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Our Organization 

We are a nonprofit. Our mission is supported by generous supporters, including the North Carolina Arts Council and through earned revenues from ticket sales and associated services.

  • We present the largest Broadway season in the Carolinas, hosting more than 18 weeks of Broadway shows annually, along with a large array of special attractions and festivals, from concerts to comedy to dance to the Charlotte Jazz Festival and much more.
  • We manage six theaters in the center city where the curtain goes up on more than 1,000 events annually, including performances by our 16 resident companies. More than 7.9 million people attended events in our theaters during our first 25 seasons.
  • We inspire kids. More than 150,000 students participate annually in our student-focused programs ranging from internships to specially priced show tickets to The Blumey Awards, which celebrates excellence in high school musical theater in our region.
  • We shape the future of the arts through the new and original works we help produce and by nurturing artists. We support Charlotte artists, like our award-winning Slam Charlotte poets and help shape each Broadway season in New York through our investments in new musicals. We have won 10 Tony Awards.
  • We infuse more than $50 million annually into our local economy.

To present the best in the performing arts and in partnership with others, share and employ the arts as a major catalyst to strengthen education, build community cohesiveness and advance economic growth.

Our Mission, Blumenthal Performing Arts

Our Story

Blumenthal’s story is one of big dreams and big dreamers. An uptown performing arts center was integral to the effort of Charlotte’s most visionary leaders to remake center city Charlotte into an international financial hub.

Twenty-five years later, their dreams have been realized in our vibrant center city — recognized nationally as a top 10 market for touring Broadway shows — and in a thriving performing arts center that is a national leader.

As we begin our next 25 years of service, big dreams continue to guide us as we seek to transform and build community through the power of the arts.

Memorable Moments in Blumenthal History

  • 1975 Idea for a performing arts center first appears in a consultant’s report.
  • 1986 Land for potential arts center donated by Belk Brothers, North Carolina National Bank (now Bank of America), and Charter Properties.
  • 1987 North Carolina Performing Arts Center at Charlotte Foundation, a nonprofit organization, incorporates.
  • 1987-1992 The campaign to build the center receives a $11.5 million allocation from the State of North Carolina, $15 million more from a bond referendum approved by Charlotte’s citizens, and $32 million in additional money contributed by individuals, corporations and foundations. The Center’s name honors the generosity of the Blumenthal Foundation, the largest private donor to the capital campaign. Blumenthal’s flagship Belk Theater is named after the Belk Brothers Company, which donated a valuable piece of land in uptown Charlotte as the site for the center.
  • 1992 Blumenthal Performing Arts Center opens.
  • 1996 Blumenthal brings THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA to Charlotte, marking the first Broadway blockbuster to perform at Belk Theater. The six-week engagement entirely sold out and established Charlotte as a must-play market for Broadway’s biggest hits.
  • 1997 Blumenthal assumes management of Spirit Square, effectively doubling the size and scope of its impact and responsibilities.
  • 2002 Blumenthal celebrates its 10th anniversary.
  • 2003 Blumenthal brings Disney’s THE LION KING to Charlotte for the first time.
  • 2007 Groundbreaking takes place for new arts campus on South Tryon Street -- Levine Center for the Arts. The campus includes a new 1,200-seat theater to be managed by Blumenthal.
  • 2008 Blumenthal brings Broadway blockbuster WICKED to Charlotte for the first time.
  • 2009 Knight Theater opens at Levine Center for the Arts.
  • 2013 Blumenthal launches The Blumey Awards, celebrating excellence in high school musical theater. Best Actress and Best Actor winners from The Blumey Awards move on annually to the national competition, The Jimmy Awards in New York. To date, four Blumey winners have won Best Actress or Best Actor at The Jimmy Awards and/or moved on to starring roles on Broadway, London and national tours.
  • 2016 Blumenthal launches the Charlotte Jazz Festival at Levine Center for the Arts.
  • 2017-18 Blumenthal Celebrates its 25th anniversary season, culminating in a four-week engagement of Hamilton.

OUR CAMPUSES

We operate six theaters on three campuses in uptown Charlotte. We also use Ovens Auditorium on Independence Blvd. for certain productions:

Blumenthal Performing Arts Center

Located at 130 N. Tryon St. (at the corner of 5th Street and N. Tryon Street) opened in 1992. It houses Belk Theater, Booth Playhouse and Stage Door Theater.

More Info

Levine Center for the Arts

Located at the corner of Levine Avenue of the Arts and S. Tryon St., opened in 2009. Knight Theater and three other arts and cultural organizations are located here.  

More Info

Governance Documentation

  • IRS Form 990

    The Blumenthal's most recent IRS Form 990 (Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax). Please click on the page to open the document and to download a copy.

  • Financial Statements

    The Blumenthal's most recent Audited Financial Statements. Please view by clicking on the document. You can download a copy also by clicking on the document.

  • Transparency in Coverage

    This link leads to the machine-readable files that are made available in response to the federal Transparency in Coverage Rule and includes negotiated service rates and out-of-network allowed amounts between health plans and healthcare providers. The machine-readable files are formatted to allow researchers, regulators, and application developers to more easily access and analyze data.