UF’s Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts was ranked 20th overall in a national ranking of college campus theaters.
The center was ranked in “The 25 Most Amazing College Campus Theaters” by the Best College Reviews this week.
It was the only Florida school to make the list.
The center hosts national and international artists from around the world as well as student productions.
It’s one of the largest college theaters in the nation, with seating for about 1,700 in the main hall and an additional 200 seats in the Black Box Theatre.
Some other highlights in the review include the center’s fountain and all-glass window exterior.
Michael Blachly, the director of UF Performing Arts, attributed the center’s value to its staff and audience. He said the center has an exceptional professional crew that is highly skilled in production and publicity.
“Our programs reach a broad, diverse audience,” Blachly said. “We have a strong base of audience support.”
Todd Taylor, the public relations associate for the UF Performing Arts, said the variety of multicultural performances attract a wide audience.
“Artists come from all corners of the globe,” Taylor said. “We have dancers coming in from India, orchestras coming in from Russia, and students are able to see these types of performances right on campus.”
However, Alejandra Nash, a 21-year-old UF marketing and event management junior and former intern at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, said the UF Cultural Plaza, where the center is located, has one main problem: parking.
“One time, there was an event at the Harn Museum and the Phillips Center at the same time, and there wasn’t enough parking, even with the garage,” Nash said. “Old people had to park by the lacrosse fields. They shouldn’t have to do that.”
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 2/13/2014 under the headline "Phillips Center ranks ‘amazing’"]
