FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Broward Performing Arts Foundation recognized members of the Robert B. Lochrie, Jr. Founders’ Club with an elegant reception at the intracoastal home of Linda and Douglas Von Allmen. As guests watched the sun set, they enjoyed a relaxed evening of camaraderie and networking, as well as a performance by the stars of Wicked which was part of the 2017-2018 Bank of America Broadway in Fort Lauderdale season at the Broward Center. 

After welcoming remarks from host, Doug Von Allmen, Broward Performing Arts Foundation President Lisa Kitei talked about the growth of the Founders’ Club, citing its great success in raising money for the Broward Center’s mission-driven programming in the 10 years since its establishment. Robert Lochrie III, chair of the Board of the Broward Performing Arts Foundation and son of the founder of this group, spoke about the important role that board members and founding members have played in the success of the Center.  

In concluding remarks, Broward Center President and CEO Kelley Shanley drew applause from the assemblage when he discussed the Center’s success as a top national theater for Broadway’s most exciting shows. With that, he introduced MK Morrissey and Ginna Claire Mason who performed songs from their starring roles as Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked.  

The Founders’ Club represents the Broward Center’s most prestigious group of benefactors, recognizing donors who have made cumulative gifts of $100,000 and above and maintain their giving annually. It is named for Robert Lochrie, Jr., the founding chairman of the Broward Performing Arts Foundation, and is affectionately called “Buddy’s Club” in his honor.  

For more than 25 years, the Broward Performing Arts Foundation has been instrumental in providing support for the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The Foundation was established in 1985 to deliver the required private funding to build the Center and create an endowment to sustain its operations.  Over the years, the Foundation has successfully raised funds to support the Broward Center’s innovative and diverse programming, arts-in-education initiatives, community engagement activities and capital projects. Most recently, the Foundation raised $60 million to complete the Encore! capital campaign to renovate, renew and revitalize the Broward Center.  

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About The Broward Center for the Performing Arts: One of America’s premier performing arts venues, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts presents more than 700 performances each year to more than 700,000 patrons, showcasing a wide range of exciting cultural programming and events. Guest experiences at the Broward Center include the all-inclusive JetBlue Flight Deck on the Club Level, special events in the Huizenga Pavilion, waterfront dining at Marti’s New River Bistro and innovative classes and workshops for all ages at the Rose Miniaci Arts Education Center. With one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the United States, the Broward Center serves more than 150,000 students annually. The Broward Performing Arts Foundation, Inc. receives and maintains funds to sustain, develop and secure the future of the Broward Center. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District at 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. For more information, visit BrowardCenter.org. 

The Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment Consortium is a cultural partnership between the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, Florida Grand Opera, Fort Lauderdale History Center and the Historic Stranahan House Museum. It is supported by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Programs are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.