Welcome to the Central Park Performing Arts Center
Owned by the City of Largo, the CPPAC offers a year round schedule, which includes over 150 performances, consisting of a diverse mix of artists. The CPPAC has been host to performances by Richie Havens, Colin Hay, BJ Thomas, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, the Orlando Opera, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, The Kingston Trio, The Little River Band, Sha Na Na, Hal Ketchum, The Ahn Trio, Maxi Priest, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Spyro Gyra and many others.
History
The Central Park Performing Arts Center was part of the master plan for the City of Largo's most aggressive project ever: Largo Central Park. The 70 acre park was proposed as the city began exploring future usage of vacant fairgrounds property located in the center of town. During the planning process, community needs were surveyed in relation to a new community theater and the volume of positive feedback was overwhelming. The park opened to the public in 1994 and the city and Partners N Progress for the Arts (a non-profit foundation incorporated in 1985 to help raise funds to benefit new parks projects and improvements) immediately turned their focus to their next major undertaking, the Largo Cultural Center.
A lifelong love of the arts sparked a leadership gift of $600,000 from Marian and Theodore Tonne. It not only helped move the 3.7 million dollar project forward but also encouraged other private citizens and local businesses to donate. With help from the fund raising efforts of the foundation and grants from the State's Division of Cultural Affairs, the Central Park Performing Arts Center opened its doors in November of 1996 as the newest facility of the City of Largo's Recreation Parks and Arts Department.
Eight O'Clock Theatre, Our Resident Company
Many magnificent performances at the CPPAC are presented by our award winning resident theatre company, Eight O'Clock Theatre (EOT). Each year, highly skilled actors, designers, directors and technicians create and present five live performances of Broadway, off-Broadway and original productions. Voted "Best of the Bay" by Tampa Bay Magazine and the Weekly Planet, EOT sells over 15,000 tickets annually.