Mahaffey Theater facts for kids
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| Address | 400 First Street South St. Petersburg, Florida United States |
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| Coordinates | 27°46′2″N 82°37′55″W / 27.76722°N 82.63194°W |
| Owner | City of St. Petersburg |
| Operator | Big3 Entertainment Group |
| Type | Performing arts center |
| Capacity | 2,031 |
| Opened | May 6, 1965 |
The Mahaffey Theater – Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts is a cool place in St. Petersburg, Florida. It's a big building where you can watch live shows. It opened way back on May 6, 1965. This theater has over 2,000 seats and offers amazing views of Tampa Bay. It's a great spot for families and friends to enjoy different kinds of performances.
The theater is near famous places like the Salvador Dalí Museum. It's also close to the Museum of Fine Arts and beautiful beaches. The Mahaffey hosts many different artists and shows. You can see Broadway plays, classical music, pop, rock, and even comedy. The Florida Orchestra also performs here often.
The Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts works with the theater. They have a special program called 'Class Acts'. This program helps school children experience live performances. They can watch shows at the theater or enjoy programs at their own schools.
Theater History
The Mahaffey Theater first opened in May 1965. It was part of a bigger entertainment area called the Bayfront Center. The theater was updated for the first time in 1987 and 1988.
In 2004, a nearby building was taken down. This made way for a big improvement project for the theater. The project cost $20 million. It included fixing up a large part of the building. They also updated the heating, plumbing, and electrical systems.
A new glass entrance was added to the building. This new area also brought new elevators and restrooms. The entire building got a new roof and fresh outside walls. The parking area was also improved. The building was renamed The Mahaffey Theater. This was to honor a local family who helped pay for the improvements.
In 2007, the theater changed its name again. It became the Progress Energy Center for the Arts. This was part of a partnership with Progress Energy. This complex includes the Mahaffey Theater and the Salvador Dalí Museum. In 2013, Progress Energy joined with Duke Energy. So, the theater's name changed to the Duke Energy Center for the Arts - Mahaffey Theater.
Since 2011, more updates have been made to the theater. These improvements cost $4 million. They were led by Bill Edwards. He is in charge of Big3 Entertainment. Big3 Entertainment Group now manages the Mahaffey Theater.
Past Events
The Mahaffey Theater has hosted many interesting events. In 1996, it was the location for a big debate. This was between Al Gore and Jack Kemp. They were running for Vice President of the United States.
In 2003, the theater held 234 shows. Over 169,000 people came to watch. Besides the Florida Orchestra, popular shows included Riverdance. This show brought in nearly 6,000 people over five days. The Miss Florida Pageant also took place here for three days.
In 2007, the Mahaffey was supposed to host a presidential debate. This was for candidates from the Republican Party. Many candidates could not make it on the first date. So, the debate happened later, on November 28, 2007.
