Will L.
Yelp
Nestled between Tutta Bella and the Columbia City Alehouse, the Columbia City Theater (not to be confused with the Columbia City Cinema) is a stage used for performances including live bands, community events, and lately on Fridays or Saturdays, a killer burlesque show. There is a bar within the entry hall called the Hendrix Electric Lounge, but the venue puts on All Ages shows. The theater is REALLY cool inside -- high ceilings, ornate trim, and a balcony that occasionally is used by Tutta Bella as an overflow seating area. The Theater has a recording studio as well for bands who may want to record a performance. However... it is not a free service.
I play bass for the band Stay Tuned (http://www.staytunedtheband.com), a television rock experience. We recently played a show here, and it was a pretty good experience. There is a load in area on Hudson, where you can wheel your equipment right on stage. Upstairs is a 'green room' for the bands, though it is difficult to get to during a show, as the entrance to it is either from on stage or via a route through the back that generally is closed to the public.
The stage is pretty high, about 5' from the floor. The area right in front is the 'all ages' area; there's an over-21 area about 10' back. There are monitors on stage, and pretty good house sound.
The one downside was that the soundguy is positioned upstairs on the balcony. Feedback from the show was that we were excruciatingly loud. Not sure if he could hear it, or if he's half deaf from doing live shows.
I marked the Wheelchair accessible box -- however that entrance is over on Hudson, and would probably require someone opening the door up first.
Bartender was awesome at the Lounge -- but that got its own review.