Chandler Center for the Arts at 250 N. Arizona Ave. kept all three of its theaters closed from June 15 through Oct. 15, 2026, for a renovation the Chandler Independent puts at $3 million. Its first ticketed show on the renovated mainstage is Shanghai Ballet's Giselle on Friday, Oct. 23. On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 6 p.m., the building opens to anyone for a free look inside.
The biggest change is the seat you sit in. The fall calendar is also worth a look. Beyond the national acts, it leans on the Chandler companies that have spent decades performing in this building. A few dates around the reopening are also free.
Seats that had been there for 36 years
The Center opened in 1989. Until this summer, the seats and flooring in all three of its theaters were the originals. When the work was announced in February, then-General Manager Michelle Mac Lennan said in the Center's renovation announcement that the seating and flooring had "more than 36 years of use and wear."
There are three rooms to fill. The main theater seats 1,508, the Hal Bogle Theatre seats 346, and the Recital Hall seats 250. Here is what the renovation covered across those rooms, according to the Center and the Chandler Independent:
- Every theatrical seat was replaced, and the seats were renumbered to make them easier to find for patrons and volunteer ushers.
- New carpet and epoxy flooring went in, along with improved floor and chair lighting.
- Interior finishes were refreshed, and the stage and rigging were upgraded.
- Fire sprinklers and electrical infrastructure got maintenance work that patrons will never see.
- Some recent storm damage was repaired.
Because the seats were renumbered, a seat number you remember from an older visit may not point to the same spot now. Check the seat map when you buy.
For comparison, the last major overhaul was a $6.7 million renovation in 2009 and 2010. That one added the plaza and glass installations and upgraded infrastructure and signage. Voter-approved municipal bonds helped pay for it. The 2026 work was funded by the City of Chandler and Chandler Unified School District.
A building with two sets of regulars
The school district helps pay because the Center was designed as a shared building. Its history page describes the arrangement it worked out with Chandler Unified School District. CUSD students use the Center during the week, and public artists and cultural events take the stage on weekends. The city's 2026–2035 capital plan says CUSD reimburses half the cost of Center for the Arts projects.
That means the new seats have two sets of regulars. Students fill them on weekdays. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, they go to the public and to the local companies that have performed here for years.
The local companies opening the season
The Chandler Independent describes the reopening as a celebration of "the local arts organizations that have grown alongside CCA." The paper names three of them.
- Ballet Etudes is in its 40th anniversary season and presented its first Nutcracker at the Center. The 40th-anniversary Nutcracker runs Nov. 27 through Dec. 6.
- C.A.L.L.E. de Arizona brings back its 27th Annual Chandler Mariachi and Folklórico Festival on Nov. 1.
- Chandler Symphony Orchestra is 33 years old and starts its first season under newly named conductor Chuck Stewart. Its Rooted Together concert is on Nov. 8.
The Center's own residency followed the same idea. Before any touring act played the new mainstage, the Center hosted "Ordinary Folks, Extraordinary Tales" on Oct. 21. It was a free storytelling night where community members who had taken workshops with a South Mountain Community College storyteller told their stories on stage. The event was presented with Chandler Museum and hosted by Artist-in-Residence Ashli St. Armant. St. Armant's three-year residency wraps up with the world premiere of her new work, The Yellowroot: A Juke Joint Cabaret, on March 19 and 20, 2027.
The new general manager, Julianna Crespo, described her goal for the reopening to azfamily:
"We want everyone to come through these doors, see what's changed and feel that this is their Center."
Free ways in before you buy a ticket
The open house is the one free chance to tour the renovated theater. A week later, a free afternoon on the terrace leads straight into a ticketed festival inside.
Saturday, Oct. 24, 3 to 6 p.m. The community open house includes staff-led tours of the renovated theater, a chance to meet Crespo and St. Armant, light refreshments, and family activities. The city's event listing says there is no formal program, so you can come and go anytime during those three hours, and it asks guests to reserve a spot. The tours also introduce the Center's Adopt-A-Seat program.
Sunday, Nov. 1, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Entre Dos Mundos: A Día de Muertos Celebration takes over the Center's terrace with vendors, food, music, storytelling, art activities and a community altar. Admission is free. It ends 30 minutes before the Mariachi and Folklórico Festival starts inside at 4 p.m. The festival features Mariachi Pueblo Viejo, Mariachi Nueva Fusion, Evelyn Ozuna and Ballet Folklorico Quetzalli-AZ, plus a mercado of local vendors, and it also honors Día de Muertos. Tickets are $49, $59, $69 and $79. That makes Nov. 1 an easy afternoon to plan: the free terrace event first, then the festival inside if you have tickets.
The fall calendar, by who's on stage
This is the Center's 2026–27 season and events calendar from opening weekend through New Year's Eve, sorted into local companies and visiting acts.
| Date | Show | Who's performing |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m. | Shanghai Ballet, Giselle | Touring |
| Sun., Oct. 25, 7 p.m. | Sara Evans | Touring |
| Sun., Nov. 1, 4 p.m. | 27th Annual Mariachi and Folklórico Festival | Local, C.A.L.L.E. de Arizona |
| Fri., Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. | One Vision of Queen featuring Marc Martel | Touring |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Best of Broadway: Lloyd Webber & More! | Calendar listing |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Chandler Symphony Orchestra, Rooted Together | Local |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Theatre Kids: The Giver | Youth series |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | BENISE, Spanish Nights by Candlelight | Touring |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 7 p.m. | Cirque Mechanics, Tilt! | Touring |
| Fri., Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m. | Jeffrey Osborne | Touring |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | The Crown We Carry | Calendar listing |
| Nov. 27 to Dec. 6 | 40th Anniversary of The Nutcracker | Local, Ballet Etudes |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Theatre Kids: Ballet Etudes presents The Nutcracker Act II | Youth series, local |
| Dec. 12 to 20 | Spirit of Christmas | Calendar listing |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | David Archuleta, Warm Me Up Holiday Tour | Touring |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | Hooray for Hollywood: A New Year's Eve Celebration | Season finale for 2026 |
Ballet Etudes appears twice in December, with its full anniversary run and with The Nutcracker Act II in the Theatre Kids series.
Getting tickets now that the box office is home
During the closure, ticket sales moved to Vision Gallery at Chandler City Hall, 10 E. Chicago St. As of Tuesday, Oct. 6, the box office is back at the Center. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, with Saturday hours back since Oct. 10. The phone number is still 480-782-2680.
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