Blumenthal Announces Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series Sponsorship

CHARLOTTE, NC – Duke Energy will become title sponsor of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s flagship Broadway series, Center Board of Trustees Chair Walter Fisher of K&L Gates announced today. The 2009-10 blockbuster Broadway season is titled the Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series and is made possible with support from The Duke Energy Foundation. This is only the second time the Blumenthal has had a title sponsor for its Broadway series.

Charlotte-based Duke Energy is a publicly traded Fortune 500 company and is one of the largest electric power companies in the United States. It supplies energy to approximately four million U.S. customers.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Duke Energy as our title sponsor,” said Center President Tom Gabbard. “This well-respected community partner will not only be the sponsor of one of the most exciting seasons to date with four multi-week shows, but will play a highly visible role in supporting the arts in Charlotte.”

“We are pleased to partner with the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, which is a vital player in our cultural community and a significant source of economic development for our region” said Jim Rogers, President and CEO of Duke Energy. “Our sponsorship will also help to make these memorable experiences more accessible to everyone, especially families in need, through our contribution to the ticket scholarship program and support of the Center’s arts education and outreach programs.”

Duke Energy already demonstrates its commitment to the arts in the Carolinas through its annual support of the Arts and Science Council and through volunteer support of hundreds of its employees and retirees.

The Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series sponsorship comes in a year in which the Center is presenting the most outstanding Broadway lineup in its 15-year history, featuring four Tony Award winners for Broadway’s Best Musical, as well as a stunning new show direct from Israel. Many of the shows coming to Charlotte are among the most popular hits on Broadway today.

Along with the excitement of seven incredible Broadway hits, this season features the opening of the new Knight Theater in the South Tryon Street Cultural Campus. THE ALUMINUM SHOW will be the first Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series show to play in the Knight Theater. It is an amazing production that combines amazing special effects, acrobatics, dance and puppetry. Duke Energy Broadway Lights audiences will have the opportunity to experience the new theater and a thrilling show in the vein of last fall’s smash hit, TRACES.

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