On with the show
Renovated King Center welcomes back audiences with full schedule
As the story of Buddy Holly
unfolded on its main stage in
early December, the Maxwell
C. King Center for the Performing Arts
was putting in the last piece of the
normalcy puzzle.
It had been a rough 18 months for
Brevard’s premier performing arts
venue, but the return of Broadway
touring companies such as American
Theatre Guild’s Buddy: The Buddy Holly
Story heralded a brighter tomorrow.
Coincidentally, it was a Broadway show,
Singin’ in the Rain, that opened the
center in April 1988.
ASM Global, the Los Angeles-based
venue and event management company
that took over the center in early
2020, could not have had worse timing.
Almost immediately, it faced pandemic
induced closings, limited capacity
re-opening, high-octane cleaning
protocols and concert cancellations or
postponements because of COVID-19
spikes, all while the building was undergoing
28: SPACE COAST LIVING | SPACECOASTLIVING.COM
major renovations.
MAXWELL C. KING CENTER PHOTOS
Until COVID-19 turned the world upside
down, the King Center had hosted
more than 100 annual events that
attracted more than 100,000 visitors
eager to see performers such as Aretha
Franklin, Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, Jerry
Seinfeld and John Legend.
STAGE WENT DARK
For long months, there were no
audiences and no shows. The
once robust youth program, which
introduced thousands of students in
Brevard to the magic of live theater,
By Maria Sonnenberg
The Maxwell C. King Center for the
Performing Arts is welcoming full
audiences after a rough 18 months
dealing with pandemic restrictions.
>>
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