After decades of effort, the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas has celebrated its ribbon cutting with a week of festivities that began October 11th. Comprising the 2,200 seat Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, and the 600-seat Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, the Center is united by Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park.

In addition, the 10-acre urban park unites the following facilities:

• Annette Strauss Artist Square, an outdoor performance venue that will accommodate up to 5,000 attendees (opening in 2010)
• City Performance Hall, which will include a 750-seat performance hall for Dallas' smaller performance groups (opening in 2011)
• Morten J. Myerson Hall, the I.M. Pei designed concert hall which opened 20 years ago last month.

And at the helm, as President/CEO, is Bolz Center alumnus Mark Nerenhausen, who took on the job after years of cultural leadership at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Florida.

Said Nerenhausen during the launch of the weeklong opening celebration:

''In typical Dallas style, the center was the most ambitious project of its kind in the U.S. No other city has raised as much money for such a magnificent facility as we have. No other city has organized as many volunteers. No other city has set its sights on creating as magnificent a facility as we have created here today.''

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