. Or you can have them waiting for you at will call, which during our event was organized in two lines: A-​L and M-​Z. The wait was not long at all.
Once inside, they’ll have a couple of push-​cart bars serving gin and juice and bottled water. No alchohol allowed in the auditorium, but you can bring the water. Pre show and intermission was me and a buddy pounding down a couple of brewskis.
Restrooms. What everybody needs, but seem to be afraid to talk about. There are a couple of hybrid male/​femail/​handicap 1 roomers on the sides of the entrance. Or you can go downstairs to the mini art gallery basement and use the full multi urinal and bowls restrooms. When using, I try not to look down. I like seeing butter on my toast, not the rim of the toilet bowl.
The Auditorium itself has a big stage. Accoustics are pretty good. Lighting is pretty cool. The seats themselves, well, I think that no matter where you sit, you’ll have a good view of the stage. The seats are a little tight, really close together and leg room was not a forthought when constructing this place. My knees were practically rubbing against the shoulders of the guy in front of me. Hey dude, free creepy massage. Just sit there and go with it.
The somewhat smaller capaciity of the theatre allows for a quick getaway when exiting. Like Whodini, you’re out in a flash.
Extra note abou the performance:
The Yamato drummers gave a kick-​ass performace. Not only did they dazzle with the rhythm and beats of their drums, they performed with vocals, some kind of miniature cymbals and guitar-​like instruments. They were animated, comedic, graceful, and demonstrated some athleticism that would make Tony Horton of P90X proud. They even got the crowds going with audience participation. It was a very powerful show. Glad I was able to see it.

We visited Lisner Auditorium to catch Yamato: The Drummers of Japan. They seem to swing by Lisner on a yearly basis, so if you haven’t seen them already, bookmark them for next year. A humorous, artistic, and overall exhilarating experience that will leave your heart thumping long after the performance.
The theatre, on the other hand, wasn’t as exciting. The stage is pretty big in proportion to the seating hall, so there didn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house as far as line of vision. But what kind of midgets or children did they have in mind when they designed the seats? While all 5’2″ of me was able to fit into the seat without leg cramps, my head was practically resting on the lap of the guy sitting behind me, who was unfortunate enough to be quite tall. The close quarters also make it difficult to find a place for your bag, and I ended up having to wedge mine on the floor between two seats.
Aside from the uncomfortable seating, the location of the auditorium just off of Foggy Bottom Metro is great, and the bathroom lines move pretty fast. Besides, any discomfort I felt was quickly forgotten when the performance began, so kudos to Lisner for the outstanding selection that makes you forget your grumbles.
**They offer GW student/​alum discounts for most performance, so if you don’t already have a friend from GW, a good reason to make one!

I visited Lisner Auditiorium for «A conversation with Ferran Adria and Jose Andres» it was a sold-​out talk. It was organized by the one and the only Prose and Politics — the awesome bookstore. Since i bought the ticket that included the cookbook, I went to pick it up they were well-​prepared for this event having some books presigned by Ferran. I had an okay seat high up but it was not a big auditorium so it wasnt so bad. The only annoying part were these women who couldnt stop chatting even when the guests were talking and one of them took about 1 million photos under 1 hour. The flash went off incessantly. How rude. The seats were noisy they sprung off loudly when people got up of their seats. At the end I wanted to get another book and we got a glimpse of Ferran and Andres at the signing table. Very good event overall.