Welcome!

Welcome! We are glad you are here! The Carson Center for the Performing Arts, also known as The Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center, is your regional, multiple-use facility with beautiful spaces for public and private events of all types. Enjoy superb staging and near-perfect acoustics for a wide variety of entertainment, cultural, and education programming.

The Carson Center is located in downtown Paducah, Kentucky, and overlooks the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. It is a significant component of Paducah’s downtown area revitalization and serves a diverse population from a four-state region and beyond. The Carson Center is a not-for-profit organization (501(c)(3).

Building Facts

  • The total usable square footage of the Carson Center is 97,750 square feet.
  • The stage tower is ten stories tall and can house performance equipment necessary for staging large productions, including 63 line sets for scenery, lighting, and curtains.
  • The main theatre hall seats 1806 people, with the farthest seat only approximately 112 feet from the stage.
  • The Paxton Family Foundation Lobby features terrazzo flooring, two sweeping staircases on either side, a stunning view from the balcony overlook, food/beverage areas, and cloakrooms. A commissioned hand-painted mural spans the entire back wall of the lobby that depicts the four rivers region on a quilt backdrop. (Home of the American Quilt Museum, Paducah is known as “Quilt City, USA”.)
  • The Myre River Room overlooks the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers and provides an ideal space for small performances, dinners, dances, corporate training seminars, and other events.
  • Adjacent to the River Room is the Williams Family Terrace. This second-story patio overlooks the Ohio and Tennessee rivers and can be used for receptions, dinners, and medium-sized get-togethers.
  • The Ingram Founder’s Room, located on the 2nd floor, offers an intimate space for small receptions, lunches, private meetings, and more.

Code of Conduct

You and your guests deserve to have a great experience at The Carson Center. We are committed to offering you the best customer experience possible. In turn, we ask all guests to be respectful of others around them. Any guest who interferes with the enjoyment of another individual during an event may be subject to immediate ejection from the building.

Standing on chairs or any other building structures is not permitted and may result in ejection from the event. Standing in aisles and doorways is also prohibited.

Kentucky state law prohibits smoking at the Carson Center.

Our Staff

Mary Katz

Executive Director

Meagen Hogancamp

Finance Director

Liz Walker

Operations Manager

Sara Crabtree

Box Office Manager

Karli Prather

Patron Services Associate

Rhonda Lee

Senior Accountant

Joe Searcy

Production Manager

Alex Dycus

Assistant Production Manager

Bill Fox

Building Services Manager

Josh Morehead

Development Director

Cheyenne Walker

Digital Marketing Manager

Isaac Galliher

Community Engagement Coordinator

Maddie Mahood

Education Manager

Joanie Sharp

Food and Beverage Coordinator

Chuck Tate

House Manager

Jamey Jennings

Patron Services

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