Alexis Senge JohnsonIt’s no big secret that I’m a geek deep down on the inside. The right dress, hair and makeup can deceivingly make me appear to be a girly gal who loves to spend a day at the spa. However, those who really know me know I rather trade in the heels for my flip flops and rock a ball cap with my ripped jeans and a t-shirt.
Those same people know that I’m a huge dork. Yes, it’s true. The color coded pen utilizing kind of dork. I could spend hours in an office supply store just reveling in all the goodies. Likewise, I could spend hours just wandering through theaters appreciating those that are really done well from an audience, performer and technical points of view.
Therefore, when I stumbled upon a BuzzFeed post of the 9 most beautiful theaters in the world I was definitely intrigued. I will say that if I had the opportunity to visit each and every one I would, but only partially to see the picturesque view. The other part of me is dying to see what it would take to utilize these venues as actual performance spaces. 
Case in point, The Seebühne which appears to be a massive stage afloat in Lake Constance in Austria that is utilized as a stage and has a space for 7,000 audience members on the shore. It’s said to be the centerpiece of the Bregenz Festival, that is held every July and August, and is used as the location for large-scale operas and other musical performances. That being said, take a look at the photo below and someone please explain to me how you do a full scale show without a wing or dressing rooms that are accessible from the stage.
The rest of the theaters on the list are breathtaking, but easier to visualize functioning as one would traditionally expect. Luckily, the Central Florida area finally traded in the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre for a new performing arts center and thusly has given the Orlando Ballet and Orlando Philharmonic an appropriate performance space for them to truly be appreciated in. Albeit gorgeous, I don’t believe that the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center would have made the BuzzFeed list as the tenth entry due to being much more modern in style than many of those showcased. Regardless, it’s a pleasure to finally have a respectable performing arts venue in Orlando and the article has prompted me to consider taking a trip to Tampa to see a show in the Tampa Theater. How could you not want to take in a show that makes the audience feel as if it’s in a Mediterranean courtyard?
