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Photo: The Kentucky Center
“Full of pathos, honesty and boomerang hippos, Believe Me is a wonderful show which gives a fascinating glimpse into what drives this remarkable man.” – Manchester Evening News
In his New York Times best-selling book Believe Me, Eddie Izzard writes with the same candor and insight evident in his comedy to reflect upon a childhood marked by the loss of his mother, boarding school, and alternative sexuality, as well as life in comedy, film, politics, and philanthropy.
Over his thirty-year career, Eddie Izzard has proven himself to be a creative chameleon. In Believe Me, he recounts his dizzying rise from the streets of London to West End theaters, and on to Wembley Arena, Madison Square Garden, and the Hollywood Bowl. With his brand of keenly intelligent and wide-reaching comedy, he has built an extraordinary international fan base that transcends age, gender, and race.
The Kentucky Center is the official ticket service for this event. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, July 13, at 10 a.m., online and by phone at 584-7777.
The Kentucky Center Presents
Sunday, September 30, 8 p.m.
Brown Theatre
315 W. Broadway, Louisville 40202
Fairgoers and those attending events at the Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC) can shorten entry times and avoid paying more to park by purchasing advance parking online. In the Kentucky State Fair Board’s meeting on January 18, 2018, they voted to increase parking fees for all KEC events from $8 per vehicle to $10 per vehicle for customers paying at the gate effective July 1, 2018.
Those who purchase parking in advance online will not experience the rate increase. Click here to purchase advance parking online.
Southwest Airlines today announced new daily nonstop service between Louisville International Airport (SDF) and Dallas Love Field (DAL) beginning January 7, 2019. The airline will operate the flight using 143-seat Boeing 737 aircraft.
“We are excited to see Southwest supporting the demand for new service in Louisville by adding two new routes in a matter of months,” said Dan Mann, Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority. “The morning departure and evening return schedule of this flight make it convenient for those travelers who have business in the Dallas-area, as well as a variety of options for connections to the western half of the country.”
With this announcement, Southwest Airlines will offer 15 daily nonstop flights to nine destinations from Louisville including Baltimore, Chicago-Midway, Denver, Houston-Hobby, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix and Tampa. Tickets are now available at www.southwest.com.
“Adding direct flights out of Louisville International Airport is good for our citizens and our businesses, and it’s attractive for the businesses we want to locate and grow in our city,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “Airlift is a significant conversation in our city right now, particularly with our coast cities and other strong business centers like Dallas.”
Louisville International Airport is served by seven airlines offering flights to 32 nonstop destinations including 18 of the region’s top 20 domestic markets. With just one stop travelers from across the region can reach 170 international destinations in 81 countries on six continents.
For additional information regarding Louisville International Airport, visit www.FlyLouisville.com.
A message from The Kentucky Center’s President and CEO, Kim Baker:
As you may know, The Kentucky Center is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Moving forward, our friends and partners at the Commonwealth Finance and Administration Cabinet are working very closely with us on all remediation, restoration efforts, and the schedule for completion of the building project.
The Finance Cabinet is working in coordination with Metro Louisville, The Kentucky Center, Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet and others to work through this process as quickly and efficiently as possible.
We thank Cabinet Secretary William M. Landrum III and his team for their support and leadership during this challenging time. State inspectors are currently conducting the thorough damage assessment necessary to determine the building’s safety.
The time needed to complete that assessment precluded our ability to present PNC Broadway in Louisville’s production of Waitress, scheduled June 26-July 1. This was a tough decision, but PNC Broadway in Louisville president Leslie Broecker understands and supports the decision. All ticket buyers will be issued refunds.
In the coming days, we will be in a better position to determine plans for future performances.
The Center will remain closed to the public for now, but the business of The Center continues.
With The Kentucky Center Foundation’s recent purchase of the Brown Theatre, we now have an alternate space in our family of venues that can accommodate a number of events and performances.
In our nearly 35 year history, The Kentucky Center building has faced other calamities, and always comes back stronger than ever. Just like the proud community we serve, when disaster strikes, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get back to work.
The dedication of our staff and love from our community reminds us all that The Kentucky Center is more than a building, it is an idea that binds us together through the joy, love and power of the arts.
The wonderful artists and audiences we serve at The Kentucky Center can rest assured we are doing everything in our power to return the building to a fully operational state as quickly and safely as possible.
Photo: The Kentucky Center
Please be advised that we were notified by officials at The Kentucky Center that WAITRESS, originally scheduled to play The Kentucky Center June 26-July 1, must be cancelled due to recent fire damage within the venue. As the owner of the building, the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, working in partnership with officials at The Kentucky Center, decided to close the building for next week’s performance based on initial assessments.
Safety of patrons, staff, and performers is of utmost importance. All purchased tickets will be automatically refunded within the next several weeks.
“It’s regrettable that the presentation of WAITRESS must be cancelled, but safety is a priority”, said Leslie Broecker, President of PNC Broadway in Louisville. “We appreciate all of the hard work that The Kentucky Center staff and contractors have done thus far, but because the venue must have more time to ensure the safety of our patrons, the engagement must be cancelled and we will unfortunately be unable to reschedule or relocate this production.”
“The producers of WAITRESS are appreciative of the efforts put forth by The Kentucky Center and Broadway Across America, but are extremely disappointed not to be able to bring the show to the fantastic audiences in Louisville.”
For more information from each authorized ticket source, please contact:
PNC Broadway in Louisville subscribers: 502-561-1003
The Kentucky Center single ticket buyers: 502-584-7777
Ticketmaster: 800-982-2787
SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, the world’s largest showcase of skilled trades, returns to the Kentucky Exposition Center June 25-29. The event brings with it an estimated economic impact of $18 million to Louisville.
More than 16,000 middle-school, high-school and college students; teachers; education leaders; and representatives from national corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions participate in the event.
The conference highlight is the annual SkillsUSA Championships. During the competition, top career and technical students participate in more than 100 hands-on contests, representing a wide range of technical, skilled, service and health occupations, including:
- Architectural drafting
- Welding
- Carpentry
- Firefighting
- Cosmetology
- Plumbing
- Culinary arts
- Aviation maintenance technology
- Crime scene investigation
- Electrical construction wiring
- Masonry
- Digital cinema production
- Practical nursing
- Sheet metal
In addition to competing, 600 Skills USA students will complete community service projects in the greater Louisville community. Projects range from framing houses for Habitat for Humanity to helping clean up local parks.
SkillsUSA Championships is free and open to the public Wednesday, June 27 and Thursday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is $8 per car, $20 for a bus.
The mission of SkillsUSA is to ensure a skilled workforce by preparing students for success in their chosen technical, service and health fields. Founded in 1965, the organization has served 12.5 million members, and more than 335,000 advisors and students participate each year.
For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org.
A Message from Kim Baker, President and CEO of The Kentucky Center:
On Wednesday, June 13, The Kentucky Center sustained considerable damage when a fire started within its arched ceiling above the lobby. All staff and employees were immediately evacuated and there were no reported injuries.
The Kentucky Center building – including the physical Box Office – and Kentucky Center garage remain closed at this time in an effort to expedite the repair process.
Tickets for scheduled programming are available online and by phone at (502) 584-7777.
- NEWSIES update! The Floyd Central Theatre Arts’ performances of Disney’s Newsies scheduled June 22-23 at The Kentucky Center have been moved to the Floyd Central Auditorium on Thursday, June 21 at 8pm, Friday, June 22 at 8pm and Saturday, June 23 at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased at www.floydcentraltheatre.org or over the phone at (812) 542-2284. The Floyd Central Box Office will be open from 9am-9pm daily.
- ALADDIN update! Aladdin on sale Monday, 6.18.18-Due to the building closure, tickets for PNC Broadway in Louisville’s production of Aladdin can be purchased in person at the PNC Broadway in Louisville office, 620 West Main Street, as well as by phone at 502-584-7777 and online at www.kentuckycenter.org
Regarding the fire, the majority of damage appears to be from water and is primarily contained to the Main Lobby. Whitney Hall and the Bomhard Theater also sustained minor damage. We are still in the process of assessing the damage.
We are working diligently with crews to clear the damage, eliminate water from the building, and to reopen as soon as possible.
There were a handful of shows scheduled to take place in the venue in the coming days. We are thankful to a generous community outpouring of support and assistance from nearby facilities and venues (some of which have no connection to The Center) who have offered access to their spaces – and we are working closely with these groups to find alternative venues for them.
Many have asked about the condition of the Center’s permanent art collection, displayed throughout the building. Owned by The Kentucky Center Foundation, the value of the artwork in the affected area – the lobby – is estimated at $18 million. We are working with representatives from the Speed Art Museum to assess any potential damage and will report those findings when available.
This has obviously been a challenging time for our Kentucky Center family, friends, fellow arts groups and the entire community that loves this building.
I wish to thank the many men and women of the Louisville Metro Fire Department, emergency workers, and the Louisville Metro Police Department for ensuring the safety of everyone. I also want thank downtown workers and commuters for their patience as well.
We are doing everything in our power to get The Kentucky Center up and running again – and will issue an announcement soon when we expect that date to take place.
The PNC Broadway in Louisville production of WAITRESS is scheduled for June 26 through July 1. We are optimistic that – as they say – “the show will go on” – but will confirm 100% regarding that decision early next week.
Thank you for your support during this difficult time.
