BROADWAY IN FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA THEATRICAL ASSOCIATION AND BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA
The Broadway in Fort Lauderdale 2018/19 subscription season is made possible with the generous support of Bank of America and is presented by Florida Theatrical Association in partnership with Broadway Across America® and The Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Florida Theatrical Association – the non-profit presenter of Broadway in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami – was founded with the charge of educating and developing new theater audiences and encouraging and preserving the presentation of touring Broadway theater. Since 1989 Florida Theatrical Association has presented over 1,050 Broadway performances and distributed over $1.6 million in scholarships and grants to arts organizations across the state of Florida.
Broadway Across America is part of The John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com and is operated by John Gore (Owner & CEO). The John Gore Organization is the leading developer, producer, distributor and marketer of Broadway theatre worldwide. Under the leadership of theater producer and owner John Gore, its family of companies includes Broadway Across America, Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, and Group Sales Box Office. The company presents shows in 40 cities across North America as well as on Broadway, Off-Broadway, London’s West End, Japan, and China. It has won Tony Awards in every producing category as well as numerous other Drama League, Drama Desk and Olivier awards.
Broadway Across America is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 41 markets. Current and past productions include Beautiful, Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, Finding Neverland, Million Dollar Quartet, Hairspray, On Your Feet!, The Producers, and CATS. Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. For more information please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.
BROWARD CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Ranking among the top ten most-visited theaters in the world, the Center presents more than 700 performances each year to more than 700,000 patrons. Overlooking the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale, this premier performing arts venue hosts Broadway musicals, operas, ballets, concerts, plays, multi-cultural performances, lectures, workshops and educational events; and it offers one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the United States, serving more than 150,000 students annually.
HISTORY
For some communities, the desire to build a major performing arts complex is only a dream. For the city of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County that dream came true with the development of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, which opened on February 26, 1991 with a performance of The Phantom of the Operathat so many in the community recall.
From concept to fruition, this world-class performing arts center was built with years of passion, planning and dedication. In the early 1980s, many in the community came together—from government, business and the private sector—because they knew a successful performing arts complex could be a catalyst for growth.
The city’s main performance halls—Fort Lauderdale’s War Memorial Auditorium, built in the 1940s, and the Parker Playhouse, constructed in the late 1960s—could not keep pace with the growing demands for the expanding South Florida cultural community.
Recognizing the need for a more viable venue, one with a much greater seating capacity, state-of-the-art production facilities, spacious backstage areas and unique event spaces, these visionaries set forth to turn their dream into reality. Through a unique public/private partnership, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts was created and became the anchor of a new, vibrant cultural district in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
It has lived up to its promise and more. In 2009, a plan to re-imagine the Broward Center for the future was initiated: ENCORE!, Building Community through the Arts. With the renewed commitment by our public and private partners, and generous support from the community, a sprawling expansion project to renew and restore the Broward Center began in 2012. By 2014, the theaters were updated, new dining spaces were added, and all of the public areas were refreshed. As part of the expansion, the Broward Center opened two new buildings—the Huizenga Pavilion and the Rose Miniaci Arts Education Center, designed to add to the Broward Center experience.