The Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau is providing three individuals with an opportunity to experience the AT&T Performing Arts Center firsthand with tickets to the opening night performance of the Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra (URO) at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre.

The AT&T Performing Arts Center is a new multi-venue center for theatre, opera, contemporary dance, ballet, music and other events. The Center debuted in October with a week-long grand opening, leading up to an estimated 45,000 people participating in a community open house with events throughout the Dallas Arts District. The inaugural season of the AT&T Performing Arts Center includes more than 500 performances and events.

“We are extremely proud of the value the AT&T Performing Arts Center adds to the Dallas Arts District,” said Phillip Jones, president and CEO, Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau (Dallas CVB). “The largest contiguous urban arts district in the nation now has a performing arts center that is comparable to New York’s Lincoln Center; truly an attraction for those interested in performing arts.”

The Dallas CVB is giving three lucky winners an opportunity to experience the Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra at the Wyly Theatre. The winners will each receive a pair of passes to the opening night performance on December 29, 2009. Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra is 19 incredible musicians and singers performing songs from the most decadent and glitter-crazed era of rock ‘n’ roll. URO presents the often heard but rarely performed crown jewels of classic rock, including Queen, The Who, David Bowie, The Beatles and more.

The promotion runs now through December 20. To enter the promotion and for official rules, visit the GLBT Dallas Web site at www.glbtdallas.com. To purchase individual or group tickets to the Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra, or any other event at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, please visit www.attpac.org or call the box office at 214-880-0202.

Dallas is an affordable destination that offers much to see and do for LGBT travelers.  For information and resources for planning a trip to the “Big D”, please visit www.glbtdallas.com.

You may recall that earlier this year, I told introduced you a new addition to the Dallas arts and culture scene—the AT&T Performing Arts Center (formally known as the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts). Well, the time has come and the Center has officially opened, bringing a new era of entertainment to Dallas.

The $354 million Center kicked off its grand opening weekend in October with a week-long celebration that included indoor and outdoor festivities, concerts and forums, tours of the facilities, and much more. Opening festivities revolved around the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre and Sammons Park. Capping off the weekend was a spectacular fireworks show that lit up the downtown Dallas skyline (you can checkout a video from the fireworks show below).

The Winspear Opera House is designed in a horseshoe shaped configuration that is encased in a lipstick red outer shell that adds dramatic color to the downtown Dallas skyline. Seating an audience size of 2,200, the opera house was designed to provide the best acoustical environment for a number of different types of performances. The public commons area of the opera house is lined with 60-foot high glass walls that allows passersby to see what’s going on inside. In addition, the facility has a huge canopy that extends from the building into the surrounding park to provide patrons with shaded green space in Sammons Park.

Adjacent is the 12-story Wyly Theatre that is truly the only type of facility of its kind in the world. The “multi-function” stacked theater was designed to provide versatile space to allow performing arts companies to truly customize an experience for their audience. The space literally transforms itself to fit the needs of classical, experimental and any other performances in between for an audience size of 575. The lower level of the building is encased by glass walls where the upper portion is clad in pre-fabricated aluminum panels with random repetitions of vertical venetians, creating a textured effect.

Despite its grand opening, additional work is left to be done in order to complete the entire complex. The Annette Strauss Artist Square is an outdoor performance venue to be located directly against the east side of the Winspear Opera House, capable of hosting an audience of 5,000. Next door to the Wyly Theatre is City Performance Hall, another performance venue capable of seating an audience of up to 575. Both venues are expected to open at a later date.

The Center provides state-of-the-art performance spaces for five resident companies: The Dallas Opera, Dallas Theater Center, Texas Ballet Theater, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico. TITAS, the Dallas presenter of the world’s most highly acclaimed touring music and dance companies, will also present its season at the Center. In addition, the Center will present the Lexus Broadway Series, JAZZ ROOTS, the Brinker International Forum, concerts, lectures, films and many other programs.

The opening of the Center without a doubt has brought international attention to Dallas and its 19-block urban arts district, the largest in the United States. This only underscores Dallas’ placement on the map as a destination for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers. For more information on the AT&T Performing Arts Center, check out their Web site at www.attpac.org.

Rendering of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts

The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is slated to open in October 2009 as a new multi-venue center for music, opera, theatre and dance.  As the new signature centerpiece of an already impressive Arts District, the city of Dallas will continue to shine with the largest urban arts district in the nation, spanning 19 city blocks.

Featuring five multi-state-of-the-art facilities, woven together by an urban park, will be a dynamic cultural destination that will be unparalleled in the world.  The Center will consist of:

• Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House  – Engineered specifically for opera and musical theatre, the Opera House seats 2,300 with stages that support dance performances, such as ballet
• Dee and Charles Wyle Theatre – A 12-level building that features a one-of-a-kind space that literally transforms to fit the needs of classical and experimental performances for audiences of approximately 600
• Annette Strauss Artist Square – The redesigned outdoor venue named after a former mayor of Dallas that accommodates audiences of up to 5,000
• Sammons Park – The largest park in downtown Dallas that collectively unifies the entire Center with a lush greenery and picturesque reflecting pools
• City Performance Hall – A 750-seat hall that will provide production space for Dallas’ smaller organizations (scheduled to open in 2011)

Today I had the opportunity to sit down with about 20 other young professionals to speak candidly with the representatives of the DCPA about marketing efforts to the 21-34 age group. It was truly a unique opportunity to learn more about this amazing project and to hear perspectives from others close in age.  Here are some interesting points that I walked away hearing:

• Eliminate Anxieties – Educate young adults about the performing arts and what they can expect as patrons of events at any of the Center’s facilities
• Price Point of Tickets – To get a group together for an opera or stage performance, ticket prices will have to range from $20 to $30
• Small Group Packages – It is imperative that ticket packages are offered with discounted rates for groups of 4 or 6 people
• Entertainment Packages – Increase commerce by developing ticket packages that include dinner at area restaurants, such as those at One Arts Plaza
• Customized Subscription Packages – Allow individuals to purchase tickets to performances that span genres

I would have to say that ticket pricing and small group packages are indeed something that must be taken into consideration. In close relation, standard ticket prices for the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art is $35.  While many of my friends, including myself, would love to go see the exhibit before it leaves on May 17, the fact is we perceive the price point too high.  I’d value the exhibit at $15—nothing more.  For a performance, $20 would be the idea price point.

What do you think? Let me know by posting a comment or contacting me directly.  If you are between the ages of 21 to 34 and are interested in participating in future focus groups, contact me and I’ll point you in the right direction.