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for gay men as well, so check the schedule. 2900 E. Broadway Blvd., Ste. 118. & 520/318-4838.
www.thebiztuc.com.
IBT's Located on funky Fourth Avenue, IBT's has long been the most popular gay
men's dance bar in town. The music ranges from 1980s retro to hip-hop, and regular drag
shows add to the fun. There's always an interesting crowd. 616 N. Fourth Ave. & 520/882-
3053.

THE PERFORMING ARTS
Tucson's performing arts scene is just as lively as Phoenix's, and three of Tucson's major
companies—the Arizona Opera Company, Ballet Arizona, and the Arizona Theatre
Company—spend half their time in Phoenix. This means that whatever gets staged in
Phoenix also gets staged in Tucson. Tucson also has its own symphony and manages to
sustain a diversified theater scene. Tickets to Tucson Convention Center events (but not
the symphony or the opera) and other venues around town may be available by calling
Ticketmaster ( & 520/321-1000; www.ticketmaster.com) or by stopping by the TCC
box office, 260 S. Church Ave. ( & 520/791-4101; www.cityoftucson.org/tcc).
Outdoor Venues & Series
Weather permitting, Tucsonans head to Reid Park's DeMeester Outdoor Performance
Center, at Country Club Road and East 22nd Street ( & 520/791-4873 ), for perfor-
mances under the stars. This amphitheater stages live theater performances, as well as
frequent concerts (many of which are free).
The Tucson Jazz Society ( & 520/903-1265; www.tucsonjazz.org), which manages
to book a few well-known jazz musicians each year, sponsors different series at various
locations around the city. Tickets are usually between $15 and $35.
Classical Music, Opera & Dance
Both the Tucson Symphony Orchestra ( & 520/882-8585 or 520/792-9155; www.
tucsonsymphony.org), which is the oldest continuously performing symphony in the
Southwest, and the Arizona Opera Company ( & 520/293-4336 or 520/321-1000;
www.azopera.org), the state's premier opera company, perform at the Tucson Convention
Center Music Hall. Symphony tickets run mostly $20 to $51; opera tickets are $25 to
$100.
Theater
Tucson doesn't have a lot of theater companies, but what few it does have stage a surpris-
ingly diverse sampling of both classic and contemporary plays. Arizona Theatre Com-
pany ( & 520/622-2823; www.aztheatreco.org), which performs at the Temple of Music
and Art, splits its time between Tucson and Phoenix, and is the state's top professional
theater company. Each season sees a mix of comedy, drama, and Broadway-style musical
shows; tickets cost $26 to $64. The Invisible Theatre, 1400 N. First Ave. ( & 520/882-
9721; www.invisibletheatre.com), a tiny theater in a converted laundry building, has
been home to Tucson's most experimental theater for more than 35 years (it does off-
Broadway shows). Tickets run about $22 to $42.
The West just wouldn't be the West without good old-fashioned melodramas, and the
Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. ( & 520/886-9428; www.thegaslighttheatre.
com), is where evil villains, stalwart heroes, and defenseless heroines pound the boards.
You can boo and hiss, cheer and sigh as the predictable stories unfold on stage. It's great

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