Arts & Culture:
Seeking to explore the arts and culture in the tri-county region? Start your exploration with a trip to any of the following TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Members.
SHOW STOPPERS
Not only is Santander Arena & Performing Arts Center home to the Reading Royals, but they have also hosted hundreds of concerts and other forms of entertainment targeted to all age ranges. The Santander Performing Arts Center is known for bringing some of the hottest acts in show business to Reading and Berks County.
If you are interested in a live theatre experience, see a show at Steel River Playhouse. Every year they produce over 90 plays, musicals, concerts, and recitals, and host thousands of people as audiences, students, artists, donors, and volunteers from throughout the region. They are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education and performance facility, located in Pottstown, supporting individual and community development through the performing arts. They offer performance opportunities for all ages through auditions, performance-based classes and workshops, private lesson recitals, and a summer camp program.
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Interested in line dancing, open mic nights, live performances, comedy, and other forms of entertainment? Attend any of SoulJoel’s events at The SunnyBrook Ballroom. One of the few remaining dance halls of the pre-World War II era still in existence, The SunnyBrook Ballroom is a vivid and well-known landmark in Pottstown. Throughout its heyday, the historic ballroom was a regular stop on the tours of all the era’s big bands and entertainers, including: Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra.
Rivet: Canteen & Assembly is a live music and event venue in Pottstown, located in century-old downtown centerpiece New York Plaza. Rivet highlights Pottstown’s rich industrial heritage with a design blueprint that celebrates the local trades that helped forge America. Rivet’s main room Foundry Hall features a full stage with house sound and modern multimedia gear, tailored for live music and entertainment, as well as weddings, company functions and other social events.
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES
Interested in guitars? Visit The Crossroads Guitars and Art (Gilbertsville). The Crossroads Guitars and Art fosters a unique cultural arts experience for local area patrons, resulting in the creation of new music-makers and enjoyable encounters. Musicians and artists from all walks of life go through the doors of The Crossroads to check out everything they have to offer, including live performances.
ArtFusion 19464, located in Pottstown, aims to provide an excellent education in the arts to both the youth and adults of the community. The instructors are all professional artists who limit class size for more individualized instruction. They help students to foster their creativity and develop their talents for both their personal enrichment and as a foundation for advanced studies in the arts.
COMMUNITY CULTURE
The fiberglass bears spread throughout Boyertown give a strong community feel which is a very important trait to not only Berks County but the entire tri-county region.
At the River of Revolutions Interpretive Center, located in Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage, you can learn about the role the Schuylkill River region played in three revolutions: the American, Industrial and Environmental. The center also features fun, interactive exhibits, as well as maps, video monitors all of which provide informative information.
Founded in 1964, Pottstown Dance Theatre is a dance school with dance classes and lessons in Ballet and Pointe, Tap, Modern, Jazz, African, Hip-Hop, Creative Movement, Irish, Break Dance, Highland, Musical Theater, and Pilates. Pottstown Dance Theatre focuses on the growth of students as individuals. They believe that since dance is a performing art, performance experience is integral to dance education and the teaching curriculum and dance lessons span the entire year.