Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts

Exterior of Kravis Center

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida.

Facilities

The Kravis Center opened in 1992 and was constructed at a cost of $63 million. The center holds some 800 events each year with over 400,000 people in attendance annually. It sits on 10.6 acres (43,000 m²) of property at the highest point in the city. In 2001, after a lengthy investigation, the attorneys for the Regional Director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) concluded that The Kravis Center had committed massive and continuous violations of federal labor law. It is estimated that the Kravis Center owes the local Union Stagehands, which it illegally fired, as much as $3.6 Million dollars.

• The Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. Concert Hall is the 2,193-seat concert hall and main performance venue. It is located in the center of the structure. The Dreyfoos Hall stage, when fully extended, is the largest indoor stage in the state of Florida. The hall is named after its original benefactor Alexander W. Dreyfoos, a philanthropist who is also the namesake of the nearby Dreyfoos School of the Arts.
• The Marshall E. Rinker, Sr. Playhouse is a 300-seat black box theater.
• The Michael and Andrew Gosman Amphitheatre is 1400-seat outdoor amphitheater on the northeast corner of the Kravis Center. For shows performed here, attendants may bring their own chairs or blankets or rent chairs from the facility. Bleacher seating is also available. Food and beverages (except alcoholic beverages) are permitted in the amphitheater.

Performing Companies

Cultural organizations that perform at the center include:

• Miami City Ballet
• Palm Beach Opera
• Bob Lappin and the Palm Beach Pops
• Sidewalk Picketers

Past Performing Companies

• Ballet Florida
• Florida Stage

External links

• Official website
• Federal Labor Law Violations
• Important Facts Concerning the Kravis Center

References

• Dance Magazine, May, 1998 Aurora's Wedding. - Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach, Florida - dance reviews, by Guillermo Perez
• WestPalmBeach.com - The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts