Robert S. Whitney Hall, at right, part of the Kentucky Center for the Arts, is currently undergoing a half million dollar facelift which will be completed when USITT holds its Keynote and Kickoff in the facility next March.

Photo/Courtesy Kentucky Center for the Arts

by David Rodger
Louisville Conference Promotions Coordinator

The Kentucky Center for the Arts is rolling out the red carpet for the USITT Conference & Stage Expo in Louisville March 29 through April 1.

KCA is a multi-venue organization encompassing three theatres in a large facility overlooking the Ohio River and an historic landmark theatre a few blocks away. It will host several conference events and sessions including the Light Lab, Professional Development Workshops, Opening Night, and the Keynote Address.

USITT is thrilled to be able to take advantage the beautiful facilities of the Kentucky Center for the Arts.

KCA is the primary performance site for Kentucky Opera, Louisville Ballet, Louisville Orchestra, PNC Bank Broadway, and Yum! Family Series presents Stage One.

Robert S. Whitney Hall is a 2,406-seat, multipurpose concert facility which can accommodate everything from touring Broadway shows to a chamber music ensemble. Local arts organizations currently using Whitney Hall include the Broadway Series, the Louisville Ballet, the Louisville Orchestra, and Kentucky Opera. Technical specifications of the stage facilities are available for downloading at www.kentuckycenter.org/rent/downloads/TechPack.pdf.

Whitney Hall is currently undergoing a $500,000 facelift including repainting and new carpeting. The new paint is only 45% reflective, providing lighting designers far more control over the amount of ambient light in the house during performances. In addition, the painted surfaces around the FOH lighting positions, which are now white, will be considerably darker to help control spill light.

Moritz von Bomhard Theater, named for the man that helped organize and nurture opera in Louisville a half-century ago, is a more intimate venue. With 619 seats, the Bomhard is an ideal facility for musical performances and smaller-scale dance and theatre. It also serves as the home for Stage One, Louisville's nationally acclaimed professional theatre for young audiences. Steeply raked aisles in the Bomhard Theatre provide a clear view of the stage from any seat. Technical specifications are available at ww2.kentuckycenter.org/rent/downloads/Bomhard_Tech.pdf.

MeX Theater (Boyd Martin Experimental Theater) is a simple "black box" with a maximum seating capacity of 139. It's a favorite venue for local arts and theater groups.

Also managed by KCA is the W. L. Lyons Brown Theatre, located at 315 West Broadway. Harkening back to the glory days of Louisville's theatre district, the Brown Theatre, built in 1925, is now a lovingly restored 1,400-seat venue.

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