CommunityLink

Raleigh, NC

Arts & Culture

A Passion For The Performing Arts

The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts includes three theatres — Fletcher Opera Theatre, Kennedy Theatre and Meymandi Concert Hall — along with Memorial Auditorium to offer nearly 5,000 seats to glorious performances of the Carolina Ballet, North Carolina Symphony, Broadway Series South and the North Carolina Theatre, the Opera Company of North Carolina, and many more.

Viewed by critics and patrons alike as one of the nation’s best ballet companies, the Carolina Ballet has been stirring audiences with their beauty, grace and poise since 1998. Under the direction of Balanchine-trained Robert Weiss, this company has performed such ballets as “Romeo & Juliet,” “Messiah,” “Carmen,” “The Nutcracker” and Act I of Balanchine’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

For classical music fans, the North Carolina Symphony performs at Raleigh’s acoustically perfect Meymandi Concert Hall. The orchestra is led by Grant Llewellyn, who took over as music director in January 2004. The orchestra performs about 60 concerts yearly in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary metro area and more than 90 concerts throughout the state of North Carolina.

If you enjoy live theatre, you’ll have a dilemma deciding which venue to choose! At Memorial Auditorium, select either Broadway Series South’s touring Broadway and off-Broadway shows or North Carolina Theatre’s locally produced, Broadway-scale musicals. At the Burning Coal Theatre Company, you’ll see professional actors, directors and designers from New York and elsewhere mix with the area’s best talent to perform classic, modern and new plays. Raleigh Little Theatre’s first performance debuted in 1936, making it one of the country’s oldest continuously operating community theatres. Theatre in the Park, a city-supported performing arts center, annually presents a variety of productions in its intimate and flexible performance space. Performers offer the best in comedy, musicals, Shakespeare and contemporary drama during the Mainstage season. Raleigh Ensemble Players Theatre Company employs local and guest artists to premiere contemporary off-Broadway and classic productions at Artspace in downtown Raleigh’s City Market. The Company also offers acting classes and workshops.

For opera buffs, the Opera Company of North Carolina delivers some of the finest operatic talents available. The Opera Company’s artistic and management staff collectively represent over a century of international arts experience. Their strong commitment to educational outreach provides adults and children with “operatunities for enrichment” that promote opera awareness and appreciation throughout the region.

On virtually any day or night of the week, you’ll find plenty of quality performances to choose from in the Greater Raleigh area.


Smithsonian Of The South

Raleigh has an extraordinary selection of world-class museums, including the North Carolina Museum of Art, which features the most comprehensive European art collection in the South; the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, the Southeast’s largest natural history museum; and the North Carolina Museum of History. Raleigh is also home to the only interactive museum about the world, Exploris, with its IMAX® giant-screen theatre. Having hosted such blockbuster exhibits as Rodin, Titanic and Matisse/Picasso, the museums attract thousands of visitors to the area each year.

The North Carolina Museum of Art is a lively place full of education and excitement. With 181,000 square feet of exhibit space, the museum’s permanent collection shows off the work of the world’s masters. European, American, 20th-Century, Ancient, African, Oceanic, New World and Judaic collections are also on display. Each year, 12–15 special exhibits are scheduled. The museum also hosts concerts, films, lectures, workshops and family festivals, plus outdoor performances and films in Museum Park. On-site shopping is available at the Museum Store, and Blue Ridge, the museum restaurant, offers visitors a fine dining experience.

Begin your child’s appreciation of the wonders of science at the Museum of Natural Sciences. This facility is not only the Southeast’s largest natural history museum, it’s also the only place in the world to see the skeleton of a 110-million-year-old predatory dinosaur, Acrocanthosaurus atokensis. Known as Acro, or the “Terror of the South,” this giant rests alongside exhibits showcasing more than 200 species of live animals, including crabs and beetles in the Anthropod Zoo and hummingbirds in the Living Conservatory.

Visitors to the North Carolina Museum of History are inspired to discover the past and reflect on their own place in history. The museum features a collection of more than 150,000 artifacts representing six centuries. Long-term exhibits focus on the state’s folklife, healing systems and struggles during the Civil War. The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame is housed here, as well. The museum also offers educational programs for both children and adults.

Exploris, the nation’s first interactive global learning center, is designed to prepare young people for the an increasingly interconnected world. The museum features various hands-on exhibits, visual and performing arts, and thought-provoking programs. Movies shown on Exploris’ giant IMAX® screen are also geared toward educating all ages to respect differences, appreciate similarities and make worldwide connections.

A detailed description of the area’s other museums, including the African American Cultural Complex, the Raleigh City Museum and Contemporary Art Museum, can be found on page 47 of this guide.


Culture Melting Pot

The Triangle is home to galleries, museums, theatres, university programs, and dance and music organizations that offer a wide range of affordable entertainment options. Special events, such as arts and crafts fairs, downtown gallery walks, and jazz and folk festivals, take place throughout the year here. Raleigh also hosts touring Broadway shows, internationally acclaimed musical performances and major art exhibits showcasing classic to contemporary pieces.

Arts Information
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts
(919) 831-6060

City of Raleigh Arts Commission
(919) 890-3610 :: www.raleigh-nc.org/arts

Raleigh Convention and Conference Center
Tickets/Event Information: (919) 831-6061

Ticketmaster
(919) 834-4000 :: www.ticketmaster.com

United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County (919) 839-1498 :: www.unitedarts.org


Major Arts Organizations

A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute
1533 S. Main St.
Winston-Salem, 27127
(336) 631-1537
www.fletcheropera.com

Designed as a vehicle for advancing the career potential of exceptional young singers, the Fletcher Institute offers performance-based training at graduate and post-graduate levels to 12 Institute Fellows each year. Institute Fellows perform in fully staged productions of new and established operatic works and participate in touring and outreach programs. Extensive performance experience is enriched by advanced studies in voice, language, diction, operatic and vocal literature, acting, makeup, movement, freeing the body for effective performance, and career-enhancement strategies.

African American Culture Complex (AACC)
119 Sunnybrook Road, 27610
(919) 250-9336
www.aaccmuseum.org

The African American Cultural Complex is a unique collection of artifacts, documents and displays of outstanding contributions made by African Americans. Started as a hobby of Dr. and Mrs. E.B. Palmer, the complex later opened as the Black Heritage Park. The AACC currently has three exhibit houses located along a picturesque nature trail, a mini-amphitheatre, a bird sanctuary, a nature preserve and a picnic area.

Arts Access, Inc.
(919) 833-9919
www.artsaccessinc.org

Arts Access is an organization whose fundamental goal is to encourage and enable people with disabilities to have full access to arts programs and facilities and to participate fully in the cultural and artistic life of Raleigh and the Triangle area. All of the services of Arts Access are free of charge to patrons of the arts.

Artspace
City Market
201 East Davie St., 27601
(919) 821-2787
www.artspacenc.org

Artspace, the center for downtown Raleigh’s art community, is a private, nonprofit visual art center dedicated to presenting quality exhibitions and educational programs within an open-studio environment and to promoting the visual arts by making the creative process accessible to the public. Artspace offers the unique opportunity to interact with over 40 artists working in open studios. Special opening receptions are sponsored on the first Friday of each month from 6–10 p.m. Artspace is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Admission is free.

Broadway Series South
2 E. South St., 27601
Box Office Information: (919) 831-6060
www.broadwayseriessouth.com
The very best of touring Broadway shows can be seen at Memorial Auditorium. The popular Broadway series has been expanded to add off-Broadway shows. To purchase tickets, call (919) 834-4000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com or any Ticket-master outlet.

Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts
2 E. South St., 27601
Box Office Information Line: (919) 831-6060
www.nctheatre.com

The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts is the home of the North Carolina Symphony and the North Carolina Theatre. One of the finest performing arts facilities in the Southeast, the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts hosts the popular Broadway South series and many other special events.

Burning Coal Theatre Company
512 St. Mary’s St., 27603
(919) 834-4001
www.burningcoal.org

Burning Coal Theatre Company is Raleigh’s new professional equity theatre company, producing riveting re-examinations of overlooked classic and modern plays as well as new plays whose themes and issues are of immediate concern to the audience. Race- and gender-non-specific casting are an integral component of their perspective, as is an international viewpoint.

Carolina Ballet
3401 Atlantic Ave., 27604
(919) 719-0800
www.carolinaballet.com

The Triangle’s professional ballet company features collaborations with the N.C. Symphony, National Opera Company and Raleigh Oratorio Society. These include the full range of ballet from the finest classics to fresh, contemporary works, infused with new energy and excitement. The season includes the annual tradition of “The Nutcracker” in December. The company is made up of more than 30 dancers from around the world and is recognized as one of the top 10 ballet companies in the country after only six seasons.

Contemporary Art Museum
(CAM)
409 W. Martin St., 27603
(919) 836-0088
www.camnc.org

Currently working to renovate its 20,000-square-foot new home in downtown Raleigh, the Contemporary Art Museum is the Triangle’s only museum dedicated solely to presenting the art of our time for the enjoyment of the entire community. As a non-collecting museum, CAM’s mission is to serve as a forum for the art of the present and the recent past, with an emphasis on the visual arts, documenting new directions and engaging the public.

Moore Square Arts District
Clustered within a three-block radius around historic City Market, eight private and nonprofit galleries comprise Raleigh’s downtown art district. A First Friday Gallery Walk is held every month.

North Carolina Museum of Art
2110 Blue Ridge Road
Raleigh 27607 (919) 839-6262
www.ncartmuseum.org

This museum’s collections span more than 5,000 years and include ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art; European paintings and sculptures from the Renaissance through modern times; 18th- and 19th-century American art; and African, New World, Oceanic and Judaic art. The museum also provides educational programs for all ages. Admission to the Museum and its permanent collection is free. There is a charge for special exhibitions and some programs, such as concerts, films, classes and performances.

North Carolina State University Arts Programs
Center Stage/Ticket Central (919) 515-1100
Cinematic Arts Program (919) 515-5161
Crafts Center (919) 515-2457
Gallery of Art and Design (919) 515-3503
Music Department (919) 515-2981

N.C. State’s cultural offerings include first-rate dramatic, musical and dance performances, as well as annual art exhibitions. In addition to student productions, the university hosts a number of national performers, including the Shenandoah Shakespeare Express. Outstanding theatre and gallery facilities are located on campus and are home to the university’s arts programs.

North Carolina Symphony Orchestra
4361 Lassiter at North Hills Avenue Suite 105, 27609
(919) 733-2750
www.ncsymphony.org

Raleigh’s magnificent Meymandi Concert Hall is home to the North Carolina Symphony, which performs more than 170 concerts throughout the state each year. The symphony takes great pride in having performed with some of the world’s most acclaimed soloists, including Itzhak Perlman and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. The symphony can also boast that it has one of the most extensive education programs of any orchestra in the country. In addition to its performances at the Meymandi Concert Hall, which include the Classical, Pops, Young People’s and Masterworks series, the symphony also performs its outdoor Summerfest series at Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park in Cary.

North Carolina Theatre
1 E. South St., 27601
(919) 831-6941
www.nctheatre.com

Founded in 1984, the North Carolina Theatre (NCT) is the state’s largest nonprofit professional regional theatre, specializing in the production of large-scale Broadway musicals. NCT blends seasoned Broadway performers with the very best in regional talent at Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium.

The Opera Company of North Carolina
3600 Glenwood Ave.
Suite 101, 27612
(919) 783-0098
www.operanc.com

This professional company has won accolades for its uncompromising professional standards, internationally renowned casts and sold-out performances.

Page-Walker Arts & History Center
119 Ambassador Loop
Cary 27513
(919) 460-4963
www.townofcary.org

Built in 1868 by the founder of Cary, Allison Francis Page, the Page-Walker Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The center is open for public tours, classes, various cultural performances and events, school tours of the Cary Heritage Museum, and rentals. The center also supports an art gallery featuring the works of local and regional artists.

Raleigh Chamber Music Guild
336 Fayetteville Street Mall
Suite 411, 27601
(919) 821-2030
www.rcmg.org

The fundamental mission of the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild is to promote and present chamber music in the Greater Raleigh area. The guild presents world-class artists and performances showcasing North Carolina musicians and promotes both music education and music appreciation.

Raleigh Ensemble Players
201 E. Davie St., 27601
(919) 832-9607
www.realtheatre.org

This professional theatre company employs local actors and technicians to premiere cutting-edge, off-Broadway productions annually at Artspace Gallery II in downtown Raleigh’s City Market.

Raleigh Little Theatre (RLT) and Rose Garden
301 Pogue St., 27607
(919) 821-4579
www.raleighlittletheatre.org

RLT is one of the oldest continuously operating community theatres in the country. Now beginning its 70th season, RLT showcases 11 productions each year, with more than 150 performances. No other theatre in the state produces as many shows. So get ready for some high-stepping musicals, outrageous comedies, thought-provoking dramas and family favorites.

Raleigh Symphony Orchestra (RSO)
(919) 546-9755
www.raleighsymphony.org

Celebrating its 25th season, the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra performs critically acclaimed concerts under the creative leadership of Maestro Alan Neilson. RSO’s -season features jazz, classical, family and pops concerts. The Raleigh Symphony Orchestra maintains a strong presence in the community with educational programs in the Wake County schools and in association with local music teachers. RSO has been awarded the Raleigh Medal of Arts for its inclusive and innovative programming, community outreach, and high artistic standards.

Theatre In The Park
107 Pullen Road, 27607
(919) 831-6936
www.theatreinthepark.com

Theatre In The Park is North Carolina’s largest community theatre, with an international reputation for producing exciting and innovative productions. Theatre In The Park features renowned actor, director and playwright Ira David Wood III. The company annually presents a wide range of productions in its intimate performance space, including the best in comedy, musicals, Shakespeare and contemporary dramas.

Visual Art Exchange (VAE)
325 Blake St., 27601
(919) 828-7834
www.visualartexchange.org

This nonprofit association and gallery supports local visual artists while featuring monthly themed exhibits in its City Market gallery. VAE also hosts an annual scholarship awards program for Wake County high school students and produces the annual Raleigh Street Painting Festival in downtown Raleigh.