CENTER WINS 2015 VENUE EXCELLENCE AWARD

Photo: Center staff accepting the award (from left to right) including Graeme Bice, Charles Moore, Robert McDowell, Russell Read, Anastasia Pharr, Caitlin Volpe and Meredith Merritt.

The International Association of Venue Managers has honored the nonprofit AT&T Performing Arts Center with its 2015 Venue Excellence Award. The trophy was awarded during the IAVM Annual Conference in Baltimore last weekend. The award recognizes performing arts organizations that provide a safe and enjoyable space for patrons, going above and beyond in serving the community.

“I think I can speak for all of the staff when I say that it’s a privilege to serve patrons who visit our campus,” says Doug Curtis, president and CEO of the Center. “We work tirelessly to ensure every single visit is a special experience for them.”

Additionally, Curtis says that the Center staff is committed to the organization’s mission “to provide a public gathering place that strengthens community and fosters creativity through the presentation of performing arts.”

Annually, more than 900 ticketed and private rental events are presented at the Center. To successfully run these spaces concurrently and at such high volumes (last year, the three venues were operated for more than 15,000 hours), it takes a dedicated and passionate staff. The Center also depends on the generosity of volunteers – 750 of whom log an average of 30,000 service hours every year.

The Venue Excellence Award comes on the heels of two wins in D Magazine’s Best of Big D issue, where the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre nabbed the critic’s pick and the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House won the reader’s choice in the best performing arts venue category. In 2015, Annette Strauss Square was named “best outdoor venue” by the Dallas Observer, and the Center campus was highlighted in USA Today’s Best City Arts Districts in 2014. In 2011, the Wyly Theatre garnered the prestigious AIA Institute Honors Awards for Architecture, among a list of accolades for its ingenious design.

Year-round, the AT&T Performing Arts Center maximizes these stellar venues by curating the best and most recent from Broadway; the finest in world dance and music co-presented with TITAS Presents; top concerts, lectures and performers with Center Presents; and a five-year undertaking to present The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

If you would like to attend a show, please see our upcoming events. If you would like a closer look at the award-winning facilities, please schedule a tour today!