Theater Spotlight: Ordway Center of Performing Arts

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is an independent, nonprofit arts organization located at 345 Washington Street in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Ordway Center has two venues, a 1,900-seat Main Hall and an intimate 306-seat McKnight Theatre.

In 1980, Saint Paul resident Sally Ordway Irvine challenged her community to help her create a performing arts venue in which her dream of offering "everything from opera to the Russian circus" could be realized. She set an example by making the first donation to a fund that eventually built Ordway Center.

The Ordway cost a total of 46 million dollars to build. Sally Ordway Irvine contributed a total of 7.5 million dollars and her family graciously matched that amount. The Ordway name comes from Sally's grandfather, Lucius Pond Ordway (1862-1948), a Saint Paul businessperson and early investor of 3M. The Center of Performing Arts was added to the Ordway name in January 2000, to reflect and embrace the multitude of performing arts available to the community.

The Ordway Music Theatre opened to the public on January 1, 1985. Throughout its existence, the Ordway Center has maintained Sally's vision of advocating the importance of arts for society by offering a busy schedule of theater, dance, music, family events, and educational programs.

Four organizations call the Ordway home: the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, the Schubert Club and the St. Paul series of the Minnesota Orchestra. Touring plays, the Planet Ordway series of performance arts and other arts events fill out the schedule.

The Center is top notch and offers amenities like no other event theatre. The large, inviting front doors of Ordway Center are opened by a smiling greeter in a top hat and concessionaires serve you the finest in treats. Ushers formally show you to your seats and the entire staff is committed to providing the finest performing arts experience possible to its many patrons.