Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts has been named among the top 100 theaters in the world, and among the top 15 for theaters with 2,000 seats or less.

Santa Rosa’s non-profit community arts center received a world-wide ranking of 89 by Pollstar, a trade magazine covering the worldwide concert industry.

For theaters with fewer than 2,000 seats, Wells Fargo Center ranks 14th in the world.

Pollstar’s rankings are based on tickets sold for performances from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2011.

Wells Fargo Center sold 61,667 tickets last year, slightly less than the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia, ranked at 88 and more than the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Brisbane, Australia ranked at 90.

Among California theaters, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts ranks 11th in the state, just below the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Southern California and above Fresno’s William Saroyan Theatre.

“We’re thrilled to be named, once again, among the top 100 theaters in the world,” said Rick Nowlin, the center’s executive director, in a statement issued Monday, Jan. 23.

“It’s a testament to our programming, which features the world’s finest music of all genres, as well as dance, theater, comedy, family and renowned speaker events,” Nowlin added.

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, founded in 1981,  first reported its ticket sales to Pollstar for ranking in 2002 and has been consistently named among the top 100 theaters in the world since 2005.