Straz Center

The David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts is one of the largest performing arts complexes in the country, spanning 335,000 square feet on a nine-acre campus along the east bank of the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa. Originally opened in 1987 as the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and renamed in 2009 to honor philanthropist David A. Straz Jr., the complex hosts more than 1,500 events and 600,000 patrons in a typical season. The campus comprises five individual theaters available for rental — Carol Morsani Hall (2,610 seats), Ferguson Hall (1,042 seats), the Jaeb Theater (312 seats), the TECO Energy Foundation Theater (250 seats), and the Shimberg Playhouse (130 seats) — as well as a performing arts conservatory and rehearsal hall. Theater spaces accommodate performance-centered events including concerts, lectures, meetings, recitals, plays, graduations, and pageants. The center's lobbies are also available for wedding receptions, banquets, and parties. On-site catering is provided exclusively through Maestro's, which operates throughout the theaters, lobbies, the on-site restaurant, and event tents on the riverfront grounds.