2008 BRAVO! Birmingham Arts Festival cancelled
The Metropolitan Arts Center (MAC) has cancelled the seventh annual BRAVO! Birmingham Arts Festival at the historic Virginia Samford Theatre and Caldwell Park due to a lack of funding from the City of Birmingham's Arts & Culture Commission, the Jefferson County Commission, and the Cultural Alliance of Greater Birmingham.

Created in 2002 as a performance "sampler" to showcase the quality and diversity of Birmingham's local arts organizations, the BRAVO! Birmingham Arts Festival featured live performances from the Alabama Ballet, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Red Mountain Theatre, Birmingham Festival Theatre, Alabama Operaworks, the Seasoned Performers, Children's Dance Foundation, Centerstage Productions, the Devyani Bellydancers, Opera Birmingham, Magic City Actors Theatre, Birmingham Children's Theatre, the Park Players, Birmingham's "Sugar Babies", John Scalici's Drum Circle - plus many other outstanding local performing arts groups, as well as visual artists from the Academy of Fine Arts. Outdoor performances in Caldwell Park included the Birmingham Children's Choir, the Birmingham Boys Choir, plus numerous local musicians.

Produced and coordinated by the Metropolitan Arts Center as a community service project, and staffed by a number of volunteers, the BRAVO! Festival was designed to increase arts participation, inspire new audiences, and broaden access to the arts for all citizens of Birmingham and Jefferson County. The all-day event was free of charge to the public and was made possible by funding from the Birmingham Arts & Culture Commission and Jefferson County Commission.

The Virginia Samford Theatre . 1116 26th Street So . Birmingham, AL 35205-2414
205-251-1228 . info@virginiasamfordtheatre.org