Outdoor Amphitheatre to Provide Unique Setting for Variety of Performances and Events, Including Local Music and Festivals, Dallas Opera Simulcast and Free Film Screenings
This fall, the AT&T Performing Arts Center opens its latest venue, the open-air Annette Strauss Square. A premium amphitheater, Strauss Square will provide a serene setting for outdoor performances, film screenings, festivals and events in the heart of the downtown Dallas Arts District. Within weeks after opening, Strauss Square will be the site for new AT&T Performing Arts Center collaborations, including a screening with the Dallas Film Society and a simulcast of The Dallas Opera’s opening night.
“The programs at Strauss Square will complement the programming at the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s other venues—the Winspear Opera House, Wyly Theatre and Sammons Park—creating new opportunities to engage and entertain audiences,” said Doug Curtis, interim CEO of the AT&T PAC. “The 2010-2011 season of the AT&T PAC is already off to a phenomenal start, building off the successes of our inaugural season, and we are looking forward to adding new programs and sparking new collaborations within the community.”
October 2010 Schedule in Strauss Square
Annette Strauss Square opens with an abbreviated fall performance schedule:
October 9: Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents DanceAfrica Marketplace (10:00 am – 5:00 pm)
FREE TO THE COMMUNITY! Bring the whole family and come enjoy the outdoor marketplace of DanceAfrica. You will experience a full day of performances from local and national artits, African, Caribbean and African-American food, arts and crafts, fashion, and in collaboration with the Dallas Museum of Art, a children’s area celebrating the African Masks Exhibit.
October 10: Dallas Arts District Member and Subscriber Day
As part of the month-long celebration of the arts in the Dallas Arts District, Art in October, the AT&T Performing Arts Center will present free performances in Annette Strauss Square from noon until 5 p.m.
October 16: Dallas Film Society and AT&T Performing Arts Center Present Casablanca (7:00 pm)
DALLAS FILM SOCIETY AFTER DARK and the AT&T Performing Arts Center are joining forces to bring the first ever outdoor screening to the Dallas public at Annette Strauss Square. On October 16 at 8:00 pm, the FREE screening of CASABLANCA will raise the curtain on Dallas’ newest outdoor venue, part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. The evening will kick off at 7:00 pm with live music from the incredible father-daughter duo James and Dacia Kings.
October 22: The Dallas Opera and AT&T Performing Arts Center Present Opening Night Don Giovanni Simulcast (5:00 pm)
The Dallas Opera and the AT&T Performing Arts Center will launch the 2010-2011 Season (“Dangerous Desires”) with a free public simulcast of the live, Opening Night performance of Mozart’s thrilling comedy-drama, Don Giovanni. Beginning with pre-recorded messages and red-carpet arrivals, the evening will include live backstage interviews, a look behind the curtain and special intermission features, as well as the hotly anticipated Dallas Opera debut of Tony Award-winning baritone Paulo Szot.
October 24: Uptown Run (8:00 am)
An Uptown and Arts District tradition, the Uptown Run starts and finished at the AT&T Performing Arts Center Strauss Square.
Other shows at the AT&T Performing Arts Center
Dallas Theater Center presents Henry IV
Texas Ballet Theater presents Cinderella
The Dallas Opera presents Don Giovanni
The Dallas Opera presents Anna Bolena
Dallas Theater Center presents The Trinity River Plays
TITAS presents Lila Downs/Buika in Concert
Brinker International Forum: An Evening with Al Pacino
AT&T PAC presents JAZZ ROOTS: “The American Songbook” featuring Michael Feinstein and Nicole Henry
TITAS presents Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
About the AT&T Performing Arts Center & Strauss Square
Strauss Square replaces a temporary structure, called Annette Strauss Artist Square, that opened in the early 1990s on the site where the AT&T Performing Arts Center Winspear Opera House now stands. The original Strauss Square, named in honor of the late Annette Strauss (1924 – 1998), a revered former Mayor of Dallas, passionate supporter of the performing arts and an ardent proponent of the Dallas Arts District, was a simple stage and awning, surrounded by level lawn areas, used for community festivals and events.
The new Strauss Square has also been designed to improve the audience experience. The performance lawn is graded down towards the stage to improve sight lines, and both permanent and temporary restroom facilities are discreetly located to the rear of the lawn for patrons’ use during performances. Elevated side terraces also provide excellent stage views. There are three concession areas in Strauss Square, serving light food, beer, wine and full bar beverage options. For certain performances or events, there will be up to 1,000 seats in the front portion of the lawn area. Other patrons can bring blankets or sit on the lawn. Lawn chairs and coolers will not be permitted, nor will strollers, although the Center will provide stroller check.
Concrete site walls border the performance lawn, sheltering the audience from the traffic noise of Woodall Rodgers freeway, while also creating a permanent ticketing boundary, replacing the old temporary fencing. The integrated lighting within the hard landscaped areas continues from the surrounding Sammons Park, creating one seamless outdoor space.
Open since October 2009, the AT&T Performing Arts Center is a vibrant destination for entertainment in the heart of the downtown Dallas Arts District. The Center presents a variety of programs, including its Lexus Broadway Series, Brinker International Forum, JAZZ ROOTS and, in association with TITAS, contemporary dance and music, and other performances. The Center also provides performance space for The Dallas Opera, Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, in unparalleled venues set within a 10-acre urban park.
The Dallas Fort Worth Lexus Dealer Association is the title sponsor of the Center’s Lexus Broadway Series. Lexus is the official vehicle of the Center and its resident companies, the official valet sponsor and the naming rights holder for the Center’s two underground parking areas. RideCentric is the Official Ground Transportation Provider of the Center.
More information on the AT&T Performing Arts Center is available at www.attpac.org.