Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
Encyclopedia
Performing arts center
Performing arts center, often abbreviated PAC, is used to refer to* A multi-use performance space that is intended for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre....
in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
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Facilities
The Kravis Center opened in 1992 and was constructed at a cost of $63 million. The center holds some 800 events each year with over 400,000 people in attendance annually. It sits on 10.6 acres (42,896.7 m²) of property at the highest point in the city.In 2001, after a lengthy investigation, the attorneys for the Regional Director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) concluded that The Kravis Center had committed massive and continuous violations of federal labor law. It is estimated that the Kravis Center owes the local Union Stagehands, which it illegally fired, as much as $3.6 Million dollars.
- The Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. Concert Hall is the 2,193-seat concert hall and main performance venue. It is located in the center of the structure. The Dreyfoos Hall stage, when fully extended, is the largest indoor stage in the state of Florida. The hall is named after its original benefactor Alexander W. Dreyfoos, a philanthropistPhilanthropyPhilanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
who is also the namesake of the nearby Dreyfoos School of the ArtsDreyfoos School of the ArtsAlexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts is a public high school located in West Palm Beach, Florida. Formerly named the Palm Beach County School of the Arts , the school was renamed in recognition of a 1997 donation of $1 million by Alexander W...
. - The Marshall E. Rinker, Sr. Playhouse is a 300-seat black box theaterBlack box theaterThe 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:...
. - The Michael and Andrew Gosman Amphitheatre is 1400-seat outdoor amphitheater on the northeast corner of the Kravis Center. For shows performed here, attendants may bring their own chairs or blankets or rent chairs from the facility. BleacherBleacherBleachers is an American term used to describe the raised, tiered rows of seats found at sports fields or at other spectator events...
seating is also available. Food and beverages (except alcoholic beverages) are permitted in the amphitheater.
Performing Companies
Cultural organizations that perform at the center include:- Miami City BalletMiami City BalletMiami City Ballet is an American ballet company based in Miami Beach, Florida. It was created in 1986 by former New York City Ballet principal dancer Edward Villella and flourishes today as one of America's most respected ballet companies...
- Palm Beach OperaPalm Beach OperaPalm Beach Opera, a professional opera company in West Palm Beach, Florida resident at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, was founded in 1961 as "Civic Opera of the Palm Beaches." Over its history, the company has presented a season of fully staged operas ranging from a single production...
- Bob Lappin and the Palm Beach Pops
- Sidewalk Picketers