Caroline Amplatz Transforms Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts

A previously unfinished garage at the Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts is now flourishing as a Broadway Black Box Studio and classroom thanks to a generous gift from philanthropist and performing arts enthusiast Caroline Amplatz.

Completed in late 2014, the studio has made a big impact on the Twin Cities arts community during its first full year of operation. More than 400 students took part in lessons and performances showcasing ballet, tap dancing, hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, musical theater, acting, percussion, and vocals. More than 6,000 community members attended performances at the studio during 2015.

Amplatz's gift financed a wide array of upgrades and improvements including:

-- New stage, risers, and seating
-- Refurbished theatrical lighting grid
-- 5,000-square foot sprung maple floor
-- New floor-to-ceiling windows
-- Performance mirrors and barres
-- Upgraded electrical systems
-- Acquisition of Annex space next door doubling the footprint for Lundstrum Center's programs

In addition to her donation for new and renovated spaces, Amplatz has provided generous financial aid for underprivileged students to attend Lundstrum Center classes and programs.

Located in North Minneapolis, the Lundstrum Center is a community school that teaches musical theater performance in a systematic and integrated curriculum of dance, voice and drama. Drawing on both established and blossoming relationships with major artists in New York's Broadway scene, the Lundstrum Center fosters a unique and unparalleled connection to the country's center of musical theater.

"I am so very grateful for Caroline and her amazing generosity to the Lundstrum Center's mission," said Executive Director Amy Ellis. "She has been our angel and the wind beneath our wings. Children are our greatest resource and Caroline understands this."

"Our new spaces have taken us to a whole new level and the students have risen with it," according to Lundstrum Center's musical arranger Mary Howarth. "The opportunities she has provided are great: in fact, three Lundstrum students will be performing in 'A Chorus Line' at the Ordway in February!"

Amplatz is well known as an extraordinary supporter of the Lundstrum Center. For years, she has contributed personal gifts as well as financial support via Caroline's Kids Foundation and Amplatz Giving, LLC. Her gifts have helped fund access and opportunities through student scholarship programs.

"Dance and arts education are passions of mine," said Caroline Amplatz. "I am grateful for the opportunity to help our talented Twin Cities arts community flourish. The Lundstrum Center is a safe, beautiful space for people of all ages to experience the joy of music, dance, and the performing arts."

Located in North Minneapolis, the Lundstrum Center's mission is to cultivate a love and knowledge of the performing arts so that young people will discover their unique gifts, develop their depth of character, and imagine new possibilities for their lives. Serving youth and young adults in North Minneapolis and beyond, Lundstrum Center provides access to all through scholarships.

A longtime donor to organizations that improve the lives of children and founder of Caroline's Kids Foundation, Caroline Amplatz extended her philanthropic reach in 2015 with the formation of Caroline Amplatz Giving, LLC. Amplatz's financial support helps organizations fulfill families' basic needs and enhance their access to cultural and recreational activities. Caroline Amplatz Giving has contributed to more than 65 nonprofits in its inaugural year.

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