AT&T Performing Arts Center Celebrates 15 Years Shaping The Stage
On October 18, 2009, aspiration became reality as the AT&T Performing Arts Center opened its doors and welcomed in 45,000 people – twice what was expected. Free performances, tours, fireworks. The line of visitors stretched around the block.
The Center’s opening marked a turning point for downtown and for Dallas. Even for a city known for getting things done, the Center and its iconic venues were a remarkable achievement. The opening capped a nine-year campaign to design, fund and build its world-class stages on a 10-acre campus. It also helped complete the 30-year-old transformative vision for downtown – the Dallas Arts District.
“The arts
are for everyone. It’s not for the elite. It’s for everyone. It’s for the education of our children. It’s for pleasure. What would a town be without music, without song, without art… without the things that give you pleasure.”
Margaret McDermott, arts philanthropist
Photo by Tim Hursley
A STRATEGY FOR THE ARTS IN DALLAS
In 1977, a landmark urban planning study by Carr, Lynch Associates recommended a “strategy for the arts in Dallas” relocating the city’s major cultural institutions to the economically distressed northeast corner of downtown “…to make a distinctive addition to the image of Dallas, and a substantial contribution to the economic activity and quality of life downtown.”
The Dallas Arts District’s first facilities were the Dallas Museum of Art and Meyerson Symphony Center. In the mid- 1980’s a severe economic downturn stalled progress for more than a decade.
By the late-1990’s, it became clear downtown’s revival required jumpstarting, so completing the Dallas Arts District became a priority. The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts was born.
“A performing arts center is really, in a sense, an umbrella for all of the various components of the arts. I think the excitement and the dynamism of that area is going to affect our entire city...really the Metroplex.”
Linda Pitts Custard
A DISTRICT DEFINING DALLAS
1984 Dallas Museum of Art
Architect: Edward Larrabee Barnes & John MY Lee Associates
1989 Meyerson Symphony Center
Architect: I.M. Pei
Acoustics: Russell Johnson Artec Consultants
1999 Crow Museum of Asian Art
Trammel Crow Center
2003 Nasher Sculpture Center
Architect: Renzo Piano
2007 Historic Moorland YMCA -
Dallas Black Dance Theatre Renovation
Original construction 1930
Architects: Ralph Bryan and Walter Sharp
2008 Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Expansion
Originally opened 1922
Architect (expansion): Allied Works Architecture
2012 Moody Performance Hall
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
2012 Klyde Warren Park
Architect: The Office of James Barnett
2012 Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Architect: Thom Mayne, Morpheus
2015 Texas Sculpture Walk
Curator: Patricia B. Meadows
In addition to the cultural assets, the district’s growth over the decades has included commercial and residential development on Flora Street, Pearl Street and Ross Avenue – all contributing to the vitality of a live/work/play neighborhood.
The 1977 Carr, Lynch Report.
The names of significant donors and visionaries grace many of the important elements at the Center. Here are the faces behind just some the spaces.
VISIONARY LEADERS, HISTORIC SUPPORT
By 2000, The Dallas Opera and Dallas Theater Center launched a landmark effort to complete the Arts District. Each needed a new performance space – an opera house and a theatre - but with many shared donors, separate capital campaigns risked one or both venues falling short. So they locked arms and launched a campaign to build a performing arts center with facilities for both. They raised hundreds of millions of dollars, in donations of all sizes, including gifts of $1 million and more from 130+ individuals, families, corporations or foundations. Some were first time donors to the arts, understanding the importance of the Center to the revitalization of downtown and the future of Dallas.
Resident company Dallas Black Dance Theatre played a significant role in the success of the 2003 Bond campaign, which helped fund both the Center and the restoration of the Historic Moorland YMCA, DBDT’s new home. Resident companies Texas Ballet Theater and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, along with presenting partner TITAS added excitement to the campaign to build the Center.
Bill and Margot Winspear Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
Charles and Dee Wyly Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
Shannon and Ted Skokos Shannon and Ted Skokos Stage, Winspear Opera House
and Ted Skokos Stage, Wyly Theatre
Pavilion,
Strauss Square
Francie Moody-Dahlberg and Kevin Dahlberg
Moody Foundation Chandelier, Winspear Opera House
Barbara Thomas Lemmon Mark and Barbara Thomas Lemmon Rooftop Terrace, Wyly Theatre
Nancy Hamon
Nancy B. Hamon Hall, Winspear Opera House Diane and Hal Brierley Brierley Encore Suite, Winspear Opera House
Performance Hall, Wyly Theatre Ted and Bess Enloe
and Ted Enloe Terrace, Wyly Theatre
Margaret McDermott Margaret McDermott Performance Hall, Winspear Opera House
Elaine Sammons Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park David M. Crowley and Sandra Hallmark Mary C. and David M. Crowley Lawn, Sammons Park Harold and Annette Simmons
and Harold Simmons
Glass Façade, Winspear Opera House
Annette Strauss Annette Strauss Square Richard and Mary Ann Cree
Anne and Richard Cree Box Circle, Winspear Opera House Vin and Caren Prothro Caren and Vin Prothro Garden
Vincent Prothro Lobby
The first Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation president and CEO was Bill Lively, who crafted the historic fundraising strategy to build the Center.
Board members Caren Prothro, Deedie Rose and Bess Enloe spearheaded the fundraising efforts and ensured the quality of the venues matched the city’s cultural aspirations. In 2018, the Board of Directors recognized their extraordinary contribution by naming them as the Center’s first Life Directors. Our Center Founders (Million dollar donors) and all of our named spaces.
BUILDING A CENTER TO WELCOME
“The 10:30 a.m. ceremony was a veritable feast of fanfares, blasted out by two dozen trumpeters and an additional brass band. And after the dirt flew, and gold stars rained down from the tent’s ceiling, great bells in the newly completed tower of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe rang out deep tones.”
The City of Dallas was a critical partner in building the Center, providing the land and $18M from the 2003 Bond program. Once construction was complete, the Center was gifted to the City, with an agreement that the Center would operate, program and maintain the venues. The City would provide annual sustaining support. The Center is deeply grateful for this landmark public-private partnership that continues to enrich Dallas.
WFAA-TV’s report on the groundbreaking.
Don Winspear and his mother Margot at the Preview Center, 2007. Photo by Steve Foxall
Dee and Charles Wyly follow as the last beam is put in place at the Topping Out Ceremony for the Wyly Theatre, 2008.
To emphasize the Center would serve all of North Texas, dozens of mayors provided soil from their city for the groundbreaking.
On November 10, 2005 1,000 people gathered for the groundbreaking in a giant tent next to the Meyerson Symphony Center. 100 donors with gold shovels turned the dirt.
Scott Cantrell, The Dallas Morning News
MARGOT AND BILL WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE
HOME TO:
Center Presents
Broadway, concerts, dance, comedy, speakers
Elevator Project
The Dallas Opera
Texas Ballet Theater
TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND
“Quite justifiably, it has come to be recognized as America’s finest opera house.”
John Allison, Opera magazine
ARCHITECT
Foster + Associates under Pritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster and Deputy Chairman Spencer de Grey
• Sky Canopy – 63 feet high, 659 louvers, covers three acres, engineered to optimize sunlight/shade
MARGARET MCDERMOTT PERFORMANCE HALL
• 2,200 seats
• Nine-carat, white gold leaf covered balconies over six seating levels
• Moody Foundation Chandelier – 318 acrylic rods
• Shannon and Ted Skokos Stage
• Kuitca Curtain by Argentine artist Guillermo Kuitca
NANCY B. HAMON HALL
• 150-200 seats
• Flexible black box theatre, recital hall, meeting and event space
• Stage for Elevator Project –small and emerging arts organizations
“I think that a performer would say, my goodness, that’s a wonderful house… you’re going to be heard well, you’re going to be seen well. It’s going be a very remarkable place to perform.”
Winspear Opera House, 2024. Photo by Kathy Tran
Kuitca Curtain by Argentine artist Guillermo Kuitca
C. Vincent Prothro Lobby of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House Moody Foundation Chandelier
Bill Winspear
“It’s going to be an anchor for future generations. The children that will grow up here and the families in future decades will be so close to this, it will be an important part of their experience. And no matter how their lives unfold, they will always think back with great warmth and interest in the great part the performing arts center had in their lives.”
Charles Wyly
HOME TO:
Center Presents
Dallas Theater Center
Dallas Black Dance Theatre
Elevator Project
Texas Ballet Theater
ARCHITECT
REX/OMA, Joshua PrinceRamus (partner in charge) and Rem Koolhaas;
• Koolhaas is a Pritzker Prize laureate
DIANE AND HAL BRIERLEY ESPLANADE
Landscape Design: Michel Desvigne
EXTERIOR/INTERIOR
• 12 level, 10-story vertical multi-form theatre
• Unique floating block form, 100 ft. x 100 ft. square and 132 feet high from street level
• Structure clad in 466 extruded aluminum tubes made in Argentina
• The tubes – six different sizescreate a ripple effect resembling a curtain
• Grand Staircase walls are layered with magnetic wallpaper and overlaid with chainmail
DEE AND CHARLES WYLY THEATRE
POTTER ROSE PERFORMANCE HALL
• 548 seats (proscenium)
• “Superfly” system with vertically retractable seat towers and proscenium wall
• Multiple stage configurationsthrust, proscenium, flat floor and arena
• Glass façade with blinds designed to open and reveal the skyline
• Shannon and Ted Skokos Stage
6TH FLOOR STUDIO THEATRE
• 150-200 seat, flexible black-box space
• Stage for Elevator Project –small and emerging arts organizations
• The space is clad with a textile art piece called “Sliding Shadows” by artist Jim Hodges.
Wyly Theatre, 2022. Photo by Kathy Tran
Audience enjoys a performance in the Brierley Esplande leading into the Wyly Theatre, 2024.
Photo by Can Turkyilmaz
Sonia Sotomayor discussing her children’s book in Potter Rose Performance Hall.
Photo by Mike Brooks
Laid end to end, the extruded aluminum tubes would measure nine miles. Photo by Chris Heinbaugh
Watering Hole Collective’s production of I Am An Island was in the Studio Theatre as part of the Elevator Project, 2024. Photo by Chris Heinbaugh
ANNETTE STRAUSS SQUARE
HOME TO:
Center Presents – concerts, outdoor theatre, festivals
• HilltopSecurities Camp Christmas
• Latinidad
Elevator Project – small and emerging arts organizations
Foster + Partners
2500 capacity (standing room only)
2000 capacity (lawn and chair seating)
• Named for the late Mayor
Annette Strauss, considered the city’s first “Arts Mayor”
• Replaced original two-acre
Annette Strauss Artists Square, a scaffold stage with a truss rooftop and cover built in 1989 as an outdoor stage and festival space
• During the COVID pandemic, the Center made Strauss Square available to local arts organizations, whose regular venues were closed
SHANNON AND TED SKOKOS PAVILION
• Proscenium – 50 feet wide / 40 feet high (15.3 m x 12.2 m)
• Stage – 40 feet deep / 60 feet wide (12.2m x 18.3m)
• Diamond pattern on side of Skokos Pavilion
• Random pattern
• Dark panels are brushed zinc
• Light panels are anodized aluminum
“The arts in all their many forms are a bridge between people.”
The band CAKE performs to a full house in Strauss Square, 2024. Photo by Brooks Burris
Check out the 2024 Latinidad festival in Strauss Square.
American Idol finalist Jack Blocker was filmed performing live in Strauss Square for his Hometown Hero Concert, 2024. Photo by Jay Simon
With its performances and marketplace, the Latinidad festival attracts thousands to the Center, 2022. Photo by Kathy Tran
Country star Mickey Guyton performing in one of the Center’s free, 15th Anniversary Concerts, 2024. Photo by Brooks Burris
Mayor Annette Strauss
“Sammons Park will provide a destination for all the people of Dallas to enjoy, including families, event patrons, students and the individuals who work and live downtown.”
HOME TO: Center Presents
• Reliant Lights Your Holidays
• Latinidad
• PNC Patio Sessions
• Silent Disco
• Health and wellness programs
Unfaded Brass leads party guests in a second line parade from Sammons Park to the Wyly Theatre at the 2024 Turn Up the Lights bash. Photo by Can Turkyilmaz
Flora Cantina provides pre- and post-show casual dining and drinks, adding vibrancy to the Arts District, 2023. Photo by Syndi Nelson.
Robert Korba, former CEO, Sammons Enterprises
Families enjoying Sammons Park, 2022. Photo by Nate Rehlander
ELAINE D. AND CHARLES A. SAMMONS PARK
Under the umbrella of Center Presents, the AT&T Performing Arts Center has spent 15 years engaging audiences by presenting a diverse range of artists and art forms – theater, music, dance, comedy, speakers, and so much more. The Center does this on the stages at its Arts District campus, and increasingly at other venues in Dallas, such as The Majestic Theatre, Moody Performance Hall, Texas Theater and at spaces in the community. From the best local artists to global icons, Center Presents is fulfilling the organization’s founding promise of bringing great performances to North Texas, and making Dallas a top cultural destination.
“Through the arts, we have come to understand who we are. Performances in this place will stir your emotions, stimulate your imaginations, and immerse you in the creative process. The point is, that art is essential.”
Sidney Poitier, Dallas Center for the Performing Arts fundraiser, 2004.
Center!
Andrew Bird + Iron and Wine, Strauss Square, 2022. Photo by Jay Simon. Stand up comedian Modi, Wyly Theatre, 2024. Photo by Chris Rusanowsky
Jon Batiste, Winspear Opera House, 2024. Photo by Jay Simon
Laufey, Winspear Opera House, 2024. Photo by Christina Tran
Lila Downs, Strauss Square, 2017. Photo by James Correas
Center Presents Black Violin, Majestic Theatre, 2024. Photo by Jay Simon
PREMIER STAGE FOR BROADWAY
Ensuring that North Texas audiences have access to the best Broadway touring productions has been core to the Center’s mission from day one. From its first Broadway presentation, 700 Sundays, a one-man show featuring Billy Crystal, through the musical Dear Evan Hansen in December 2024, the Broadway offerings have entertained, engaged and inspired.
Thanks to a groundbreaking agreement between the Center, Broadway Dallas (then Dallas Summer Musicals) and Broadway Across America, North Texas audiences have more top-quality Broadway tours to enjoy at the Center. This partnership allows Broadway Dallas to put its more intimate presentations into the Winspear Opera House. Those productions are also available to the Center’s Broadway Series subscribers as season add-ons. Since 2018, Broadway Dallas has presented six shows in the Winspear Opera House, including SIX, Hadestown, and a recent five-week run of Hamilton. The 2024/2025 season will include Broadway Dallas presentations of the hit musicals Come From Away and Life of Pi.
85 BROADWAY PRESENTATIONS
2009-2024
Opening Season 2009/2010
700 Sundays (with Billy Crystal)
South Pacific
August Osage County (with Estelle Parsons)
Spring Awakening Avenue Q
SIX, The Book of Mormon, War Horse, Waitress, and Hamilton are among the scores of Broadway touring productions seen over 15 years on the Winspear Opera House stage.
The Book of Mormon’s first
in Dallas, Mayor Mike Rawlings welcomed cast members with a visit backstage, 2013. Photo by Carter Rose
“I cannot say enough wonderful things about The Elevator Project for its incredibly professional, nurturing and guiding hand in helping us raise our artistic endeavors to new heights.”
Jesus Martinez, EMERGE Coalition, Inc.
ELEVATING DALLAS ARTISTS
In 2014, the AT&T Performing Arts Center launched a pilot program called The Elevator Project. The Center wanted to ensure small, emerging and historically-marginalized Dallas arts groups had a place to perform in the Dallas Arts District. The Center’s smaller, black-box spaces seemed a good fit. That pilot turned into an annual series which has succeeded beyond anyone’s imagination. New works, adventurous topics and imaginative productions have amplified untold stories and traditionally unheard voices. The Elevator Project allows artists to take chances they might never get to take. Many productions soar, and a few are still finding their stride. But, as Dallas Morning News critic Manny Mendoza wrote, “Would they be doing it right if one or two didn’t fail?”
Bren Rapp’s MURROW by Joseph Vitale, 2024. Photo by Will McClain
Watering Hole Collective’s I Am An Island, 2024. Photo by Chris Heinbaugh
Soul Rep Theatre’s Elm Thicket, 2024.
Dallas Morning News contributor Manny Mendoza’s article on The Elevator Project.
La Maupin: The French Abomination, by Prism Movement Theater, 2024.
Photo by Chris Heinbaugh
DESTINATION FOR DANCE
Through thoughtful and adventurous curation and commissioning of extraordinary dance and performance art from around the world, TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND entertains, educates and inspires. Since launched in 2007, this unique partnership between the Center and TITAS has made the Dallas Arts District a global destination for artists and fans of dance.
“Dallas audiences are thoughtful, engaged and adventurous. At our shows, they expect to be entertained, enlightened, and challenged. This unique partnership between the Center and TITAS has only made our city’s cultural ecosystem more diverse, surprising and exciting..”
Charles
MOMIX, Millenium Skiva, 2012. Photo by Sharon Bradford, the Dancing Image
Spanish flamenco company Noche Flamenca, 2024. Photo By Nora Pitaro
Rennie Harris Puremovement.
Photo by Jonathan Hsu Pilobolus in the Garden, 2023. Photo by Chris Heinbaugh
Resident Companies
Our five resident companies are our esteemed partners in the arts. We exist because of them. Dallas Theater Center and The Dallas Opera each needed new homes. They united to build a performing arts center that now includes stages for each of them, as well as resident companies Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Texas Ballet Theater. The Center operates, maintains, funds and provides world-class stages where our resident companies can rehearse and perform at deeply reduced rental rates. Meanwhile, they don’t worry about running these venues and can focus on producing exceptional performances, arts education programs, and creating new works. We are proud to have such revered partners in the arts.
The Dallas Opera’s production of Elektra, 2024. Photo by Kyle Flubacker
Dallas Theater Center’s Little Mermaid part of its Public Works project, co-produced by the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Photo by Jocelyn Ventura
Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico at Reliant Lights Your Holidays, 2018. Photo by Nate Rehlander
Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Unsettled Thoughts, 2016. Photo by Sharon Bradford, The Dancing Image
Texas Ballet Theater, Dracula, 2023. Photo by Amitava Sarkar
“There are some kids in this program who I never would have imagined they wanted to do this. I get to see a whole different side of them out on stage, and I get to see a whole different persona and personality. That’s been what the program has been able to bring out of them, and I love that!”
Amanda Meyer, music teacher, Jose “Joe” May Elementary School A 2023 Disney Musicals in Schools participant
Arts education means more than students seeing shows. It’s about engaging them in meaningful ways. Using experienced teaching artists and materials to provide critical context to students prior to shows. Using the arts to teach young women leadership skills. Teaching elementary school students how to dance, sing and act, while leaving behind a sustainable musical theater program where there was none before. It’s giving students hands-on opportunities to learn the technical, backstage arts and critical workforce skills. It’s elevating the ballet folklórico art form through an annual school competition that is attracting entries from across the state. And thanks to donors, members, foundations, and government support… all of these are provided at no cost. Programs like these stimulate creativity, boost education outcomes, and build a lifetime appreciation of the arts.
Voluminous, swirling dresses are a hallmark of ballet folklórico. But not all students have access to these costumes. ArtsBridge-Powered by Toyota collaborated with the Texas Association for Dance and Culture to ensure students at Jesús Moroles Expressive Arts Vanguard in West Dallas had 30 skirts and blouses to compete next year at the Center’s North Texas Ballet Folklórico Contest Teachers and students were surprised and overwhelmed, 2024.
Photos by Chris Rusanowsky
Disney Musicals in Schools students prepare to perform in the Winspear Opera House, 2024. Photo by Jay Simon Education and Community at the Center.
IMPACTFUL ENGAGEMENT
The Center’s community engagement efforts start by building authentic relationships - listening to what stakeholders really want. This approach leads to programs that are responsive, meaningful, and enjoyable like ArtsBridge – Powered by Toyota. Launched in 2018, the program brings West Dallas residents to the Center and takes cultural experiences to West Dallas. In 2022, we expanded the program to create ArtsBridge South Dallas, providing programs at Jubilee Park and Community Center and Eloise Lundy Recreation Center. ArtsBridge South Dallas is supported by BMO.
COACHING SUCCESS
ArtsBridge is helping students at Jesús Moroles Expressive Arts Vanguard and Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy get through the tough audition process for Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts – where only 25% of applicants get accepted. ArtsBridge provides teaching artists for our West and South Dallas students for private coaching that boosts confidence and improves their audition skills. 95% of our ArtsBridge kids are earning these coveted Booker T. slots!
Award-winning jazz artist Jazzmeia Horn performs at Brass and Jazz in the Park in West Dallas. In 2026, ArtsBridge South Dallas will add a new concert, Blues in the Bottom, honoring Dallas’ historic blues legacy.
Photo by Chris Heinbaugh
Enjoy our ArtsBridge senior dance class video.
Flamenco lessons at the ArtsBridge South Dallas Easter festival at Jubilee Park and Community Center, 2024. Photo by Jay Simon
OUR FUTURE, OUR PROMISE
Dear Friend,
Our first 15 years have been undeniably remarkable and we are grateful for the visionaries that enabled this wonderful place to experience the performing arts. We have welcomed millions of patrons, seen thousands of performances, been an incubator for world premieres and new works, and helped create countless memories along the way. We’re just getting started.
Today, the performing arts industry is experiencing dramatic change. Subscription models are less important for patrons who instead extend the last minute, “on demand” mindset to live performances as well - are we going out to a show tonight? There’s competition from new venues, suburban neighbors and streaming options at home. People want more than a show. They want a unique experience that is worth showing up for.
The Center is well positioned to thrive in this environment. Our team is innovative, passionate, and unafraid to try new things. We’re finding new artists, programming and immersive experiences to add to the Center’s roster. Flora Cantina is adding activity and vibrancy to the neighborhood. We’re expanding our arts education and community programs to meet the growing needs of our changing community. And our arts district is filled with iconic institutions, a cultural destination that is unmatched in the nation. We are bullish on the Center and on Dallas.
Of course, we can’t do this without the support of our artists, staff, donors, foundations, sponsors, arts partners, government partners – and of course, you, our incredible patrons.
Thank you, and we’ll see you at the show!
Sincerely,
Jill B. Louis Chair, Board of Directors
Warren Tranquada President and CEO
Sammons Park in the fall, 2024. Photo by Brooks Burris
“What a statement [the Center] makes about our city and the fact that our citizens place a high value on art. I think it will make a tremendous impression, and it will greatly enhance the image and reputation of Dallas in this country and in the world.”
Howard Hallam, Board Chair 2003-2010, Life Director
Jill B. Louis, Chair
Chris Reynolds, Vice Chair
Matrice Ellis-Kirk*, Past Chair
Larry Angelilli, Treasurer
Brian Enzler, Assistant Treasurer
Chasity Henry, Secretary
Rebecca Acuña
Victor Almeida
Jennifer Burr Altabef
Anne T. Bass
Christy Berry
Harold M. Brierley
Anne Brooksher-Yen
Annika Cail
Lewis Chang
Lee Cobb, Ex-Officio
Grace Cook
Morgan W. Cox III
Cristin M. Dalecki
Bess Enloe*
Ruben Esquivel
Gilbert Gerst
Howard Hallam*
Matt Hickey
Bradford Hirsch
Samuel S. Holland
Jesse Hornbuckle, Ex-Officio
Leon Jacobson
Sierra Jones, Ex-Officio
Mark Kreditor
Denise Lee
Bruce Leib
Barbara Thomas Lemmon
Nico Leone
Sekou Lewis
Ayanna Lonian
Sarah Losinger
Terrence Maiden
Leonor Márquez
Lynn McBee
Paige McDaniel
Brendan McGuire
Francie Moody-Dahlberg
Sharon Morrison
Veronica Moyé
Teresa Nguyen
Caren Prothro*
Mario Quintanilla
Dr. Anu Ravipati, M.D.
Katie Robbins
Deedie Rose*
Konark Singh
Shannon Skokos
Miguel Solis
Debbie Storey
Mary Suhm
Greg Swalwell
Monte J. Thurmond
Daniel L. Tobey
Linda McIntosh Todd
Warren Tranquada
Laurie Marine Wallace
Judy Watson
Carol West
Jeffrey Whitman, M.D.
Adam C. Wright
Radhika Zaveri
Sierra Jones, Chair
Sarah Blettner, Vice-Chair
Brooke Bailey
Dr. Julia Buckelew
Elle Congelliere
Stephanie Gause Culpepper
Kaitlyn Frederick Esmeralda Garcia
Haley Hodde Bora Laci
Matt Morris
Andrea Perez
Austin Price
Diana Saleh
Christa Salgado
Cecilia Silva
Estefania Touza
Maeghan Whitehead
AUXILIARY BOARD
15th ANNIVERSARY SUPPORT
15th ANNIVERSARY SPONSORS
AT&T
Texas Commission on the Arts
15th ANNIVERSARY SUPPORTERS
$100,000+
Anne and Robert Bass
Diane and Hal Brierley*
Barbara Thomas Lemmon*
Deedie Rose*
$50,000+
Anonymous
The Hirsch Family Foundation
M.O.B. Family Foundation
$25,000+
Greg Swalwell and Terry Connor
$15,000+
Anonymous
$10,000+
Carol and Mark Kreditor
Vin and Caren Prothro Foundation*
Alexine and Warren Tranquada
Key-Whitman Eye Center
$5,000+
Dr. Anu Ravipati and Dr. Devesh Ramnath
Phyllis and Ron Steinhart*
Linda and Charles Thomas
$1-$4,999+
Aaron Family Philanthropic Fund
Creston H. Alexander
Carol Anderson
Myles Byrne-Dunhill and Savannah Dunhill
Blanca Carranza
Jeanne Cohen
Karen Cook-Henderson
Laurie Sprouse and Christopher Cole
Mike Crossley
Claudia and Scott Davis
Dr. Ian Farukhi and Mrs. Marcia Schneider
Hector Garcia and Craig Holcomb
Chris Heinbaugh
Angela and John Howell*
L. Keith Hughes
Melinda and Jim Johnson
Nicole LeBlanc and Bill Zeeble
Alex C. Malone
Paige McDaniel
Linda Moten
J. M. Morgan*
Ken and Christi Mulkey
Alice and Erle Nye*
Ochstein Family
Abbe L. Patton
Michal Powell
Lysa and Gregory J. Rohan
Donna and Richard Rose
Kevin and Linda Rush
Barbara and Robert Sypult*
Mary and Mike Terry*
Judy Vetter
Benay Weiss
Judith A. Wharton
Margaret Wilonsky
Jack Wilson
The David & Jacklyn Wolpert Family
The band RC and the Gritz turns up the heat at Turn Up the Lights, the Center’s Auxiliary Board’s annual fundraising event in the Wyly Theatre, 2024.
Photo by Can Turkmilyaz
OUR TEAM
Jorge Amador *
Don Anderson *****
Austin Beck
Jonathan Bryant
Tim Callahan ***
Blanca Carranza **
Rob Carrillo
Paul Cathey ****
Stacy Cedillo
Armando Chavez-Garcia
David Chavez-Garcia
Will Clark
Caroline Cooper
Kelli Criswell ****
Caroline Crocker **
Ryan Cruz
Tyler Cureton
Jayda Davis **
Ashley Davis **
Jayda Davis
Karl Day *
Christopher Draughn
Savannah Dunhill **
Tele Durham
Davion Elliott
Khiara Estrada
Justin Fite
Hector Garcia ***
Tre Garner
Autumn Garrison **
Kira Goidel
Rolanda Gregory
Hanna Gross
Ahila Gulasekaram **
Tracy Hargis ***
Chris Heinbaugh ***
Josh Helms
Ryan Henry **
Daniel Hernandez
Jace Hershberger
Leslie Hill-King
Adam Hourigan ****
Josh Jackson **
Shaliyah Johnson **
Jordan Jones ***
Donna Keeler
Weston Keifer ***
Patrick Keller ****
Linda Keogh ****
Cedric Kimble-Thomas
Marissa Lamar *
Erica Lendl
Cassidy Liles
Lauren Lowney *
Steven Ly
Matt Lyle ***
Alex Malone
Aleira Martin
Tim McCaghren **
Sarah McClain
Robert McDowell ****
Ukari McKinney
Rian Mendez **
Eric Miller ***
Charles Moore ***
Elliot Overton
Jennifer Perez
Anastasia Pharr ****
Robin Plata
Alan Pollard ***
Pete Postma
Kendall Purpura *
Liz Ramirez
Amanda Reynoso Lizarraga
Jesus Rodriguez Patlan
Konrad Rudnicki *
Carsen Russell
Ally Sandoval *
Deonte Scallion *
Bill Spellman ***
Lee Terry **
Chuck Thomas **
Gracie Tinsley
Warren Tranquada
Nathan Wells
John White ****
Ted Whitehead **
Savannah Ziemian
SUPPORTING THE CENTER
The AT&T Performing Arts Center is a nonprofit organization. Contributions help support the Center’s operations, stewardship of the venues, innovative programming as well as arts education and community engagement programs.
Scan for more information on giving
15th Anniversary Seat Dedications
Celebrate with a seat dedication that will directly support our efforts to be a leader in arts advocacy and a catalyst for imaginative excellence.
Scan for more information on giving
15th Anniversary Corporate Partnership
Showcase your commitment to the arts by becoming a corporate partner - your company will play a pivotal role in fostering creativity and community engagement while connecting with thousands.
Scan for more information on giving
The vertical dance company BANDALOOP performing on the Wyly Theatre as part of the Dallas Arts District’s Changing Perspectives Block Party for Dallas Arts Month, 2024. Photo by Karen Almond
Sammons Park, 2021. Photo by Carter Rose
“From the start, we wanted the Center to be accessible to everyone. It became our promise to Dallas. And it is so exciting to see how that has unfolded, and how in the 15 years since it opened, the Center has strived to deliver on that promise every day.”
Matrice
Ellis-Kirk,
Board Chair 2015-2020, Life Director
Marking the Center’s 15th anniversary, the 2024 Bravo! Gala honored Matrice Ellis-Kirk, a founding member who has served on the Board of Directors for 24 years. She was Chair from 2016-2020, guiding the Center through a challenging period and stabilizing the organization’s finances. Matrice led the expansion of the Center’s arts education and community programs, launched the Moody Fund for the Arts, and significantly grew the diversity of its staff and Board. Her numerous community recognitions include TACA’s Silver Cup, the DallasMorning News’ prestigious Linz Award, and in 2020, was named one of the Center’s five Life Directors. She was joined at the Bravo! Gala by her husband Ron, and daughters Catherine and Alex. November 2024, photo by Kelly McNett
Emmy Award-winning singer and songwriter Jon Batiste in the Winspear Opera House, 2024. Photo by Jay Simon
