![Booth Playhouse - Charlotte, NC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Booth_Playhouse_-_Charlotte%2C_NC.jpg)
Blumenthal Performing Arts (also NC Blumenthal Center and NCBPAC) is located in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
. It opened in 1992 and is named in honor of the people of the state of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
and the
Blumenthal Foundation established by I.D. Blumenthal who founded
RSC Brands
RSC Chemical Solutions is a privately held automotive products company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a manufacturing headquarters in Indian Trail, North Carolina. It is one of the nation's top automotive products producers and the seco ...
, 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
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...
corporate center were all designed by César Pelli
and Associates. Acoustical design was completed by acoustical consultant
Kirkegaard Associates Kirkegaard Associates is an American acoustics design firm founded by Lawrence Kirkegaard, based in Chicago, Illinois, with an office in Denver, Colorado. The company is headed by President/Owner Joseph W A Myers and employs 12 professionals in arch ...
. Project management was provided by Theatre Project Consultants (TPC). General contractor on the project was Becon Construction of Charlotte, NC.
Scope
Blumenthal Performing Arts operates six theaters on three campuses in uptown Charlotte. The
Belk
Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, ...
Theater, Booth Playhouse and Stage Door Theater are at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The Knight Theater is near the Center. The McGlohon Theatre and
Duke Power
Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Overview
Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke Energy owns 58,200 megawatts of base-load and peak generation in ...
Theatre are inside the
Spirit Square facility. 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 2,118 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 is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and orchestras, and (in their original productions) lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on o ...
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 with
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
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 211 in a flexible configuration. Entrance is near the corner of College and 5th Street.
Knight Theater
Seating capacity of 1,193. Part of the
Levine Center for the Arts
Levine Center for the Arts on South Tryon Street in Charlotte, North Carolina, includes Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing ...
on Tryon at Levine Ave of the Arts. Adjacent to the new
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a museum space dedicated to the exhibition of mid-20th-century modern art. The modern art museum is part of the new Levine Center for the Arts in Uptown. The museum building was ...
.
McGlohon Theatre at Spirit Square
The McGlohon Theatre at
Spirit Square Center for Arts & Education seats 716 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 Energy Theater at Spirit Square
The Duke Energy Theater is a
black box theater and has stained glass windows and hardwood floors.
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 PNC Broadway Lights Series. The 2015/16 PNC Broadway Lights series includes:
The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...
,
Matilda the Musical
''Roald Dahl's Matilda'', simply known as ''Matilda'' or ''Matilda the Musical'', is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly, based on the 1988 novel ''Matilda'' by Roald Dahl. The musical's narrative ...
,
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,
The Bridges of Madison County
''The Bridges of Madison County'' (also published as ''Love in Black and White'') is a 1992 best-selling romance novel by American writer Robert James Waller that tells the story of a married Italian-American woman (WWII war bride) living on a ...
,
The Wizard of Oz,
If/Then
''If/Then'' is a musical with a libretto by Brian Yorkey and a theatrical score by Tom Kitt, directed by Michael Greif. It tells the story of a 38-year-old woman named Elizabeth who moves back to New York City for a fresh start.
''If/Then'' ...
,
First Date
A first date is the initial meeting during the dating process of two individuals, in which an effort is made to ask about each other, plan a potential relationship, and/or organize some sort of romantic activity. Aims vary between finding a ...
, and
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
. The Blumenthal Center also features the PNC Broadway Extras, which includes
Motown the Musical,
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
,
Ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...
, the Hip Hop Nutcracker,
Kinky Boots,
The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude dat ...
,
Once
Once means a one-time occurrence.
Once may refer to:
Music
* ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten''
* ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper
* ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...
,
Stomp
Stomp may refer to:
*Stomp (strike), a downwards kick using the heel
Music and dance
* ''Stomp'' (album), by Big D and the Kids Table, 2013
* Stomp (jazz), a type of rhythmic jazz tune popular in the 1920s
*Stomp (theatrical show), a percussive p ...
, and the
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in 1987. It was purchased in July 2017 by the Canadian company Cirque du Soleil. Blue Man Group is known for its stage productions, which incorporate many kinds of music and art, bot ...
.
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. The Duke Power Theatre and the McGlohon Theatre also host annual productions by
Charlotte Shakespeare
Charlotte Shakespeare was a professional, non-profit theatre company in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company specialized in intimate and accessible performances of traditional and modern classics, with an emphasis on the plays of William Shake ...
.
Charlotte Symphony OrchestraCommunity School of The ArtsNorth Carolina Dance TheatreOpera CarolinaOn Q ProductionsQueen City TheatreCharlotte Shakespeare
External links
HomepageCarolina Tix
{{Authority control
Dance in North Carolina
Theatres in Charlotte, North Carolina
Performing arts centers in North Carolina
Tourist attractions in Charlotte, North Carolina
César Pelli buildings