Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts
Encyclopedia
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
for the performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
.
The naming rights
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
to the center currently are held by Progress Energy
Progress Energy Inc
Progress Energy , headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve approximately 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and...
, which purchased them from the city in 2005 for a 20-year term at the cost of $7.5 million. The original naming rights previously were held by BTI Telecom (acquired by ITC^DeltaCom in 2003), and the facility was known as the BTI Center for the Performing Arts from 1997-2005.
The center consists of:
- Raleigh Memorial Auditorium (opened 1932, renovated 1990)
- Meymandi Concert Hall (opened 2001)
- A. J. Fletcher Opera Theater (opened 2001)
- Kennedy Theater (opened 2001)
- Lichtin Plaza (opened 2001)
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
Raleigh Memorial AuditoriumAuditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
opened in 1932 to replace the city's original 1912 City Auditorium, which burned in 1930. The auditorium's name commemorates Raleigh citizens who died serving their country during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Situated downtown at the southern end of Fayetteville Street
Fayetteville Street (Raleigh)
Fayetteville Street is a major street in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. It is a north-south thoroughfare that connects the State Capitol to the Raleigh Convention Center and the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts...
, the Greek Revival structure is an architectural complement to the North Carolina State Capitol
North Carolina State Capitol
The North Carolina State Capitol is the main house of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Housing the offices of the Governor of North Carolina, it is located in the state capital of Raleigh on Union Square at One East Edenton Street. The cornerstone of the Greek Revival building was...
located a few blocks away at the northern terminus of the street. The removal of the obstructive original Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh Convention Center
The Raleigh Convention Center is a convention and exhibition facility in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina that opened in September 2008. The lead architect was Obrien/Atkins Associates....
in 2005 (now replaced with a building on an adjacent site) restored the historic vista along Fayetteville Street between Memorial Auditorium and the Capitol.
Following minor improvements in 1963 and 1977, the auditorium was renovated extensively in 1990, with the notable addition of an external modern glass concourse and lobby. The venue seats 2,277 and most often hosts large musical theater productions.
Meymandi Concert Hall
Meymandi Concert Hall seats 1,700 in the classic shoebox configuration. It is the home of the North Carolina SymphonyNorth Carolina Symphony
The North Carolina Symphony is an American orchestra based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with sixty-nine full time musicians. The orchestra performs in Meymandi Concert Hall and performs occasionally with the Carolina Ballet and the The Opera Company of North Carolina. In 2007, the organization...
, which previously held its concerts in Memorial Auditorium. Named for the mother of Raleigh physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Dr. Assad Meymandi, the facility has excellent acoustics.
Fletcher Opera Theater
Fletcher OperaOpera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Theater seats 600, providing a more intimate space for chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
and operatic performances, as well as other ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
productions. The theater is named in honor of Alfred Johnston Fletcher (1887-1979), a pioneer of television broadcasting in Raleigh
WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV, virtual channel 5 , is a television station in Raleigh, North Carolina. WRAL-TV has been the flagship station of Capitol Broadcasting Company since its inception, and is currently the CBS affiliate for the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Fayetteville area, known collectively as the Triangle...
, whose family foundation provided partial funding for its construction.
Kennedy Theater
Seating 150, the Kennedy Theater offers a 40x60-foot black-box space for nontraditional performances and experimental theater. It is named for longtime Raleigh theater patron K.D. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Sara Lynn.Lichtin Plaza
Lichtin Plaza is the 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) lawn fronting the Progress Energy Center. It often serves as a venue for outdoor festivals, as well as the site of public and private gatherings and tented events. The plaza is named for Harold Lichtin, a prominent regional commercial real estate developer.Performance Groups and Organizations
Organizations that regularly hold performances and concerts at the Progress Energy Center include:- Broadway Series South
- Opera Company of North Carolina
- Carolina BalletCarolina BalletCarolina Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1997 which performs primarily in Raleigh, North Carolina and throughout the state. It has toured to New York City, Hungary and China. Robert Weiss, the artistic director, danced for George Balanchine for sixteen years at New York City Ballet and...
- North Carolina TheatreNorth Carolina TheatreNorth Carolina Theatre is a professional theatre located in Raleigh, North Carolina. They perform four mainstage shows each year at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. It was founded by De Ann S...
- Pinecone, The Piedmont Council of Traditional Music
- North Carolina SymphonyNorth Carolina SymphonyThe North Carolina Symphony is an American orchestra based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with sixty-nine full time musicians. The orchestra performs in Meymandi Concert Hall and performs occasionally with the Carolina Ballet and the The Opera Company of North Carolina. In 2007, the organization...
- Triangle Youth Orchestra, Triangle Youth Symphony, & Triangle Youth Philharmonic
- Raleigh Chamber Music Guild
- Raleigh Dance Theater
- Raleigh Little TheatreRaleigh Little TheatreRaleigh Little Theatre is a community theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina that produces 10 to 11 full productions annually and maintains a comprehensive youth and adult theatre education programs.-About:...
- Burning Coal Theatre CompanyBurning Coal Theatre CompanyBurning Coal Theatre Company is a professional theatre company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They are a member of the national Theatre Communications Group for non-profit professional theatres, as well as the North Carolina Theatre Conference and Arts NC...
- Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy
- A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute
- Triangle Brass Band
- Triangle Youth Brass BandTriangle Youth Brass BandTriangle Youth Brass Band a national award-winning British style brass band located in Raleigh, North Carolina that was formed in 1997 as a youth component of the Triangle Brass Band . Under the direction of Tony Granados and Jesse Rackley, the Youth Band serves nearly 70 high school aged...