Broward Center offers 700 shows a year to 700,000 patrons
By: Dale King
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is the destination of choice in South Florida for spectacular entertainment.
Ranking among the top 10 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.
It also offers one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the United States, serving more than 150,000 students annually.
Broward Center for the Performing Arts opened on Feb. 26, 1991 with a performance of The Phantom of the Opera that 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, 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.
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.
Among productions at the Broward Center is the “Broadway Across America” program which will bring seven performances from the Great White Way to Fort Lauderdale.
The shows are:
Nov. 3-14, Come from Away
“Come From Away” will be the first show of the COVID-19 delayed Broadway season to play the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Dec. 14-19, ‘The Prom’
The musical “The Prom” will be a part of the Broadway national tour season coming to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.
Jan. 11-23, 2022 — ‘Tootsie’
Based on the 1982 cross-dressing comedy film of the same name, this stage musical moves the action from a TV soap opera to a Broadway show. But the story is the same: A talented but hopelessly unpopular actor has to disguise himself as a woman in order to get a job.
Feb. 8-20, 2022 — ‘Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations’
The Broadway musical “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations” is a new show added to the national tours coming to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
March 9-20, 2022 — ‘Disney’s Frozen’
Based on the 2013 mega-hit movie of the same name, this stage musical version follows closely the film’s narrative of Elsa and Anna, two sisters.
April 5-10, 2022 — ‘Cats’
The musical “Cats” will be a part of the Broadway national tour season coming to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
May 4-15, 2022 — ‘Pretty Woman: The Musical’
“Pretty Woman: The Musical” will run May 4–15, 2022 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
