PROVIDENCE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
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Mission Statement
Providence Performing Arts Center Mission: - To service the entertainment needs of the State’s various populations by presenting the widest possible variety of high quality arts and cultural events; - To connect the community to engaging creative performances and educational opportunities; - To preserve the historic integrity and beauty of the building; and - To maintain fiscal responsibility.
About This Cause
The Theatre, which is now called the Providence Performing Arts Center, was opened as a Loew’s State Movie Palace on October 6, 1928. It was designed by George and C.W. Rapp of Chicago, renowned theater architects, and cost $2.5 million upon completion. With its columns of imported marble, lavish interior, exquisite gold leaf plaster work, grand proscenium and flawless structural integrity, the Theatre was, upon completion, emblematic of Marcus Loew's inspired practice of selling tickets "to theaters, not movies." On opening day, more than 14,000 people came to see Joe Stoves play the $90,000 Robert Morton organ accompanying the film, Excess Baggage. After several decades of sustained success, the Theatre's attendance declined mid-century as televisions became more popular and fewer people were coming into Providence in search of entertainment. In addition to mounting economic hardships, the Theatre suffered damage in the calamitous hurricanes of 1938 and 1954 which flooded downtown Providence. The Theatre narrowly escaped demolition in the 1970s. Finally, following numerous owners, incarnations and name changes, the Theatre reopened in October 1978 as the Ocean State Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)3 organization. In 1982, the Providence Performing Arts Center acquired its current name based on the commitment of the City of Providence to the restoration of the Theatre. PPAC is now a world class facility hosting first class Broadway touring shows, concerts, contemporary acts, plays, dance recitals, graduations/commencements and other special events.