The Kentucky Center for the Arts is the largest Louisville entertainment venue and offers many educational programs in addition to featuring shows.
The Kentucky Center for the Arts has three stages and is home to the Louisville Orchestra, the Kentucky Opera, the Louisville Ballet, Stage One children’s theater, and hosts the shows brought in through the PNC Bank Broadway in Louisville series. The center also has many community theater’s use their Mex theater in addition to presenting their own performances. Patrons can also host private events for up to 3,000 at the W.L. Lyons Brown Theater.
The large Louisville entertainment venue provides arts programs to all 120 counties in Louisville, including the “Governor’s School for the Arts” in Lexington, Kentucky. The Governor’s School for the Arts is a summer program that provides 3 weeks of training for Kentucky’s finest artists in different genres and mediums. Kentucky Center for the Arts programs are run in 42 different community Centers as well.
The Center is obviously more than a Louisville entertainment venue as it also works with the Kentucky Department of Education and the University of Kentucky to offer training to teachers in methods that will mix more of the arts into their curriculum.
Visitors to this Louisville entertainment venue can also go behind the scenes by purchasing a backstage pass at just $1 per person. Self guided cassette tours of the center’s 20th century art collection is also available. If visitors are hungry, they don’t have to have tickets to a show to enjoy dining at the restaurant, Kentucky Cove, which has a full menu. Reservations are accepted at 502-562-0780 for lunch or dinner, although they are not necessary.
Every year the Kentucky Center for Arts hosts their fundraising campaign, Overture. Becoming a member supports Overture and results in benefits like free tickets to the Hattie Bishop Speed Endowed Concert Series.
The Kentucky Center for the Arts also has internship opportunities to help jump-start careers in many fields. Some of these fields include communications, development, education, human resources/administrative, and customer service/accessibility. Any one interested in an internship can call (502) 562-0118 for more information.
The Kentucky Center for the Arts is located at 501 W. Main Street and can be reached at 502-562-0198. More information is available at www.kentuckycenter.org. The website has an “e-club” where interested visitors can receive emails and stay up to date at the many things going on at this Louisville entertainment venue.