Belcourt To Host OSCAR NIGHT AMERICA Benefit 3/7

The Belcourt Theatre is hosting Oscar Night America®, featuring the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. The benefit is being held to support the theatre itself on Sunday, March 7th at 7PM. For tickets or more information, visit www.belcourt.org.

The Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards - in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners - the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

For over 75 years, The Belcourt Theatre has provided a space for premiere entertainment in the heart of Nashville's Hillsboro Village. During this time, The Belcourt has existed in many incarnations - each of which has furnished a home for some of the city's best and most unusual performing arts.

Opening in 1925 as the Hillsboro Theatre, The Belcourt originally operated as a silent movie house, boasting the most modern projection equipment and the largest stage in the city. As the community grew, The Belcourt adapted to the new needs of the neighborhood by providing a regular home for two highly successful performance groups. The Children's Theatre of Nashville, the longest running children's theatre of its kind, and the venerable Grand Ole Opry both shared The Belcourt stage during the 30's. The Opry's tenure from 1934 to 1936 shaped the format the radio show still uses today. Due to the intimate size of the room, the Opry began playing each show to two separate audiences. Performers found themselves playing two fifteen-minute performances rather than the single half-hour performance to which they were accustomed.

By 1937, The Belcourt was renamed the Nashville Community Playhouse and continued to shine as a space flexible enough to house both film and live theatre. The playhouse featured works by its own Actor's Guild supplemented by a variety of community events and educational and historical events.

The Belcourt would like to thank these Oscar Night® America event sponsors: Village Wines, Whole Foods, CapStar Bank, Vanderbilt University, Freeman Webb, SunTrust Bank, Jack Daniel's, Waddey & Patterson, Waller, Lansden, Dortch & Davis, and The Nashville Scene.

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