Queens Theatre in the Park

There's good reason the exterior of this theater looks like a theme park: It once was. The esteemed architect Philip Johnson designed it as part of the 1964 New York World's Fair and it  housed a cycloramic film tribute to New York State.

The interior is more subdued with a 476-seat playhouse bathed in earth tones where one can see favorite performers still going strong. More experimental fare takes place in the 100-seat theater. A broad range of performing arts disciplines—drama, dance, music, performance art, troupe comedy, children's events—from a host of multicultural companies find receptive audiences here. At last count Queens was home to 102 ethnic groups from Asia to Africa, Latin America to Eastern Europe, and the theater's programming reflects this diversity.

The theater's Independent Film Showcase features commercially undistributed films that can be seen virtually nowhere else in the city.