The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, formerly known as the Diana Wortham Theatre, is a theater in

Pack Place The Asheville Art Museum is a community-based nonprofit visual art organization in Western North Carolina (WNC) and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is located on the center square of downtown Asheville, 2 South Pack Squ ...

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

. The main 500-seat

Proscenium A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...

theater opened July 4, 1992 has about 50 shows each season between September and May, plus more than 100 events presented by groups that rent the space.

Expansion

The $3 million expansion and renovation of the original 500seat theater began in January 2019 to include Tina McGuire Theatre seating 80100 people and Henry LaBrun Studio, which includes a dance studio and offices. The new venues allow performers to spend more time in Asheville and offer classes. The main theater now has seats from

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

which were reupholstered. The building used to also include The Health Adventure, Colburn Earth Science Museum, and

Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum is a community-based nonprofit visual art organization in Western North Carolina (WNC) and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is located on the center square of downtown Asheville, 2 South Pack Squ ...

. After The Health Adventure became part of the Asheville Museum of Science on Patton Avenue, Asheville Art Museum expanded into its former space. Diana Wortham is the daughter of

Gus Sessions Wortham Gus Sessions Wortham (February 18, 1891 – September 1, 1976), was a businessman and civic leader in Houston, Texas. Biography He was born on February 18, 1891, in Mexia, Texas, to John Lee Wortham and Fannie Sessions. He moved with his father ...

and Lyndall Finley Wortham and was "one of the largest private benefactors … of Pack Place," according to theatre director John Ellis. She continues to donate to causes, including improvements to the theatre, but she does not make appearances. The name of the theater changed to Wortham Center for the Performing Arts September 17, 2019, the day of a

ribbon cutting An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

References

External links

* {{coord, 35.59434, -82.55112, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NC, display=title Buildings and structures in Asheville, North Carolina Tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina