Orientation Guide 2017

Don’t be bored on a Saturday night. Checkout these 5 entertainment venues

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The Westcott Theater is located within walking distance of the Syracuse University campus. Past performers include Skrillex, Bassnectar and Grace Potter.

Whether its a live concert or a Broadway production, here is to go for your entertainment fix.

Landmark Theatre

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Jacob Greenfeld | Staff Photographer

Attending plays at Landmark Theatre gives patrons a different experience than what they may find at more modern venues. The theater, which was built in 1928, hosts concerts, comedy shows and Broadway plays. In recent years, celebrities like Jerry Seinfeld and Marilyn Manson have performed at the theater.

The Landmark still has most of its original architecture intact, but it has undergone minor updates and an expansion of the stage, said the theater’s special events and company manager Danielle Bianco. The interior of the building is enveloped in gold, and intricate designs decorate the walls, ceiling and lighting installations.

“It’s a gem in downtown Syracuse,” Bianco said.



The theater operates as a nonprofit organization, focusing on maintaining the beauty of its original building and keeping the culture of theater and the arts alive in Syracuse.

Capacity: 2,800

Ticket prices: $20-$100

Past shows: “Motown the Musical,” “Wicked,” “Sesame Street Live: Make a New Friend”

Current and future shows: “The Lion King,” “Shopkins Live! Shop It Up!”

Schine Underground

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Daily Orange File Photo

Performances at Schine Underground are mostly booked by Syracuse University students, which helps keep other students’ interests in mind for a high-quality concert. The venue in the basement of Schine Student Center hosts about 50 regularly booked shows.

“It’s pretty much up to the student organizations,” said Scott Casanova, associate director of student centers and programming services at SU. “They tell us what they want to do and we do our best to facilitate the process.”

Casanova said Schine Underground’s location causes some confusion since it’s a few flights down from the student traffic Schine generates.

“I want students to know that it’s not scary, just because it’s in the basement,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s one of the better technically equipped venues on campus.”

Capacity: 250-450 depending on set-up

Ticket prices: $1-$5

Past shows: John Legend, Anderson .Paak, Coleman Hell, Raury

Future shows: have yet to be announced

Syracuse Stage

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Live theater gets the spotlight at Syracuse Stage. Unlike other venues that host a myriad of performers, the Stage is all about its theatrical productions, said Joseph Whelan, the Stage’s publications director and assistant marketing director.

The actors that graze the stage are almost all industry professionals or professionals in the making who study at SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. Aside from the actors, everything at the Stage is “homegrown” — from the people running the theater to the fanciful costumes produced in the Stage’s costume and prop shop.

“We are very much a local part of the community,” Whelan said.

The Stage puts on six to seven shows of different genres every season to keep its mixed audience in mind. Every year the Stage tries to have at least one show catering to local families, college students and regular theatre goers. The most popular show in past years was “Mary Poppins,” Whelan said, because it resonated across the Stage’s various audiences.

But all the shows have a common thread for being chosen, Whelan said: “Will it mean something to this community right now?”

Capacity: 500

Ticket prices: $176 for a four-pack; single ticket prices are pending announcement

Past shows: “Ring of Fire,” “Deathtrap,” “White Christmas”

Current and future shows: “The Three Musketeers,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “A Raisin in the Sun”

Lakeview Amphitheater

With a capacity of 17,500, the Lakeview Amphitheater is one of the largest venues in Syracuse.

The outdoor concert local sits on the shore of Onondaga Lake. The theater took about a year and more than $40 million to construct. Miranda Lambert was the amphitheater’s inaugural performer in 2015.

“Live Nation is one of the biggest promoters in the country, and they tell us that this venue rivals any other venue in the country,” said Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney when the theater first opened.

Capacity: 17,500

Ticket prices: $18-$300

Past shows: blink-182, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Kings of Leon

Future shows: John Mayer, Brantley Gilbert, Matchbox Twenty, Counting Crows

The Westcott Theater

Outside Westcott

Located about 15 minutes in walking distance from SU’s campus, the Westcott Theater is a venue dedicated to live music.

Originally built as a movie theater in 1919, the venue maintains its original architecture, but with modern accommodations. Since opening in 2008, the venue has hosted Skrillex, Bassnectar and Grace Potter.

The theater has maintained a relationship with local students. Artists across genres have performed at the venue, including Lotus, Aaron Carter and Young the Giant.

Capacity: 700

Ticket prices: $15-$60

Past shows: Steal Your Face, Zach Deputy, Excision

Current and future shows: Boogie T., Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Bear Grillz





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