D

The Newsies Got It Right Today

SweetCharity congratulates The Dallas Morning News for today’s choice for Texan of the Year.

AT&T Gala Brings Back the Beauty of Black Tie Events

No one has escaped the past year’s economic avalanche. Budgets have been tightened, resumes have been produced at warp speed, and some past necessities have become today’s luxuries. That said, Dallas managed to put on its best duds last night to show respect and excitement for the long-anticipated opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. For one brief night, guilt for indulgence, luxury, splendor, and opulence was oh-so-acceptable.

While others will review the Texas-sized earring (aka chandelier) rising to the ceiling and the Broadway babes’ performances on the Shannon and Ted Skokos stage of the Winspear Opera House, let’s focus our attention on the cast that filled the individually air-conditioned seats and the activities that kept them occupied.

THE ARRIVAL: As guests dropped off their vehicles at the valet, they walked by the grand old lady of the Arts District, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Nobody was at home, but she was still all lit up as if to honor her newest neighbors, the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House and the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. Throughout the evening, diva Mother Nature was on her very best behavior, sorta. (After the concert, she decided to create a slight chill to the scene, but then she knew some of the ladies wanted an excuse to bring out their politically-challenged fur pieces.)

Staff members welcomed the very black-tied set to a red carpet leading to the Winspear. You know formal wear just begs for a red carpet.

THE RECEPTION: Once inside the C. Vincent Prothro Lobby, it did get a little cozy with the sweeping gowns, but the champagne helped ease the squeeze. Tamara Johnson with her long blonde ponytail, black, short evening gown by Oscar de la Renta and four-inch heels (loved the red soles) admitted that her black-and-white, look-alike Judith Leiber purse actually came from Sam Moon’s. Well, smart gals know how and where to shop.

Then, like good children, patrons moved to their seats within the Margaret McDermott Performance Hall. Charles Wyly with his “child bride” of 54 years, Dee, walked up to the box level. Dee was wearing a “four- or five-year old Oscar de la Renta.” She admitted that she had considered other and newer frocks, but then laughed that after building the Wyly, she wanted to cut down on spending.

When asked what he thought about the new Wyly Theatre, Charles smiled like a proud papa: “It exceeds all expectations. It’s so futuristic and flexible.”

PRE-PERFORMANCE: Opera-loving John Gallant and wife Denise Dittmer, along with hundreds of others, settled back in their comfy chairs for a night of Broadway. John did admit he was surprised that the program had absolutely everything in it, except for a listing of the tunes to be performed. Guess the producer wanted to surprise all of us. Of course, there was the admonishment about no photos being taken and cellphones being turned off. Did they really think this crowd needed that warning? Oh, please, we’re not at the movies. Oops, don’t tell anyone, but a couple of the patrons slipped drinks in. That’s so no-no. They’ll have to stay after school.

INTRODUCTIONS: Board Chairman Howard Halam welcomed the group. He was followed by the evening’s Chair Jeanne Marie Clossey (pictured), clad in a royal blue (pictured) Oscar de la Renta (trust me—this was brand, spanking new) with a diamond choker. (Did Oscar offer a discount for ACT III frocks? Hopefully, somebody hit Oscar up for a donation.) With her freckles and blonde hair Jeanne Marie looked like Doris Day’s granddaughter or Kristen Chenoweth’s sister.

PERFORMANCE: Speaking of Kristen, you’ve probably already heard that this gal from Oklahoma knew how to make a great first impression by entering the stage in a UT jersey due to the loss of a bet. At one point, she finally took the shirt off to reveal a beautiful pink short dress that set off her “I hate her” figure and rhinestone slippers that sparkled all the way to the Dress Circle. One person was heard to wonder, “Do you think she did that because of the Komen?” Who knows, but it didn’t matter. She had already scored with the crowd.

As we said, others will critique George Hearn’s telegraphed-in performance, the whirling dervish Kiril Kulish, and Patti “Diva with a Heart of Gold” LuPone.  The audience was eager to reward with applause and bravos. Perhaps they were just plain thrilled that you could actually hear the performances and see the performers from any seat in the house. Suggestion to the Dress Circle crowd: bring binoculars! (more…)

Art Groups Welcome the Newest Kids on the Block

It’s real neighborly to do something for folks who have just moved into the block. But when your neighbor is the AT&T Performing Arts Center and the move in has taken decades to accomplish, you’ve got to do it up big time. So, the artsy neighbors have designated this Sunday as “Spotlight Sunday” and are opening their venues free. (Hey, we’re always thinking of you and your pocketbook.) For instance:

• Cathedral Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe- A concert will be performed by the 40-voice choir from Cape Cod at 6 p.m. and with a pre-concert lecture at 5 p.m.

• 

  Art by Pamela Nelson

  The Catholic Foundation Plaza – Yes, it’s open year-round and always free for the standing and sitting, but the newest art wall, Music on Parade (pictured) was just unveiled last week.

• The Crow Collection of Asian Art (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) - Its amazing Asian collection including music, dance, theater, and art activities for artists of all ages. There is a $10 charge if you want to observe the Tibetan monks dismantle the sand mandala, that they’ve been constructing for the past six days. Why tear it apart? Because it represents the impermanence of all that exists.
• Dallas Center for Architecture (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.)– A living museum featuring important buildings of civic history plus the work of PAC architects Norman Foster and Rem Koolhaas.
• Dallas Museum of Art(11 a.m. to 6 p.m.)– Three exhibitions tell the remarkable history of the Arts District, illustrating the dynamic connections between all the arts. Did you know that it was just 25 years ago that the DMA opened in its downtown location?
• Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center (2:30 p.m.)– Hustle on this one since there’s a limited number of tickets. A free performance of Beethoven’s Symphony #9 under the direction of Jaap van Zweeden.
• Nasher Sculpture Garden(11 a.m. to 6 p.m.)– Numerous activities highlighted by Foster + Partners: The Art of Architecture, the first major U.S. retrospective to explore Foster’s major architectural achievements in the past four decades. Remember, class, they’re the ones who designed the Winspear.
• One Arts Plaza (6 to 10 p.m.) – A concert by Hunter Sullivan and his 14-piece jazz band. They’ll take a break during the fireworks show.

Now, that’s what we call a neighborly welcome to the ‘hood.

AT&T PAC is a Real Free For Absolutely All This Weekend

Free is a favorite four-letter word around here and this weekend the AT&T Performing Arts Center is making a great first impression for one and all with free activities. Since you always need examples, here goes:

This afternoon at 4, a jazz concert featuring David Sanbornwill take place in Sammons Park. We’re not telling you to leave work early, but if there is an errand that needs running. . . well. Suggestion: bring a chair and perhaps a sweater. We always want you prepared.

On Sunday everything from family-friendly activities, venue tours, and indoor and outdoor “spotlight performances” by the the finest dancers, musicians, and theatricals types will take place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. You just might catch a performance by Aaron Kurz, ACME Swing Company, Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, Arts District Chorale, Ballet Center of Fort Worth, Ballet Ensemble of Texas, Bloom – Dallas Black Dance Academy Jr. Performing Ensemble, Chamberlain School of Performing Arts, Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas, Dallas Ballet Center, Dallas Black Dance Academy Ensemble, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Black Dance Theatre II, Dance Industry Performing Arts Center, Dallas Uptown Youth Orchestra, Fine Arts Chamber Players, Flame Foundation, Gocha & Shorena Center of Dance, Kitty Carter’s Dance Factory, Maguire Academy of Irish Dance, Mistura String Quartet, Revelation Dance Studio, Rhythm Junkies, Richmond Punch Jazz Quartet, Texas Ballet Theater, Texas Ballet Theater School Dallas Academy, Texas Ballet Theater School Fort Worth Academy, Turtle Creek Chorale, and Tuzer Ballet.

And what would a celebration be without Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts? So, expect to experience the African Dance Ensemble, LunaSol Folklorico Dance Company, Rhythm and Blues Band, African Dance Ensemble and Drums, Mimes Troupe, Austin Goodwin & Ida Saki Dance Duet, Repertory Dance Company I, Repertory Dance Company II, and Bailey Mason-Harpist.

The evening will finish off with a fireworks display launched from the rooftop of the Wyly and Winspear. Watch out below!

Media Pack Invades the AT&T PAC

Last night the AT&T Performing Arts Center had its first official performance with Bruce Willis on stage at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre to greet the VIP crowd. But the entire center had its baptism of fire with a mammoth media tour. Now, for the faint of heart having more than two media types in a room is a daunting task. They’re rarely housebroken, don’t you know. However, the PAC organizers knew that they would have to open the doors of the Wyly and the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House to the press some time, and that time came today.

9:30-10 — 150+ of the media entourage (left) convene at the Wyly for coffee and credentials. Oops, no sweet rolls and the coffee is running low at 9:45. Not a good sign. Media without coffee can turn into an angry mob scene. Horrors, visions of Les Miserables! Quickly, coffee urn is refilled.

An animated Howard “The Jacket” Rachofsky is walking between the Wyly and Winspear with landscape architect Michel Desvigne. Planters in the Hal and Diane Brierley Esplanade take turns tipping over due to the wind. Wyly architect (aka Michael Bolton look-alike) Joshua Prince-Ramus (pictured right with Rem, left) and his former partner Rem Koolhaas sit outside looking a bit dejected, like football players warming the bench. Is the reason for their down mood because they’ve read The New York Times article by Nicolai Ouroussoff about their “divorce” over the Wyly? By divorce, we mean professional divorce. The Times claims that the two haven’t spoken at all since the breakup. Must have been an interesting time completing the Wyly. But here they are together looking friendlier than Jon and Kate or Bill and Hillary on 60 Minutes. Is a reconciliation in the future? Ah, come on, kids. Let’s try a little counseling. After all, you have a bouncing baby Wyly.

PAC Board Chair Howard “Happy” Halam arrives bright and chipper; Winspear designers Norman Foster and Spencer de Grey are greeted like rock stars and the anticipation is starting to build; Mayor Tom Leppert, like so many others, tries to enter through a door that won’t open; and PAC pr staff or media wranglers are getting their ducks in a row. All these media types corralled in the lobby of the Wyly is an intimidating prospect. Would they be user-friendly or useless brats?

10:10- The media is headed up and moved upstairs to the Potter Rose Performance Hall. Everyone is mooing gently, or rather behaving nicely so far. Who said media tours were like herding cockroaches? Howard H, AT&T PAC President/CEO Mark Nerenhausen, and Mayor Tom talk to the group. It’s sorta a repeat of the congratulatory words spoken at Monday’s dedication. Caren Prothro (pictured), who was instrumental in gearing up the funds, and Anita Martinez, of Ballet Folklorico, sit way in the back among the regular folks. Everyone applauds at the appropriate times. Now the big media herd is broken into smaller groups (green, yellow, red, etc.) for tours of the facilities. Ah, these PAC organizers are crafty. They know that by breaking the media mob up into smaller pods, they’re more manageable.

10:45 – As the green group hikes up the esplanade from the Wyly to the Winspear, Mark Lowry of Theater Jones tells his fellow journalists that it will be interesting to see the vertically-challenged esplanade in a rain storm. “It’ll be a big whoosh!” Laughter. Another media types adds, “An ice storm will turn this into a skating rink.” Still another chimes in with, “Wonder who’ll get the naming rights to it?” Don’t think these comments were in the media wranglers’ scripts (aka bibles).

Two groups are put together in the C. Vincent Prothro Lobby to hear the Winspear architects describe the facility. Norman (pictured left with Spencer) is a cross between Stanley Tucci and Patrick Stewart. Very natty and upper brow. You can just imagine him having tea with the royals. Spencer is a bit more casual with shaggy blonde hair and glasses. He seems like a fish-and-chips kind of fellow. As they start their discussion, three things become quite apparent. First, they should have their own talk show. Everything is interesting. Second, the two of them—though they’re the designers of this amazing opera house–have a very soft spot for rock and roll. Third, they prove that a British accent just elevates any discussion to a new level of intelligence and sophistication. (more…)

AT&T PAC is Dedicated Thanks to the Dedicated

Dallas is facing a major tsunami of activities this week with the opening of the  AT&T Performing Arts Center, U2, Komen Run for the Cure, Texas-OU, St. Jude’s gala, the final week of the State Fair, and, of course, Oprah.

First on the roster was this morning’s rise-and-shine dedication of the AT&T PAC. Despite the damp chill, the crowd of well-knowns and well-wishers seemed oblivious to the weather as they convened in Sammons Park to hear the likes of AT&T PAC President/CEO Mark Nerenhausen, Board chair Howard Hallam (pictured), Mayor Tom Leppert, Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano, City Councilwoman Angela Hunt and AT&T Global Marketing Officer Cathy Coughlin give their blessings on the 30-year project. Even U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson sat on the front row just to watch the proceedings. If an award were to be given out for happiest person among the speakers, Howard would have walked away with it. He was just smiling and smiling seeing his baby officially taking its first steps.

(more…)

AT&T PAC Backers Get a Big Old Thank You

Thursday night the really, really big-buck backers of the AT&T Performing Arts Center were thanked for their contributions to make this multi-decade, $354-million project come true. Trust me, the crowd was not very big, but the thank you was beyond Texas-sized. A simple note on Crane notepaper just wouldn’t do. Besides seeing each of their names engraved in the floor of the PAC’s reflecting pool, the generous PAC-ers were toasted and loved up big time. How big you ask? Well, let’s just say even the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book elves could take a lesson from this crew. The PAC folks arranged to have the Disney creative types compose a “little ditty” especially for the occasion entitled, Because of You.

So far, it’s not available on iTunes. When it is, we’ll let you know.

Now everyone rest up for a week of PAC mania with the likes of Bruce Willis (Die Hard, Sixth Sense, and former Mr. Demi Moore) and just announced Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine and As Good As It Gets). Start time is Monday (Columbus Day)at 8 a.m. in Sammons Park (Flora at Leonard). Mayor Tom “Terrific” Leppert will be on hand. Don’t know if Oprah will be.

Dallas, brace yourself. We’re going big time!

PS – No, Wick, all this activity is not a “Welcome to downtown Dallas” celebration in honor of D’s moving its international headquarters to 750 North St. Paul. At least, I don’t think it is.

Bruce Willis and His Friends Need Help

There are definite benefits to volunteering and the AT&T Performing Arts Center grand-zilla  opening year is a perfect example. For instance, Bruce “Die Hard” Willis has just been announced to host the Act III fundraising gala in the Wyly Theatre. But wait it gets better. Performing that night will be Alan Menken and Debra Monk in a series of vignettes directed by James Lapine. 

Folks, that just one of the activities that the organizers have in store for the opening year. 

If you have the $$ to buy a ticket, you’re oh-so lucky. But if you want to save some cash and do a very good deed, volunteer to help out. There’s a shout out for volunters. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll be asked to help Bruce offstage?

Interested? Check with Kelly.Mccracken@attpac.org. Hey, Kelly, did you know that you’ve just become the most popular person in town?