PPAC President and CEO J.L. "Lynn" Singleton To Be Inducted into the RI Heritage Hall of Fame
Providence, RI – The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) is pleased to announce that President and CEO J.L. “Lynn” Singleton has been selected for induction into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Singleton and eight other distinguished Rhode Island leaders will be honored as Hall of Fame inductees at a ceremony on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at the Crowne Plaza Pavilion in Warwick.
In a press release, Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame President Albert R. Beauparlant said that the Hall of Fame “was created in 1965 to honor any individual who has brought credit to Rhode Island, brought Rhode Island into prominence, and contributed to the history and heritage of the state.”
Lynn Singleton was named as a “Driving Force” in the Rhode Island business community by Providence Business News in 2011, 2016 and 2021. He received Trinity Repertory Company’s Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts in 2012, the John Hazen White, Sr. Leadership in the Arts Award in 2018 and the inaugural City of Providence Renaissance Award for Highest Achievement in the Arts.
Singleton said, “I am honored to be inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame; I’d like to thank my friend, colleague and 2012 Inductee Howard G. Sutton II for joining me on May 6th as inductor. As much as I appreciate the recognition, the progress and achievements of PPAC have been the result of a fantastic collaboration and the dedicated efforts of the PPAC Board of Directors, first under the leadership of former Governor Bruce G. Sundlun as Board Chairman and now under the expert guidance of Chairman Joseph W. Walsh, Esq., and the PPAC staff. It has been a great adventure – with more to come!”
In 1988, Singleton was the founding President and CEO of Professional Facilities Management, Inc. (PFM), a wholly owned for-profit subsidiary of PPAC. As of release date, PFM has national management and/or booking contracts with nine facilities in five states.
Over the course of his forty-year tenure as President and CEO of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), Lynn Singleton’s leadership has transformed PPAC into one of the foremost not-for-profit theatres in North America. With Singleton’s guidance and in-depth knowledge of the entertainment industry, PPAC has presented innumerable touring Broadway shows, as well as some of the biggest names in music, comedy, and more. As a result, PPAC’s number of events have more than tripled and attendance has increased to over 350,000 patrons annually.
As a co-producer through the Independent Presenters Network, a consortium of 40 leading touring presenters in North America, PPAC has received the Tony Awards for Best Musical for Once (2011), Kinky Boots (2013), Dear Evan Hansen (2016), The Band’s Visit (2017) and Moulin Rouge! The Musical (2021), as well as the Olivier Award for Best New Musical for Dear Evan Hansen (2020).
Since 2008, PPAC has been the theatre of choice to open 21 national tours, including Legally Blonde – The Musical (2008), Once (2013), Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (2015), Les Misérables (2017), The Band’s Visit (2019), Pretty Woman (2021), and Tina – The Tina Turner Musical (2022). The Broadway revival of Funny Girl will be the 22nd national tour to open at PPAC in September 2023 and PPAC has already announced the tour launch of A Beautiful Noise for fall of 2024.
These national tour openings, along with the countless other Broadway tours that have performed at PPAC, have had a significant positive impact on the economy of the City of Providence and in the Ocean State; the artistry of these live performances has left an indelible impression on Rhode Island audiences.
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