How many seats does the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center have?

Thrivent Hall, the main stage, seats 2,100, and the Kimberly-Clark Theater seats 450.

Where do you park for the Fox Cities PAC?

The PAC's visitor guide lists valet at the covered drive on Division Street, downtown ramp parking (charged Monday through Saturday) and accessible spaces in the Green Ramp.

When do doors open at the Fox Cities PAC?

Lobby doors open one hour before show time, and the PAC asks you to arrive at least 20 minutes before the performance.

What Broadway shows are at the Fox Cities PAC in 2026-27?

Hadestown, The Sound of Music, Maybe Happy Ending, Buena Vista Social Club, SIX, The Outsiders, The Phantom of the Opera and Water for Elephants.

What bag can I bring to the Fox Cities PAC?

No carry-in items are allowed; a small clutch up to 8.5 by 11 inches is the limit, according to the PAC's visitor guide.

Fox Cities Performing Arts Center: Tickets, Parking, Seats

The PAC's two halls, the 2026-27 Broadway list, how tickets and parking work, and where to eat on College Avenue before the curtain.

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center is the theater at 400 W College Ave, at the west end of downtown Appleton, and locals just call it the PAC. Valley Transit buses serve the area, and the building opened in November 2002 and hosts touring Broadway, concerts and speakers.

The two rooms: Thrivent Hall and the Kimberly-Clark Theater

Fox Cities Performing Arts Center

Thrivent Hall is the main stage, with 2,100 seats, a 40-foot proscenium and a 5,000-square-foot stage that Wikipedia lists as the second largest in Wisconsin. No seat sits more than 108 feet from the stage.

The Kimberly-Clark Theater is the flexible second room, a 4,160-square-foot black box with 450 seats used for smaller performances, lectures, receptions and banquets. Two private spaces round it out: the Founders Room for up to 75 people and Entrance 21, a lounge on the Dress Circle level.

The building cost $45 million and took about 31 months from the May 2000 groundbreaking, with Zeidler Partnership Architects as designer. Artec, Inc. consulted on the acoustics and theater systems, and O.J. Boldt Construction Company was the general contractor. The largest single gift, $10 million in 1999, came from Aid Association for Lutherans, now Thrivent, which is where the main hall gets its name; more than 2,700 local residents and businesses gave the rest.

The PAC has hosted the Wisconsin premieres of Hamilton, The Lion King, Wicked, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables and Kinky Boots, among others, according to Wikipedia. It has hosted politics too: President George W. Bush spoke there on March 30, 2004.

What is on: the 2026-27 Broadway season

The PAC announced its 2026-27 Broadway Across America series in March 2026, and WBAY published the full list with dates.

Hadestown opened it as a season option on October 16 and 17, 2026, followed by The Sound of Music from November 3 to 8 and Maybe Happy Ending from December 15 to 20. The new year brings Buena Vista Social Club from January 12 to 17, SIX as a second season option from February 9 to 14, and The Outsiders from March 2 to 7, 2027. The Phantom of the Opera has the longest run, March 31 to April 11, and Water for Elephants closes the series from April 27 to May 2.

Broadway is one of four series. The others are Boldt Arts Alive!, which opened the season on September 29, 2026 with The Carpenters Songbook, the Menasha Corporation Spotlight Series, and the Viewpoint Speaker Series.

Between the Broadway weeks the calendar fills with one-night shows: the PAC's listing on Local Eyes shows touring concerts, a ballet company and a magician this fall. The listing's Events tab is the quickest way to see what is on this month.

Buying tickets

For the 2026-27 Broadway series, five-show packages started at $253.66 and a six-show package that adds The Phantom of the Opera started at $306.17, according to WBAY's March 2026 report. At that point single Broadway tickets were only available through a package or a group sale, so check whether a show has gone on sale individually before you plan around it.

The PAC, Ticketmaster and Broadway Across America are the official sellers, and the PAC warns that tickets bought elsewhere may not be valid. The ticket office was listed as open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and its phone number is 920-730-3760.

Flex Passes for the Boldt Arts Alive! and Menasha Corporation Spotlight series save 20% when you buy three or more titles, from $22.33 a ticket, and groups of 10 or more book through group sales. Season subscribers get guaranteed seat locations, ticket exchanges and an interest-free payment plan, WBAY reported, and Broadway packages can also be bought by phone at (800) 216-7469 on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Food, drink and phones inside

Drinks and snacks can be pre-ordered on the Fox Cities P.A.C. app or through Toast TakeOut, so you can skip the intermission line, according to the visitor guide. Bottled water, snacks and drinks in the PAC's lidded souvenir cups can go into the theater, and alcohol needs a valid ID showing you are 21 or older.

Cameras and recording devices are banned in the theater under the standard policy, though the guide says enforcement can vary at an artist's request. Booster seats are available at the main coat check in limited numbers, and there is a family restroom with a changing table in the Main Lobby.

Parking, bags and arriving on time

The PAC's visitor A-to-Z guide covers the logistics, and it is worth a read the week of the show because policies can change by production. Valet parking runs at the covered drive on Division Street for a fee, accessible spaces are in the Green Ramp, and ramp parking is charged Monday through Saturday, according to that guide. Drivers with a disabled parking permit can use the city's on-street metered stalls free with no time limit, the guide adds.

The bag rule is strict: no carry-ins, and nothing bigger than a small clutch of 8.5 by 11 inches. Lobby doors open an hour before show time, the PAC asks ticketholders to arrive at least 20 minutes early, and many productions hold latecomers until a suitable break. Will Call tickets can be picked up an hour before curtain.

For access needs, the guide lists accessible seating on every level, free assistive listening devices and hearing loops, open captioning at Saturday matinees of most Broadway shows, and ASL interpretation with two weeks' notice. Strollers have to be checked at the Information Booth, and the guide notes most performances are not suitable for infants and toddlers except where a show says otherwise.

Dinner before a show, drinks after

Rye Restaurant

Rye, at 308 W College Ave about 0.1 miles east of the PAC, serves New American food and craft cocktails in a cozy, stylish room, a convenient booking before an evening curtain.

For a longer dinner, Marvol on East Pacific Street, about half a mile northeast, changes its small-plates menu every four weeks, and Ellinor, about 1.1 miles east, cooks around a wood-fired oven. The rest of the city's tables are sorted by occasion in Appleton restaurants.

After the show, Fox River House on South Walnut Street is about 0.1 miles south, with craft beer, a patio and live music on weekends. Gibson Community Music Hall, about 0.2 miles east, runs two stages, and Missfits Tavern on North Appleton Street runs events through the week, live music included.

Every night of the week has its pick among the bars in Appleton, and live music in Appleton goes venue by venue from the Gibson to the corner bars.

Make a day of it on College Avenue

The PAC and the Houdini museum at the Castle sit about half a mile apart at opposite ends of College Avenue, so a matinee and the Houdini exhibit fit in one afternoon. The vintage shops of downtown Appleton fill the blocks in between.

Past the avenue, the Fox River trails and the festivals are part of everything else to do in Appleton.