About Us
Programming
Our Programming Model
Town Hall was founded in 1998 to save a beloved historic building and create an affordable shared performance home for small to mid-sized organizations in the region. Today, Town Hall has matured into a nationally unique artistic and civic hub in the heart of Seattle.
Approximately half of our annual calendar is shaped by our rental partners. Through subsidized rental rates, hands-on production expertise, and skilled marketing support, Town Hall levels the cultural playing field and amplifies the voices of diverse communities.
The remaining programs, which span the arts, civics, and sciences, are produced by Town Hall. Our staff, series curators, community partners, and other thinkers and doers lend creativity, passion, and talent to our calendar, resulting in an inclusive, present-tense reflection of life around the Puget Sound.
Town Hall Programs
Civics, Science, and Arts & Culture
Town Hall hosts dozens of authors, artists, historians, researchers, scientists, and thinkers on our stages each season. Our core event categories include:
Civics
From local policies to world politics, the Civics Series offers a vibrant forum for activism, discovery, and thought-provoking discussion on a range of topics as diverse as Seattle itself.
Science
Town Hall’s Science Series is dedicated to understanding the world around us through math, technology, physics, biology, the environment, and beyond.
Arts & Culture
The Arts & Culture Series elevates the voices of local artists and legendary cultural icons, celebrating music, visual art, literature, philosophy, and traditions worldwide.
Global Rhythms
Town Hall Seattle’s Global Rhythms series connects Seattle audiences with innovative bands and artists around the world. Established in 2002, Global Rhythms presents world, roots, and traditional music from regional, national, and international artists. The series also fosters community and creativity through Global Atmosphere, a pre-concert gathering with food, beverages, and curated music talks.
Residencies
Each season, Town Hall’s Residency program offers local Artists or Scholars a paid opportunity to nourish their creative disciplines and engage with Town Hall programs and collaborate with our programming team to develop original events for the community. This opportunity is open to scholars, journalists (SiR) or visual artists and performing artists (AiR) working in Seattle, King County, and/or the Puget Sound region. Scholars- or Artists-in-Residence bring fresh voices to our programming and expand our perspectives about what happens on Town Hall’s stages.
Venue Access Program (VAP)
Part of 4Culture’s Building for Equity program, our Venue Access Program (VAP) was launched in 2023 to build a long-term partnership with a small-scale, BIPOC-led nonprofit and offer free access to Town Hall’s stages throughout the season.
Our current VAP partner is Orquesta Northwest. Learn more about Orquesta Northwest here.
Saturday Family Concerts
Saturday Family Concerts at Town Hall Seattle introduce children to the joy and fun of music. Featuring interactive performances that captivate and engage, these hands-on musical adventures create cherished memories for listeners of all ages!
The Oculus Series
Town Hall’s Oculus Series elevates the voices of bold thinkers, writers, and creators for a season of memorable, curiosity-driven conversations.
In architectural terms, an oculus —or eye — is a round opening at the top of a dome. An iconic element of Neoclassical buildings like Town Hall, an oculus lets light pass through to gently illuminate the space below. Town Hall’s oculus glows at the crown of our beloved building, a symbolic portal between our shared community space and the world of ideas beyond.
Curated by Town Hall Seattle, the Oculus Series aims to connect audience members to the most impactful writing and ideas of our time.
Town Green
The Town Green Series aims to educate and activate the Seattle community on environmental issues, from local wildlife to energy innovations — and beyond!