Mayo Performing Arts Center

What MPAC is and where to sit

The Mayo Performing Arts Center, usually shortened to MPAC, is a nonprofit theater in downtown Morristown, New Jersey, that presents touring rock, pop and country acts, comedians, classical music, dance, children's shows and holiday productions. Its main-stage auditorium seats about 1,300 on two levels, the orchestra and the balcony; Wikipedia lists 1,319. For most shows the best seats are in the center of the orchestra, ahead of row W, where the balcony overhang begins. The front rows of the balcony are the best alternative and often the better view for dance.

Longtime residents may know it by its first name, the Community Theatre, which opened as a movie house in 1937. The building completed a three-year transition to the Mayo Performing Arts Center name in May 2011, honoring the leadership of Bud Mayo.

Reading the MPAC seating chart

MPAC's published seating chart shows two levels and a consistent numbering scheme. Knowing it makes the chart much easier to read.

Orchestra

The main floor runs from row A near the stage back to row HH; some letters, including I, are skipped. The chart notes that the balcony overhangs the orchestra at row W, so rows W through HH sit under the upper level.

Balcony

The upper level has its own short run of rows, lettered from A through roughly K across its blocks. It is reached by stairs or by the elevator near Door 4, added in the 2014 front-of-house renovation, and has its own lobby bar and restrooms.

Seat numbers

• Center: consecutive numbers starting at 101 (for example 101–119 in row A).
• House left: odd numbers, getting lower toward the center aisle (1 is on the aisle).
• House right: even numbers, starting with 2 on the aisle.

So seat 1 or seat 2 is an aisle seat next to the center block, and higher odd or even numbers move you toward the side walls. A few rows at the back and in parts of the balcony have no center block.

Best seats by type of show

• Concerts: center seats (101 and up) from a few rows back to the mid-teens of the alphabet. You see the whole stage and sit in the middle of the sound.
• Comedy and spoken word: as central and as close as budget allows; side seats in the first rows put you at a sharp angle to a single microphone.
• Dance, ballet and holiday shows: the front rows of the balcony, which look down on the full stage floor and patterns that orchestra seats flatten out.
• Value: the center of the balcony. The house is not large, so the upper level stays reasonably close.

Seats to think about twice

• Orchestra rows W through HH, under the overhang. They are fine for most shows, but the balcony above cuts off the top of the stage picture and can make the sound feel boxed in.
• The highest-numbered side seats in the front orchestra rows, which face the stage at an angle.
• Back balcony rows for anyone who wants to avoid stairs; use the elevator by Door 4 and choose the front of the level.

Parking and NJ Transit

MPAC sits at 100 South Street in downtown Morristown. As of 2026 the theater runs two prepaid lots for patrons on many show nights: the Presbyterian Church lot across the street, about 225 feet away at 65 South Street, and the Verizon lot at 39 Maple Avenue, about 0.2 mile away, with a shuttle for select shows. These spots sell on MayoArts.org, typically two to three weeks before the show, and day-of payment at MPAC lots is cash only.

• Municipal options: the Vail Mansion Garage is about 350 feet away; other town lots and garages sit between a quarter and three-quarters of a mile out, and the Town Hall lot about 0.4 mile away is free.
• Street meters: free on Sundays, and some accessible metered spaces near the theater are set aside two hours before each show.
• Train: the Morristown NJ Transit rail station is about 0.4 mile, a short walk.

Lot availability changes by show, so check the MPAC directions and parking page before you go.

Security, bags and house rules

As of 2026, every patron passes a brief security screening, and MPAC may inspect any bag. The theater does not publish a clear-bag size limit, but it can refuse entry to anyone carrying prohibited items, which include weapons, outside food and drink, outside alcohol, tobacco, recording devices and selfie sticks.

• The box office opens two hours before each performance.
• Everyone needs a ticket, regardless of age; booster seats are available first come, first served for many shows.
• Latecomers are seated at the artist's and staff's discretion, sometimes not until a break.
• Cameras and recording devices are prohibited, and phones must be silenced with screens off.
• Bars in the main lobby and the balcony lobby sell beer, wine, liquor, soda and snacks.

Policies can change, so check the MPAC FAQ before you go.

Accessibility

The theater is reached by ramps and curb cuts, and the main lobby is on one barrier-free level. Tell the box office about seating needs when you buy, since accessible locations are assigned through it. Assisted-listening devices are available on request, large-print programs need advance notice, and the elevator near Door 4 serves the balcony level on the second floor.

From the Community Theatre to MPAC

The Community Theatre opened on December 23, 1937, with the David O. Selznick film Nothing Sacred, and became one of the showpieces of Walter Reade's New Jersey theater chain. By the 1980s it had fallen into disrepair and sat idle for nearly a decade. It was revived as a nonprofit and reopened as a performing arts center in 1994 with a gala featuring the Kirov Orchestra.

Renovations followed in stages: air conditioning in 2007 allowed year-round programming; the balcony gained restrooms, gallery space and concessions in 2011; a digital marquee, new box office, balcony elevator and new bars arrived in 2014; and the Starlight Room was redone in 2016. That July, the League of Historic American Theatres named it an Outstanding Historic Theatre.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Mayo Performing Arts Center
• MPAC – FAQs
• MPAC – Directions and Parking
• MPAC – Seating chart (PDF)