Monday, April 30, 2012

Neil Diamond to the Xcel Energy Center


Neil Diamond is coming to the Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday, July 11! The concert will kickoff at 8:00pm. Don't wait to move on these great tickets!

Theater Spotlight: Historic State Theatre


Historic State Theatre is part of a trio of theatres located in the Hennepin Theatre District in downtown Minneapolis. Located at 805 Hennepin Ave, the Historic State Theatre is in the heart of downtown boasting wonderful sightlines and great acoustics.

Seating in the theater is very comfortable and spacious. Amenities are well laid out for convenience and there are several great restaurants in the same building or within walking distance. Parking for the Historic State Theatre is easily accessible and ranges from the heated underground parking in the same building to many parking ramps within one block of the theater.

The State Theatre opened on the former site of the Walker family homestead on February 5, 1921. The opening night of the theatre included a silent film, newsreel and travelogue.

The theatre cost approximately one million dollars and was designed by Chicago architect J.E.O. Pridmore. The original floor was all glass, which allowed dramatic direct lighting from underneath. The State Theatre boasted the first well driven air-conditioning system in Minneapolis. The system delivered cool air using artesian well water 840 feet underground.

In 1989, the City of Minneapolis purchased the LaSalle block, which included the State Theatre, for 11 million dollars. The State Theatre went through a three year, 8.8 million dollar renovation project. In 1991, the Historic State Theatre reopened and performed the Minnesota Opera's production of Carousel.

The State Theatre seats 1300 on the main floor, with an additional 850 seats in the balcony area.

Since the reopening in 1991, the State Theatre has hosted live Broadway touring productions and concerts, along with select films. The Hennepin Avenue theatre district atmosphere and the great viewing amenities of the Historic State Theatre, make this venue one of the hottest tickets in town!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Theater Spotlight: Northrop Memorial Auditorium

The Northrop Memorial Auditorium located on the campus of the University of Minnesota is one of the finest on-campus auditoriums in the nation. Northrop Memorial Auditorium is now the state's largest theater and the largest college campus auditorium in the country. The building was constructed in 1928 on top of a former College of Pharmacy medicinal herb garden. The grand looking gathering place has beautiful white majestic pillars that are now one of the University of Minnesota's major icons and focal points.

Northrop Memorial Auditorium is located at 84 Church St SE in Minneapolis, MN.

The auditorium was named in honor of Cyrus Northrop, the second president of the University (1884-1911). The Northrop was designed by Clarence H. Johnston, a famous local architect.

Donations by University students, faculty/staff, alumni and friends funded the $1.35 million construction. The auditorium was built to be used as the University's central ceremonial site with commencements, lectures, convocations, and performances. The Northrop was built with 4,800 seats, this capacity allowing the entire student body of that day to be assembled under one roof.

The Northrop Auditorium is a classy intimate venue to see a good show. The limited number of seats in the Northrop Memorial Auditorium make tickets to music headliners a much sought after commodity.

Monday, April 16, 2012

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.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Theater Spotlight: The Fitzgerald Theatre

The Fitzgerald Theater is Saint Paul's oldest surviving theater space. It opened in 1910 at 45 Exchange Street East and was originally named the Sam S. Shubert Theater. The Fitzgerald was one of four memorial theaters erected by entertainment-industry leaders Lee and J. J. Shubert after the death of their brother Sam. In 1933, the Fitzgerald Theater became a movie house screening foreign films and was thus christened the World Theater.

Minnesota Public Radio purchased the theater in 1980 and restored it in 1986 for their live radio program, A Prairie Home Companion® with Garrison Keillor. The theater was again renamed in 1994, this time for author F. Scott Fitzgerald, a native of Saint Paul. Over the years, the Fitzgerald's stage has played host to Broadway musicals, vaudeville shows, film festivals, and concerts of all sorts.

When the Fitzgerald first opened it was hailed as one of the most beautiful theaters of its day. The Fitzgerald Theatre seats 996 and is one of those treasures of theater construction known as a "two-balcony dramatic house," of which only a few remain across the country. Audiences are provided a unique sense of intimacy as no seat is farther than 87 feet from the stage.

The lobby opens to a beautiful Beaux Arts interior with red plush seats that are of a hue found only in elegant theaters of the same era. Eight opera boxes curve gently toward the stage, each backed by a privacy curtain made from the same burgundy velour used to make the stage curtain.

Fitzgerald Theatre is one of the Twin Cities' exemplary theaters, with admirable acoustics and three tiers of seating plus a collection of opera boxes. The theater's many assets make it popular with touring acts that could probably sell out much larger venues. If a show at the Fitzgerald interests you, don't wait to purchase Fitzgerald event tickets -- this intimate location is known for its fast ticket sell outs.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Upcoming Fitzgerald Theater Events

Take a peak at the upcoming Fitzgerald Theater events!

Andy Richter on 4/13 @ 8pm

Pink Martini on 4/17 @ 730pm

Adam Carolla on 4/21 @ 7pm

Fred Willard & Dan Wilson on 4/27 @ 8pm