Theaters, concerts and shows worth the drive from Berks County

Lancaster, PA · 46 minutes from Reading

The Fulton Theatre is a professional regional theatre producing musicals and plays at 12 North Prince Street in Lancaster, PA.

Bird-in-Hand, PA · 47 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Bird-in-Hand Stage is a live theater on the banquet level of the Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord in Bird-in-Hand, PA, playing family shows, comedy and holiday musicals from April through December.

Lancaster, PA · 47 minutes from Reading · Over $50 a person

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre is a 320-seat dinner theater in Lancaster, PA, that serves a buffet before professional musicals and plays all year.

Lancaster, PA · 47 minutes from Reading

Prima Theatre is a concert and contemporary theatre company in Lancaster, PA, performing in its own boutique space at 941 Wheatland Avenue.

Lancaster, PA · 48 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

American Music Theatre is a 1,600-seat live performance theatre on Lincoln Highway East in Lancaster, PA, staging touring concerts, tribute shows and its own original Christmas Show.

Malvern, PA · 48 minutes from Reading

People's Light is a theater company in Malvern, PA, staging plays and musicals on two stages, the Leonard C. Haas Stage and the Steinbright Stage, on a seven-acre campus.

Phoenixville, PA · 49 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

The Colonial Theatre is a 1902 movie and performing arts house on Bridge Street in Phoenixville, PA. Three auditoriums run first-run, classic and cult films alongside concerts, comedy and live theatre, Wednesday through Sunday.

Ronks, PA · 52 minutes from Reading · Over $50 a person

Sight & Sound Theatres is a live theater in Ronks, PA, that stages Bible stories as full stage productions; Joshua plays March 14 through December 31, 2026, and Jonah opens March 11, 2027.

Mount Gretna, PA · 54 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Gretna Theatre is a summer theater company that stages musicals and plays at the open-air Mount Gretna Playhouse in Mount Gretna, PA. The site calls it America's oldest summer theatre, running since 1927.

Paradise, PA · 54 minutes from Reading · Over $50 a person

Magic & Wonder Dinner Theater is a dinner theater in Paradise, PA, on Route 30 east of Lancaster, that pairs a buffet dinner with a two hour magic and variety show.

Allentown, PA · 54 minutes from Reading

Miller Symphony Hall is an 1,100 seat concert hall in downtown Allentown, PA, home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, in a building converted to a theater in 1899.

Center Valley, PA · 1 hour 2 minutes from Reading

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is a professional summer theatre company on the DeSales University campus in Center Valley, PA. Its plays run in the Labuda Center's Main Stage and Schubert Theatre.

Bethlehem, PA · 1 hour 7 minutes from Reading

SteelStacks is ArtsQuest's 10-acre arts and entertainment campus beside the former Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces in Bethlehem, PA.

Bethlehem, PA · 1 hour 7 minutes from Reading

Wind Creek Event Center is a concert and comedy venue at the Wind Creek Bethlehem casino resort in Bethlehem, PA, on the former Bethlehem Steel property.

Bethlehem, PA · 1 hour 7 minutes from Reading

Zoellner Arts Center is Lehigh University's performing arts center in Bethlehem, PA, with Baker Hall, the Diamond Theater and the Fowler Black Box Theatre.

Hershey, PA · 1 hour 10 minutes from Reading

Hershey Theatre is a 1,904-seat performing arts theater in downtown Hershey, PA, presenting touring Broadway shows, concerts, comedy, classical music and dance.

Hershey, PA · 1 hour 11 minutes from Reading

Hersheypark Stadium is an open-air concert and sports stadium in Hershey, PA, in the Hersheypark Entertainment Complex. It has 15,641 permanent seats and room for 30,000 at festival concerts.

Sellersville, PA · 1 hour 12 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Sellersville Theater is a 325 seat live music and comedy venue in Sellersville, PA, with the Washington House hotel and restaurant next door. It books five or more shows a week.

Media, PA · 1 hour 13 minutes from Reading

The Media Theatre is a nonprofit live theater on State Street in Media, PA, producing a Broadway Series and a Youth Ensemble Series of shows. The 2026-27 Broadway Series opened October 1 with School of Rock.

Philadelphia, PA · 1 hour 14 minutes from Reading

The Highmark Mann is a nonprofit open-air concert venue in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, PA, with the covered TD Pavilion, the Great Lawn and the Skyline Stage.

Easton, PA · 1 hour 16 minutes from Reading

The State Theatre Center for the Arts is a 1,549-seat historic theater on Northampton Street in downtown Easton, PA. It books touring concerts, comedians, Broadway tours, ballet, tribute bands and holiday shows.

York, PA · 1 hour 17 minutes from Reading

The Appell Center for the Performing Arts is two restored historic theatres, the Strand and the Capitol, in downtown York, PA. It presents touring Broadway, concerts, comedy, dance, family shows and films.

Philadelphia, PA · 1 hour 19 minutes from Reading

Ensemble Arts Philly is the nonprofit that runs the Kimmel Center, the Academy of Music, the Miller Theater and the Forrest Theatre on and near Broad Street in Center City Philadelphia.

Wilmington, DE · 1 hour 20 minutes from Reading

The Grand Opera House is a performing arts center in Wilmington, DE, with three stages: Copeland Hall and The Baby Grand at 818 N. Market Street, and The Playhouse on Rodney Square two blocks up Market Street.

Jim Thorpe, PA · 1 hour 23 minutes from Reading

Penn's Peak is a mountaintop concert venue in Jim Thorpe, PA, with a full-service restaurant and bar, Roadies, on site.

Bristol, PA · 1 hour 30 minutes from Reading · Over $50 a person

Bristol Riverside Theatre is a 300-seat theatre in a renovated movie house on Radcliffe Street in Bristol, PA, beside the Delaware River, with a five-play mainstage season plus concerts and special events.

New Hope, PA · 1 hour 43 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Bucks County Playhouse is a regional theater in New Hope, PA, that opened on July 1, 1939 on the site of a 1790 grist mill on the banks of the Delaware River.

Shawnee on Delaware, PA · 1 hour 55 minutes from Reading

The Shawnee Playhouse is a historic theater in Shawnee on Delaware, PA, built in 1904 as Worthington Hall and staging plays, musicals and children's shows all year.