(Editor’s Note: This story has been revised from an earlier version to correct the number of seats in the theater. Daily Report regrets the error.)
Cane Land Distilling has inked a deal with the Raising Cane’s River Center to acquire the naming rights to a new stage that will be set up in the facility’s arena while the performing arts theater undergoes an extensive renovation beginning later this year.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Cane Land Distilling Stage in the Raising Cane’s River Center will be located on the floor of the massive arena, which will be configured into a 3,050-seat theater for the duration of the $18 million renovation of the 1,900-seat performing arts theater.
The stage will be centered on the arena floor, and most of the seating in the arena will be blacked out, allowing for an intimate theater experience, says Raising Cane’s River Center General Manager Michael Day.
Cane Land Distilling Founder and President Walter Tharp says the naming rights opportunity is a great fit for Cane Land Distilling, which opened downtown last May near the Belle of Baton Rouge casino and 13th Gate.
“We believe this strategic partnership will be great promotionally for the Cane Land Distilling brand,” says Tharp, “but also just being a block away—in the heart of Baton Rouge—makes our distillery tasting room a fun stop before and after concerts.”
Further enhancing the deal, Cane Land Distilling spirits, such various rums, vodka and whiskey will be sold in designated areas of the theater before and during the shows.
The temporary theater will be home to several of the Broadway Series performances that come to the Raising Cane’s River Center, including a Led Zeppelin tribute, Get the Led Out, that will be the first to perform on the new Cane Land Distilling Stage this fall. The Baton Rouge Ballet Theater’s annual The Nutcracker: A Tale from the Bayou will also be performed there in December.
The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, a regular tenant of the performing arts theater, hasn’t yet decided whether to use the temporary theater, Day says.
The deal with Cane Land Distilling is a proverbial win-win for the Raising Cane’s River Center, says Day, who helped secure a 10-year deal in 2016 to sell overall naming rights for the facility to Raising Cane’s for $3 million.
The renovation of the nearly 40-year-old performing arts theater is expected to take between 16 and 18 months and be completed in 2020. It will include expanding the lobby and guest services, as well as VIP boxes with larger seats and additional amenities. There will also be VIP lounges, improved ADA access and seating, new aisles, expanded bathrooms and concessions.
