OUR HISTORY
In 1980, Saint Paul resident Sally Ordway Irvine challenged her community to help her create a performing arts venue in which her dream of offering “everything from opera to the Russian circus” could be realized. She set an example by making the first donation to a fund that eventually built Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.
The $46 million center opened to the public on January 1, 1985, Sally had contributed $7.5 million—and her family had matched that amount. Certainly, Sally’s vision is alive today in Ordway Center’s dizzying schedule of theater, dance, music, family events, and educational programs. Ordway Center is also the proud sponsor of the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists which opened its doors in September 2005.
Ordway Center contains the 1,900 seat Main Hall, the intimate 306 seat McKnight Theatre; two large rehearsal halls, and magnificent lobbies on each floor, including the second floor Marzitelli Foyer, a spacious, two story lobby encircled by a glass facade.
OUR MISSION
Ordway Center is a catalyst for the artistic vitality of our community by hosting, presenting, and creating performing arts and educational programs that engage artists and enrich diverse audiences.
The Ordway, recognized as one of the U.S.’s leading not-for-profit performing arts centers, is home to a wide variety of performances throughout the year that encompass the finest in American musical theatre, world music, dance, jazz, and vocal artists on its Main Hall and McKnight Theatre stages. In addition, each year the Ordway presents its Flint Hills International Children’s Festival and serves over 50,000 children and adults through its Ordway Education programs. The Ordway opened its doors on January 1, 1985 and since then has become known as Saint Paul’s most elegant and inviting performance space, attracting audiences from throughout the region to its diverse range of presentations. The Ordway joins the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Minnesota Opera, and the Schubert Club in a unique Arts Partnership and provides a home to its Arts Partners. Ordway Center is proud to sponsor the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a professionally guided academic and artistic environment serving students in grades nine through twelve.
