Straz Center

Tampa's performing arts center and its main hall

The Straz Center for the Performing Arts is the downtown Tampa arts complex on nine acres along the east bank of the Hillsborough River. A ticket labeled "Carol Morsani Hall – The Straz Center" is for its largest room, a 2,610-seat, horseshoe-shaped opera house that hosts the Broadway touring series, Opera Tampa, ballet and concerts. For most shows the best seats are the center orchestra and the first rows of the mezzanine; the center balcony is the value choice.

The center opened in July 1987 as the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and was renamed in 2009 for David A. Straz Jr., a Tampa banker and philanthropist. Older guides and some locals still use the old name. The hall itself is named for Tampa philanthropist Carol Morsani. The Straz is the second-largest performing arts complex in the Southeast, after Miami's Arsht Center.

Carol Morsani Hall seating: four levels in a horseshoe

Morsani Hall is a traditional horseshoe-shaped house with continental seating (long rows with no center aisle, entered from the sides) on four levels:

• Orchestra: the main floor, closest to the stage.
• Mezzanine: the first raised tier.
• Balcony: the second raised tier.
• Gallery: the highest tier.

In a horseshoe, the upper tiers curve forward along the side walls toward the stage, so a seat on the far side of the mezzanine or balcony can be physically close to the stage while looking across it at a steep angle. The center notes that its online maps show approximate seat locations only; for many shows its select-your-own-seat tool shows photos from Morsani Hall seats.

The stage is unusually large for a touring house: a 60-foot-high proscenium, 55 feet of playing depth and 120 feet of total stage width, with an 11-story backstage. That is why the biggest Broadway tours can play here at full scale.

Best seats for Broadway, opera and concerts

Broadway tours

The center orchestra, from roughly the fifth row to the middle of the floor, gives the most immersive view. The front of the center mezzanine is the alternative many regulars prefer: the stage floor and choreography are fully visible, and no heads block the view. In a long continental row, choose an end seat if you will want to leave at intermission.

Opera and ballet

For dance, height helps: the front mezzanine and center balcony show formations and footwork that the front orchestra misses. For opera, a centered seat matters more than the level: when a production projects translations above the stage, they are easiest to read straight on.

Concerts

For amplified shows, the center orchestra behind the first few rows hears the most balanced sound. The hall's 42-ton concert wall lowers behind orchestras and choirs to project sound out into the house.

Seats to think twice about

• Far sides of the upper tiers: close to the stage but at a sharp angle, which can hide part of the set.
• The gallery's top rows: the farthest seats; fine for music, harder for a dialogue-heavy play.
• The very first orchestra rows: you look up at the stage and lose the back of the set.

Parking around the Straz

Downtown parking is the main logistics question here, and options change with construction around the site. As of 2026, the parking list published for Straz patrons includes:

• Straz Center valet at 1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place, limited and first come, first served.
• William F. Poe Garage at 800 N. Ashley Drive, with more than 900 spaces and a block available to prepay. The pedestrian bridge to the Straz has been removed during nearby construction, so follow the signed walkway from the first floor.
• Anchor Garage (formerly Novel Riverwalk Garage) at 109 W. Fortune Street, next to The Barrymore Hotel, open to Straz guests weekday evenings and weekends.
• Rivergate Tower Garage, about a six-minute walk along the Riverwalk and described as the least congested for arrival and exit.
• Royal Regional Lot at 1200 N. Tampa Street, about a six-minute walk.

Street meters nearby are free on weekdays after 6 p.m. and on weekends. The Straz suggests arriving downtown at least 90 minutes before curtain on busy nights. Rates change by event, so check before you go.

Bag policy and entry rules

As of 2026, bags may not exceed 12 by 6 by 12 inches, and every visitor may be screened and have bags inspected; refusing means no entry. Exceptions are made for medically necessary items, diaper bags at toddler-friendly shows and service-animal support bags. Check the current security and bag policy before you go.

• Not allowed: weapons, outside food and drink, coolers, strollers, tripods, video and professional cameras, laser pointers and noisemakers.
• Accessibility: request wheelchair and companion seating when you buy, since accessible locations are limited.

The rest of the Straz

Morsani Hall is one of five theaters. Ferguson Hall (1,042 seats) hosts plays, pop concerts and dance; the Jaeb Theater (292) can be set up with stadium or cabaret seating; the TECO Energy Foundation Theater (250) and the Shimberg Playhouse (130) handle the smallest shows. The Patel Conservatory runs classes on site, and resident companies include Opera Tampa, Jobsite Theater and Next Generation Ballet. Check your ticket for the room name, because a Jobsite play and a Broadway tour can share an evening on the same campus.

History

The center opened in July 1987 at a cost of about 57 million dollars. The City of Tampa owns it, and a nonprofit, the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., runs it. It took the Straz name in 2009, the same year it launched the Broadway Genesis Project to develop new musicals and plays. A 2018 renovation added new stage floors, LED lighting and improved dressing rooms. The center draws about 600,000 guests a year. The Wikipedia entry has more history.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Straz Center for the Performing Arts
• Straz Center – Theaters and seating charts
• Straz Center – Security screening and bag policy
• Straz Center – Room layouts
• Jobsite Theater – Straz Center parking