About the Cultural Center

A BRIEF HISTORY

Prior to the Cultural Center’s establishment, residents of the Ocean Reef Community had to travel a minimum of 40 minutes to the closest movie theaters, and farther to major performance venues. In an attempt to fill the cultural and entertainment void, Ocean Reef Club member committees established small concert and lecture series and several events were held each season in standard “banquet halls” featuring mostly local talent for cost effectiveness. Community groups requesting meeting space were in competition with paying conference groups and scattered and shuffled all over the vast property. Something was missing in paradise!

The need was clear, and the call was heard by generous and proactive members of the community. A ground-breaking ceremony was held January 2, 1999. Gradually, the complex building emerged and the list of contributors grew until, by the time of the grand opening, there were more than 200 members of the Ocean Reef community who had made this extraordinary building possible.

The Cultural Center at Ocean Reef opened in January 2001 to unanimous praise and gratitude from the community. Since that date, the Center has thrived as an integral part of the community used by virtually all residents and the number of donors has risen to just over 500. The Center’s state of the art theater now brings some of the most in demand, exciting names in show business to our secluded corner of the world. Live performances and lectures are custom selected for the community by community members. Each season’s schedule has offered something for all ages, audiences and tastes, and the offerings continue to grow and improve each year.

The theater hosts an astounding 24 to 26 shows each winter season. Some highlights of headliners from past seasons include: Paul Anka, Tony Bennett, Jeb Bush, Mikhail Gorbachev, Kenny Loggins, Liza Minnelli, Anne Murray, Willie Nelson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Bernadette Peters, Kenny Rogers, The Temptations, Lily Tomlin, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, George Will, Vince Gill, Newt Gingrich, Neil Sedaka, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Josh Turner, Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Sheryl Crow, Jay Leno, Jennifer Hudson, Kristen Chenoweth, Rascal Flatts, Diana Ross, Wynona Judd, Brad Paisley and Anderson Cooper and many other fabulous shows, entertainers and speakers. The intimacy of 300-seat theater, in which every seat is a truly great seat, is a luxury and a rarity that makes for an exceptional experience.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS