3S Artspace Competitors

“the beating cultural heart of New Hampshire’s seacoast” – Boston Globe The Music Hall, established in 1878 as a Vaudeville theater, has become a cornerstone of Portsmouth’s vibrant arts scene. Over nearly 150 years, it has evolved into a premier performing arts center, featuring two distinct venues: the landmark Victorian-era Historic Theater, designated an American Treasure by the National Park Service, and the modern Music Hall Lounge, an intimate 116-seat cabaret-style space. Together, they host over 130,000 patrons annually, offering a diverse array of live performances and on-screen programming that foster creativity and community. In 2024, The Music Hall expanded its cultural offerings by taking over the New Hampshire Film Festival (NHFF), the state’s longest-running film festival, which attracts thousands of visitors each fall with independent films, panels, and networking events. That same year, it opened a new Members Club with McKeon’s Bar and the Box Office & Ticketing Hub, housed in the historic Kearsarge House on Congress Street. This exclusive speakeasy-style club allows members and sponsors direct access to the Historic Theater. Since 1987, The Friends of The Music Hall, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, have upheld its mission: to present diverse, high-quality arts programming as a vital cultural hub for the Seacoast community. Today, The Music Hall continues to enrich Portsmouth’s cultural fabric with world-class entertainment.

For 90 years, Ogunquit Playhouse has been the crown jewel of Maine's southern seacoast, delivering world-class Regional theatre and arts education programs, creating memories for generations. From big splashy musicals and side-splitting comedies to gripping dramas, the Playhouse attracts the best and brightest production teams from New York, Los Angeles, and London to self-produce and deliver unique shared theatrical experiences you won't find anywhere else. It's the reason we're a vacation destination people keep returning to year after year.

Strawbery Banke Museum, in the heart of historic downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is an authentic 10-acre outdoor history museum dedicated to bringing 300+ years of American history in the same waterfront neighborhood to life. The Museum is a place for children, adults, multigenerational families and groups to gather to explore eight heritage gardens, 32 historic buildings and traditional crafts, preservation programs, hands-on activities, the stories told by costumed role-players and the changing exhibits that offer hours of fun and discovery. The Museum's restored buildings and open space invite visitors to immerse themselves in the past, using objects from the museum's collection of 30,000 artifacts, and the histories of the families who lived and worked in the Puddle Dock neighborhood to engage, educate and entertain.