Broward Center for the Performing Arts — Photo courtesy of Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Located near the very heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale is the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Opening its doors to the community in 1992, this magnificent center became the local epicenter for Off-Broadway performances, musical extravaganzas and local cultural displays.
Fort Lauderdale has long been a city with a passion for the performing arts. Being the winter home for so many "snow birds" from major cities such as New York, Boston and even Chicago where live theater is a way of life, these seasonal guests have a fine-tuned taste for the performing arts and are willing to support it.
Since the founding of the Fort Lauderdale War Memorial Auditorium in the 1940s, then the majestic Parker Playhouse in the 1950's and finally the Broward Center for Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale has been popular for theatrical productions and great performers who stop here to entertain this refined cultural community.
Inside this amazing edifice is the Au-Rene Theater. This 2688-seat performance space is used for major international, national and regional productions. It includes a custom-designed and fabricated orchestra shell, which complements the architectural design of the Broward Center's grand auditorium. For Off-Broadway productions, children's theater, film, choirs, concerts, seminars and emerging dance companies, there's the Amaturo Theater - a smaller, yet stately 590-seat fully equipped theater.
While many cities wait decades for such an amazing facility, Fort Lauderdale has presented its finest effort to accommodate and honor the performing arts and its world-class community.
