Tennessee Performing Arts Center
Encyclopedia
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center, or TPAC, is located in the James K. Polk
Cultural Center at 505 Deaderick Street in downtown Nashville, Tennessee
, occupying an entire city block between 5th and 6th Avenues North and Deaderick and Union Streets. Also housing the Tennessee State Museum
, the cultural center adjoins the 18 story James K. Polk State Office Building
.
The idea for a large-scale performing arts facility developed in 1972 when Martha Rivers Ingram
was appointed to the advisory board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. She proposed a similar center for her home city of Nashville. Ingram's proposal involved a public-private partnership that would operate within a state-owned facility. Her idea met with considerable resistance, but she persevered—for eight years and during the terms of three governors. The result was the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, or TPAC, a three-theater facility located beneath a state office building across the street from the Tennessee State Capitol
. http://www.myetv.org/television/productions/legacy/laureates/Martha%20Rivers%20Ingram.html In 1980, TPAC opened as the state's premier theater venue.
Among its many operations, TPAC presents a series of touring Broadway shows and special engagements, and administers a comprehensive education program.
Martha Rivers Ingram and her supporters also raised an endowment to defray operating losses and to fund a program that grooms future audiences for TPAC performances. The endowment goal was $3.5 million, and they surpassed it, raising $5 million. Today, the endowment has grown to $20 million. Each year, more than 100,000 students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, are brought to Nashville for performances by Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Opera, and the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, which are all resident performing arts groups of TPAC and provide year-round programming. Other companies also use TPAC's facilities for plays, dance performances, concerts and other cultural programs.
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center Management Corporation is governed by a 20-member Board of Directors. Eight of these directors are appointed by the Tennessee Performing Arts Foundation (the Foundation that led the efforts for TPAC and raised an endowment to support TPAC operations). Four Directors are named by the Tennessee Arts Commission and four directors are named by the Governor of Tennessee (one of the Governor's appointees must be the Commissioner of Education of the State of Tennessee (or his/her designate). The TPAC Board itself may elect up to four members. Directors serve for a term of three years. The board usually meets four times each year in Nashville.
who hailed from Tennessee
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Hall is the largest of TPAC's multi-purpose theaters with a seating capacity of 2,472 seats, including 47 pit seats. The stage is more than 130 feet wide by 53 feet deep. The stage has a proscenium opening of more than 57 feet by 36 feet. Up to 112 performers can be accommodated in 14 dressing rooms, including a star suite, two onstage quick change rooms, and high-capacity choral spaces. Expansive wings, fly space, rigging and catwalks provide for productions of every kind - from Broadway's biggest tours to award shows, stylish television specials, and major concerts.
Theater is amazingly intimate for its size, with a seating capacity of 1,075 seats, including 44 pit seats. The stage is more than 87 feet by 50 feet, with a proscenium opening of nearly 47 feet by 30 feet. The theater features spacious wings and expansive fly space. Up to 86 performers can be accommodated in 10 dressing rooms, including one quick change room and two high-capacity choral spaces.
Theater is TPAC's smallest theater, ideal for adventurous and experimental art and entertainment. The 59 feet by 54 feet center open floor performing space is surrounded by three sides with banks of theater seating. With seating up to 256 configurable seats, this theater can host a variety of seating arrangements. Wing and storage space adjoin the theater, which features a 22-foot catwalk. Two dressing rooms can accommodate up to 24 performers. Designed for live theater and intimate performances, Johnson Theater has hosted a variety of acoustic concerts, "in the round" performances, readings, lectures and video shoots.
(1,661 seats), a historic building that anchors the War Memorial Plaza, adjacent to Nashville's capitol building and across 6th Avenue from the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
Cultural Center at 505 Deaderick Street in downtown Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, occupying an entire city block between 5th and 6th Avenues North and Deaderick and Union Streets. Also housing the Tennessee State Museum
Tennessee State Museum
Tennessee State Museum is a large museum in Nashville depicting the history of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Starting from pre-colonization and going all the way to the 20th century, the museum describes the American Civil War, the Frontier, and the Age of Jackson. The museum includes an area of...
, the cultural center adjoins the 18 story James K. Polk State Office Building
James K. Polk State Office Building
The James K. Polk State Office Building is a 24-story, building in Nashville, Tennessee. Completed in 1981, the building was constructed on the site of the Andrew Jackson Hotel and is home to offices for state employees, the Tennessee State Museum, and the Tennessee Performing Arts...
.
The idea for a large-scale performing arts facility developed in 1972 when Martha Rivers Ingram
Martha Rivers Ingram
Martha Robinson Rivers Ingram is the chairman of Ingram Industries, chairman of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust, and a noted philanthropist and patron of the arts. She was married to the late E. Bronson Ingram, who inherited his father's petroleum and barge empire in 1963...
was appointed to the advisory board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. She proposed a similar center for her home city of Nashville. Ingram's proposal involved a public-private partnership that would operate within a state-owned facility. Her idea met with considerable resistance, but she persevered—for eight years and during the terms of three governors. The result was the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, or TPAC, a three-theater facility located beneath a state office building across the street from the Tennessee State Capitol
Tennessee State Capitol
The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the home of the Tennessee legislature, the location of the governor's office, and a National Historic Landmark. Designed by architect William Strickland, it is one of Nashville's most prominent examples of Greek Revival architecture...
. http://www.myetv.org/television/productions/legacy/laureates/Martha%20Rivers%20Ingram.html In 1980, TPAC opened as the state's premier theater venue.
Among its many operations, TPAC presents a series of touring Broadway shows and special engagements, and administers a comprehensive education program.
Martha Rivers Ingram and her supporters also raised an endowment to defray operating losses and to fund a program that grooms future audiences for TPAC performances. The endowment goal was $3.5 million, and they surpassed it, raising $5 million. Today, the endowment has grown to $20 million. Each year, more than 100,000 students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, are brought to Nashville for performances by Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Opera, and the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, which are all resident performing arts groups of TPAC and provide year-round programming. Other companies also use TPAC's facilities for plays, dance performances, concerts and other cultural programs.
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center Management Corporation is governed by a 20-member Board of Directors. Eight of these directors are appointed by the Tennessee Performing Arts Foundation (the Foundation that led the efforts for TPAC and raised an endowment to support TPAC operations). Four Directors are named by the Tennessee Arts Commission and four directors are named by the Governor of Tennessee (one of the Governor's appointees must be the Commissioner of Education of the State of Tennessee (or his/her designate). The TPAC Board itself may elect up to four members. Directors serve for a term of three years. The board usually meets four times each year in Nashville.
Performance Venues
The performance venues are named for the three Presidents of the United StatesPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
who hailed from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
:
Andrew Jackson Hall
Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
Hall is the largest of TPAC's multi-purpose theaters with a seating capacity of 2,472 seats, including 47 pit seats. The stage is more than 130 feet wide by 53 feet deep. The stage has a proscenium opening of more than 57 feet by 36 feet. Up to 112 performers can be accommodated in 14 dressing rooms, including a star suite, two onstage quick change rooms, and high-capacity choral spaces. Expansive wings, fly space, rigging and catwalks provide for productions of every kind - from Broadway's biggest tours to award shows, stylish television specials, and major concerts.
James K. Polk Theater
James K. PolkJames K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
Theater is amazingly intimate for its size, with a seating capacity of 1,075 seats, including 44 pit seats. The stage is more than 87 feet by 50 feet, with a proscenium opening of nearly 47 feet by 30 feet. The theater features spacious wings and expansive fly space. Up to 86 performers can be accommodated in 10 dressing rooms, including one quick change room and two high-capacity choral spaces.
Andrew Johnson Theater
Andrew JohnsonAndrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
Theater is TPAC's smallest theater, ideal for adventurous and experimental art and entertainment. The 59 feet by 54 feet center open floor performing space is surrounded by three sides with banks of theater seating. With seating up to 256 configurable seats, this theater can host a variety of seating arrangements. Wing and storage space adjoin the theater, which features a 22-foot catwalk. Two dressing rooms can accommodate up to 24 performers. Designed for live theater and intimate performances, Johnson Theater has hosted a variety of acoustic concerts, "in the round" performances, readings, lectures and video shoots.
War Memorial Auditorium
TPAC also governs the War Memorial AuditoriumWar Memorial Auditorium
The War Memorial Auditorium is a 1,661-seat performance hall located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is located across the street from, and is governed by, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and is also adjacent to the Tennessee State Capitol.- History :...
(1,661 seats), a historic building that anchors the War Memorial Plaza, adjacent to Nashville's capitol building and across 6th Avenue from the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.