Baton Rouge, Louisiana

===Arts and theater===
[[File:Shawcenterbr.JPG|thumb|right|[[Shaw Center for the Arts]] in Downtown]]
[[File:Krewe of Southdowns, BR LA Flambeaux Group.jpg|thumb|Southdowns Mardi Gras parade, 2014]]
Baton Rouge has an expanding visual arts scene, which is centered downtown. Professional performing arts organizations include Theatre Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, Opera Louisiane and Playmakers—a professional Children's Theatre. This increasing collection of venues includes the [[Shaw Center for the Arts]].<ref>{{cite web
|url= http://www.shawcenter.org/
|title= Shaw Center for the Arts
|access-date=April 12, 2008
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080405192319/http://www.shawcenter.org/ |archive-date= April 5, 2008 |url-status= live }}</ref> Opened in 2005, the facility houses the Brunner Gallery, [[LSU Museum of Art]]; the Manship Theatre; a contemporary art gallery; traveling exhibits; and several eateries. Another prominent facility is the [[Louisiana Art and Science Museum]],<ref>{{cite web
|url= http://www.lasm.org/
|title= Louisiana Arts and Science Museum
|access-date=April 12, 2008
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080509132044/http://lasm.org/| archive-date= May 9, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> which contains the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, traveling art exhibits, space displays, and an ancient Egyptian section. Several smaller art galleries, including the [[Baton Rouge Gallery]], offering a range of local art, are scattered throughout the city.

The city has several designated arts and cultural districts,<ref>{{cite web |title=Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism |url = http://www.crt.state.la.us/culturaldistricts/ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090226233154/http://www.crt.state.la.us/culturaldistricts |archive-date=February 26, 2009 |access-date=May 4, 2012 }}</ref> the most prominent of which are the Mid-City Cultural District and the Perkins Road Arts District. These districts provide tax incentives, mostly in the form of exempting state tax on purchases, to promote cultural activity in these areas. Located in a Qualified Census Tract the North Baton Rouge community of [[Scotlandville, Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Scotlandville]] was designated a Cultural District in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NINE NEW CULTURAL DISTRICTS ANNOUNCED {{!}} Louisiana DCRT News |url=https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/webactive/NewsStory.asp?NewsID=388 |access-date=2023-03-19 |website=www.crt.state.la.us}}</ref>

A performing arts scene is emerging. LSU's [[Swine Palace]] is the foremost theatre company in the city, largely made up of students of LSU's MFA acting program, as well as professional actors and stage managers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.swinepalace.org/ |title=The Premier Professional Theatre of Louisiana |publisher=Swine Palace |date=July 18, 2012 |access-date=November 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029040600/http://www.swinepalace.org/ |archive-date=October 29, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> A group of physical theatre and circus artists from LSU traveled to [[Edinburgh]], Scotland, in summer 2012 to perform ''Dante'' in what has become the world's largest [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe|Fringe Festival]]. The show ran in Baton Rouge before going to Fringe, and featured movement, acrobatics, and [[aerial silk]].<ref>{{cite web |date=March 9, 2012 |title=LSU Department of Theatre to Present "Dante" March 27 – April 6 in Movement Studio |url=http://www.lsu.edu/ur/ocur/lsunews/MediaCenter/News/2012/03/item44688.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604231028/http://www.lsu.edu/ur/ocur/lsunews/MediaCenter/News/2012/03/item44688.html |archive-date=June 4, 2012 |access-date=November 10, 2012 |website=Louisiana State University}}</ref>

Theatre Baton Rouge offers a diverse selection of live theatre performances. Opera Louisiane is Baton Rouge's only professional opera company.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.operalouisiane.com/about |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=Opera Louisiane |language=en}}</ref> The Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre is Baton Rouge's professional ballet company. ''The Nutcracker– A Tale from the Bayou'' sets the familiar holiday classic in 19th-century Louisiana and has become a Baton Rouge holiday tradition. ''A Tale from the Bayou'' features professional dancers, a live orchestra, and more than 300 area children.

Baton Rouge is also home to Forward Arts, a youth writing organization. Forward Arts won the international youth poetry slam, Brave New Voices in 2017, and was the first team from the Southern United States to ever win the competition. Forward Arts is the only youth spoken-word organization in the state of Louisiana. It was founded by Dr. Anna West in 2005, and first housed in the Big Buddy Program.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.brrivercenter.com/site.php
 |title       = Baton Rouge River Center
 |access-date  = April 12, 2008
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080416215237/http://brrivercenter.com/site.php
 |archive-date = April 16, 2008
 |url-status     = dead
 |df          = mdy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.brlt.org/
|title=Baton Rouge Little Theater
|access-date=April 12, 2008
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409233633/http://www.brlt.org/
|archive-date=April 9, 2008
|url-status=dead
|df=mdy-all
}}</ref>

Baton Rouge is also home to Of Moving Colors Productions, the premier contemporary dance company in the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.ofmovingcolors.org/omc-directors |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=Of Moving Colors |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Of Moving Colors announces its 2022-23 season |url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/article_caa51e44-0c4b-11ed-963e-971e8cea952a.html |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=The Advocate |date=July 30, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> For more than 30 years it has brought in internationally established choreographers to create stunning performances. In addition, they conduct extensive community outreach to children and young adults.

Performing venues include the [[Baton Rouge River Center]], Baton Rouge River Center Theatre for the Performing Arts, which seats about 1,900; the Manship Theatre, which is located in the Shaw Center for the Arts and seats 350; and the Reilly Theater, which is home to [[Swine Palace]], a nonprofit professional theater company associated with the Louisiana State University Department of Theatre.

The [[Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra]] has operated since 1947 and currently performs at the River Center Music Hall downtown.<ref name="brso.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.brso.org/ |title=Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra |publisher=Brso.org |access-date=April 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505091423/http://www.brso.org/ |archive-date=May 5, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Today, it presents more than 60 concerts annually, directed by [[Timothy Muffitt]] and David Torns.<ref name="brso.org" /> The BRSO's educational component, the Louisiana Youth Orchestra, made its debut in 1984. It includes almost 180 musicians under the age of 20.