<P> The largest of the city's many music festivals is the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival . Commonly referred to simply as "Jazz Fest", it is one of the nation's largest music festivals . The festival features a variety of music, including both native Louisiana and international artists . Along with Jazz Fest, New Orleans' Voodoo Experience ("Voodoo Fest") and the Essence Music Festival are other festivals featuring local and international artists . </P> <P> Other major festivals include Southern Decadence, the French Quarter Festival and the Tennessee Williams / New Orleans Literary Festival . </P> <P> In 2002, Louisiana began offering tax incentives for film and television production . This led to a substantial increase in activity and brought the nickname "Hollywood South ." Films produced in and around New Orleans include Ray, Runaway Jury, The Pelican Brief, Glory Road, All the King's Men, Déjà Vu, Last Holiday, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and 12 Years a Slave . In 2006, work began on the Louisiana Film & Television studio complex, based in Tremé . Louisiana began to offer similar tax incentives for music and theater productions in 2007, leading many to begin referring to New Orleans as "Broadway South ." </P> <P> The first theatre in New Orleans was the French - language Theatre de la Rue Saint Pierre, which opened in 1792 . The first opera in New Orleans was performed there in 1796 . In the nineteenth century the city was the home of two of America's most important venues for French opera, the Théâtre d'Orléans and later the French Opera House . Today, opera is performed by the New Orleans Opera . </P>

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