Mondavi Center
- Good for Kids: No
8 Reviews for Mondavi Center
I love this place! As a music major, I get into all the department-sponsored events for free. Hell yes!
This place is beautiful. The wood they used to make it was underwater for the longest time, so the resulting acoustics are amazing. I don't think there are bad seats anywhere in Jackson Hall.
One of my teachers says it looks a lot like a giant toilet seat from far away. :P
This is a fantastic theater with great acoustics - classical music in particular really shines here. The only drawback is the location: It's great for Sac/Davis residents, but for anyone in the Bay Area outside of Solano County this venue is quite a chore to get to. That and there's literally NOTHING in proximity to the Center, because it's on the outskirts of Davis. Want dinner before or after your concert? Need to put in gas before you head home? You'll have to drive a ways into town for that.
Still, the Center makes up for its inconvenience with its fantastic lineup of people and performers. Included among the many people I've seen here are SF men's choir Chanticleer and West African diva Angelique Kidjo, and I'm still annoyed that I missed out on a chance to see Jane Goodall speak here. Basically the lineup at Mondavi is like an NPR junkie's wet dream... Which reminds me, Terri Gross has spoken here as well.
It's a shame that the prices here discourage a lot of the UCD students from attending the events here - but hey, it's all about priorities. Some of us save up for that green couch on Craigslist - some of us save up for an awesome night out.
P.S. I really need a couch.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
This place has a lot of memories for me. They book some great acts, and the students do not take advantage of it or their discount nearly enough. The usual crowd is mostly older people (read: 55+). The acoustics are truly amazing in Jackson Hall, the main area.
No one has mentioned Studio Theatre, though, which is the off-the-main spot in the back for more intimate shows. Most of the shows I've seen in Studio Theatre were set up with cabaret-style seating, which is great if you get good seats (most of them are fine, as long as you don't have to twist around to see what's going on), so get there a little early. My better memories of Mondavi are from this room, not Jackson Hall. Bring a date who enjoys music and get cozy. Since there are tables, you can order drinks from your table before the acts and during intermission. Occasionally they use bench seating in Studio Theatre, but those are for daytime shows, such as children's plays or a string quartet.
Also, I cannot be very specific about this, unfortunately, but if you frequent the Mondavi often, and you happen to be poor (as I was as a student), get a campus map and study the nearby parking lots and how to get there, because I think I only paid for parking once. There are small permit parking spots that are just as close as the main structure, but they're hidden by buildings, so TAPS, those awful ticketing people, won't go looking in them. Be shrewd and get rewarded.
While it's true that the Mondavi Center is a wonderful venue, and attracts big name artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, etc., it's almost impossible for the general public to get tickets for these shows. The venue itself is beautifully constructed with plenty of wood, concrete, steel and glass. It really stands out when you're flying by down I-80 towards San Francisco, and for a few brief seconds you think, "Hey, what is that?" Then you forget about it as you turn your attention back towards the road.
I've seen three or four shows here. If you want to get tickets for any of the big names, calling-in early won't do it. You basically have to donate (read BRIBE) them to give you tickets. So you want to see Yo-Yo Ma? You call in the first day tickets are available and you get put on a list. And that list is based on how much money you're willing to donate, outside of the cost of the ticket itself. Would you like to be a "supporting member for $1000 a year,"? Great! Let's find you a seat. Don't feel like donating anything? Sorry, why don't you just buy the CD.
If you're rich enough to get seats to one of these concerts, you go and park your car in the nice parking structure, and as you start walking with all the other patrons towards the beautiful hall, you realize that everyone is at least 20 years older than you. Of course, there are some token college kids, since this is a college venue after all, but most everyone else is going to be old.
As wonderful as the inside of the hall is, you probably won't be sitting in the orchestra level seats, and will probably be on the "upper tier," quite literally nosebleed seats, so bring a pair of binoculars. That's okay, music sounds good from almost anywhere in the room.
Okay, I may be a little jaded, but seriously - if you expect to see any of the big names, you really have to for more than just a ticket. It's something the Mondavi Center should just tell the general public up front.
I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a master class here last year while the Limon dance company was performing here.
The facility is absolutely stunning. It is crazy that I am actually able to say that I have danced on this stage.
I haven't watched a show here, but there are amazing performances to see. Alvin Ailey obviously being a name everyone should be able to recognize.
But the people that work at the Mondavi Center take master classes very seriously. They make sure everything goes well, name tags, refreshments, and little survey sheets afterwards for feedback. The refreshments consisted of nice cheeses, fruits, spread, and cookies. It was very nice.
They will mail you about future performances and future master classes, they just had one when Merce Cunningham came.
There is a very large parking structure close by, and when you purchase a master class, they mail you a parking pass.
I worked here backstage for 3 years. It was the coolest job I will probably ever have my entire life. Getting to see all the shows that came through this place in it's first three years was amazing.
The venue feels like it would be more at home in SF or London, not a small college town like Davis. The only bad thing I would say is that tickets are expensive ... even at student prices, good seats can run you around $30 a ticket. However that's not enough to keep it from getting 5 stars b/c it's well worth a visit
People thought this was:
Cool (2)
This is a world-class theater with world-class performances. You have to be mad to not make use of that when it is so close. The building is gorgeous, the acoustics are perfect and as far as actually performing there, it doesn't get much better (and I've performed at the Sydney Opera House and the Kennedy Center.... yes, that was my horn tooting). If you have the chance, go see something - anything - here. And trust me, they will have something you want to see.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I've gone to several shows at this beautiful theater on the edge of the UC Davis campus. You can see it from the freeway, the architectural design is striking; very linear and the building is covered with blocks of creamy light marble. It always makes me think of one of those antique square mother of pearl purses. My favorite feature of this theater is how well it's designed; acoustically it's perfect, and I think you could sit in any seat in the house and hear all aspects of the show. The seating layout is superior and the tickets are more reasonable then most of the places in San Francisco. Regarding ticket prices they offer a discount for under 18 and student rates just bring your college id card and you don't have to attend UC Davis to get that discount; it can be any college. Their seasons are very diverse! They offer events designed for younger audiences, great orators like (Garrison Keillor and Maya Angelou), acrobatic performances, terrific dance companies from all of the world, music and so much more. I can usually find something every season that I want to go to. I've used tickets to their shows as gifts before and received warm-hearted thanks since this theater is so first-rate. I can't recommend Mondavi Center enough; their shows are exceptional and compelling.
Related Lists
-
Favorite spots in…
Where I spent my College years in Sacramento…
Hot and New
- Frank Fat's
31 reviews
Sacramento, CA
- Dino's Dogs & Gyros
4 reviews
Sacramento, CA
- Waterboy Restaurant
92 reviews
Sacramento, CA
- Rick's Dessert Diner
75 reviews
Sacramento, CA
- Bud's Buffet
37 reviews
Sacramento, CA
