In the early 1800s, the site was where the fourth mayor of Nashville, Joseph T. Elliston, lived with his wife Louisa and their son William R. Elliston until they moved to Burlington, their plantation in mid-town Nashville. The idea for a large-scale performing arts facility developed in 1972 when Martha Rivers Ingram was appointed to the advisory board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. She proposed a similar center for her home city of Nashville. Ingram's proposal involved a public-private partnership that would operate within a state-owned facility. Her idea met with considerable resistance, but she persevered—for eight years and during the terms of three governors. The result was the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, a three-theater facility located beneath a state office building across the street from the Tennessee State Capitol. In 1980, TPAC opened as the state's premier theater venue. Among its many operations, TPAC presents a series of touring Broadway shows and special engagements, and administers a comprehensive education program. Martha Rivers Ingram and her supporters also raised an endowment to defray operating losses and to fund a program that grooms future audiences for TPAC performances. The endowment goal was $3.5 million, and they surpassed it, raising $5 million. Today, the endowment has grown to $20 million. Each year, more than 100,000 students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, are brought to Nashville for performances by Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Opera, and the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, which are all resident performing arts groups of TPAC and provide year-round programming. Other companies also use TPAC's facilities for plays, dance performances, concerts and other cultural programs. The Tennessee Performing Arts Center Management Corporation is governed by a 27-member Board of Directors. Directors serve for a term of three years.
Hall is the largest of TPAC's multi-purpose theaters with a seating capacity of 2,472 seats, including 47 pit seats. The stage is more than 130 feet wide by 53 feet deep. The stage has a proscenium opening of more than 57 feet by 36 feet. Up to 112 performers can be accommodated in 14 dressing rooms, including a star suite, two onstage quick change rooms, and high-capacity choral spaces. Expansive wings, fly space, rigging and catwalks provide for productions of every kind - from Broadway's biggest tours to award shows, stylish television specials, and major concerts.
James K. Polk Theater
Theater is amazingly intimate for its size, with a seating capacity of 1,075 seats, including 44 pit seats. The stage is more than 87 feet by 50 feet, with a proscenium opening of nearly 47 feet by 30 feet. The theater features spacious wings and expansive fly space. Up to 86 performers can be accommodated in 10 dressing rooms, including one quick change room and two high-capacity choral spaces.
Andrew Johnson Theater
Theater is TPAC's smallest theater, ideal for adventurous and experimental art and entertainment. The 59 feet by 54 feet center open floor performing space is surrounded by three sides with banks of theater seating. With seating up to 256 configurable seats, this theater can host a variety of seating arrangements. Wing and storage space adjoin the theater, which features a 22-foot catwalk. Two dressing rooms can accommodate up to 24 performers. Designed for live theater and intimate performances, Johnson Theater has hosted a variety of acoustic concerts, "in the round" performances, readings, lectures and video shoots.
