North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
Encyclopedia
The North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (also NC Blumenthal Center and NCBPAC) is located in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

. It opened in 1992 and is named in honor of the people of the state of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 and the Blumenthal Foundation established by I.D. Blumenthal who founded RSC Brands
RSC Brands
Radiator Specialty Company is a privately-held automotive products company based out of Charlotte, NC with manufacturing headquarters in Indian Trail, NC. It is one of the nation's top automotive products producers and the second-largest producer of ancillary radiator products in the United States...

, the largest private donor to the capital campaign. The idea for the center dates back to the late 1970s. Momentum for the project grew in the 1980s resulting in a $15 million allocation from the state of North Carolina, approval of a $15 million bond by the citizens of Charlotte and an additional $32 million contributed by individuals, corporations and foundations. In 1987 the Belk Brothers donated a valuable piece of land as the site of the new theatre complex. Total construction cost for the Blumenthal Center was over $62 million.

Architecture

The Blumenthal Center and the adjacent Founder's Hall and Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...

 corporate center were all designed by Caesar Pelli and Associates. Acoustical design was completed by acoustical consultant Kirkegaard Associates
Kirkegaard Associates
Kirkegaard Associates is an American acoustics design firm based in Chicago, Illinois, with an office in Boulder Colorado. As of 2010, the company is headed by Lawrence Kirkegaard and employs 29 professionals in architecture, acoustics, music recording, mechanical and audio engineering, musical and...

. Project management was provided by Theatrical Project Consultants (TPC). General contractor on the project was Becon Construction of Charlotte, NC.

Theaters

Although the Blumenthal Center as a company has six theaters under its management, the Belk
Belk
Belk is a department store chain founded in 1888 in Monroe, North Carolina, today part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After the founding of the first Belk store, the company grew in size and influence throughout the South via the chain in the USA, with its stores primarily located in the...

 Theater, Booth Playhouse, and Stage Door Theater are physically part of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The McGlohon Theatre and Duke Power Theatre are both contained in the Spirit Square facility. The Knight Theater is located within close proximity to the Center. The Blumenthal also presents shows at Ovens Auditorium.
  • Belk Theater: The Belk Theater is the largest venue in the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, seating 2100 at its full-capacity configuration. It features state-of-the-art equipment, production and support capabilities and can host any event - from grand opera
    Grand Opera
    Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...

     to rock to corporate annual meetings and lectures. The theater is designed in a contemporary European horseshoe arrangement for an intimate atmosphere and world-class acoustics. The most distant seat is less than 135 feet from the stage. A hallmark of the theater's design is some 2,400 "points of light" in the audience chamber, part of a dazzling fiber optic network with multi-color capabilities.
  • Booth Playhouse: The Booth Playhouse of the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center is a courtyard-style proscenium theater
    Proscenium
    A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...

     with cabaret
    Cabaret
    Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...

     and theater-in-the-round capabilities. This intimate theater contains 434 seats with seating in orchestra and gallery levels. It hosts a variety of dance, choral and other musical ensembles, as well as meetings, seminars, and workshops.
  • Stage Door Theater: The intimate Stage Door Theater is a new entertainment hot spot on Charlotte’s North College Street. Seats up to 172 in a flexible configuration. Entrance is near the corner of College and 5th Street.
  • Knight Theater: Seating capacity of 1,193. Part of the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus on Tryon at 1st Street. Adjacent to the new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.
  • McGlohon Theatre @ Spirit Square: The McGlohon Theatre at Spirit Square Center for Arts & Education seats 700 and is a showplace for local and national performances. Opened in 1980, this intimate space was the former First Baptist Church. With its stained glass windows and Byzantine dome, this historically designated space makes each event a unique experience. The McGlohon Theatre comprises two levels: the Orchestra (stage) Level and the Balcony Level.
  • Duke Power Theatre @ Spirit Square: The Duke Power Theatre, is a truly multi-purpose space. It is a Black-Box theater
    Black box theater
    The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...

    and is completely equipped with theatre lighting capabilities and sound system. The space also has beautiful stained glass windows and hardwood floors. Duke Power Theatre is ideal for receptions, seminars, meetings or lectures. Maximum capacity for Duke Power Theatre is 190.
  • Ovens Auditorium: Ovens Auditorium is owned and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) of the City of Charlotte. The facility seats more than 2,400 and is located at 2700 East Independence Boulevard.

Broadway Productions

The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center hosts Broadway productions through the Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series. The 2011/12 Duke Energy Broadway Lights series includes: Addams Family, West Side Story, Million Dollar Quartet, Memphis, Bring It On: The Musical, Come Fly Away, La Cage Aux Folles and Jersey Boys.

Economic Impact

Since opening its doors in 1992, 7.3 million people have attended an event, performance, activity or meeting at the Center & Spirit Square. The Center infused $52.25 million into the economy during the 2007-2008 season.

Resident Companies

NCBPAC is currently home to 6 different resident companies (between the Blumenthal Center complex and Spirit Square) whose goals include visual and performing arts as well as education.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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