Venue: Ames Center
Town: Burnsville, US

The Ames Center, formerly the Burnsville Performing Arts Center, is a performing arts venue in Burnsville, Minnesota, adjacent to Nicollet Commons Park, which features green space, water fountains, and a 250-seat outdoor performance amphitheater. The Ames Center features an eclectic range of performances on the main stage and the black box theatres including: dance, theatre, concerts, comedians, and written word. Past performances include the Girl Singers of the Hit Parade, Larry Carlton, Louie Anderson, Lori Lane, Richard Marx, Church Basement Ladies, Melissa Manchester, Bill Engvall, Nick Colionne, Celtic Crossroads, Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota, Elizabeth Gilbert, Rob Lake, Tommy Emmanuel, Sinbad, Ralphie May, Dakota Valley Symphony, Chameleon Theater Circle, Miss Minnesota USA/Teen USA, and Cirque D’Or. Additionally, productions of Mame, A Christmas Carol and Peter Pan were presented utilizing sets created for the Kennedy Center, the Kodak Theatre and the original Cathy Rigby Broadway production respectively. Plans to build the arts center in Burnsville originated with Partners for Tomorrow, a citizen-based community forum convened in 1993 and 1994. Talks continued for more than ten years. A building contract was finally drawn in September 2007 between the city and Lund Martin Construction Inc. The space was designed by Ankeny Kell Architects of St. Paul. Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz and Burnsville City Council members led the ribbon cutting ceremony on January 21, 2009, which was followed by performances from Burnsville artists, musicians, dancers, and actors. Grammy award-winning artist Melissa Manchester headlined the inaugural gala on January 31, 2009. The Main Stage is the largest of the theatres in the complex with a capacity of 1014 seats. (759 Orchestra and 255 Balcony). The theatre is outfitted with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems. The theatre is accessible on the ground and second level atrium lobbies and via elevator. The stage is 4