Sneak preview: Durham Performing Arts Center

Thursday's going to be a big day for the new Durham Performing Arts Center, as facility operators Nederlander and PFM will unveil the inaugural schedule for the new arts facility in the revitalizing American Tobacco district during the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce's annual luncheon.

No early word on what to expect -- but given the pedigree of the operating team, I'd be shocked if it wasn't a set that'd make folks take notice.

One early line we can report: construction on the DPAC is going well, with the contractor still projecting an on-time, on-budget completion; expect the first shows to fall late in the calendar year.

Thanks to Bob Klaus, the recently-named general manager of the facility, we got a sneak peek at the construction progress last week, providing a great preview of what's to come for what will be, at its opening, the largest performing arts center of its kind between Atlanta and the megalopolis.

The theater sits just north of Diamond View I and the new East Deck parking structure in the American Tobacco section of downtown Durham; if you drive down Mangum St. from north Durham, it's hard to miss the building's front rising between the Durham Kress and the old bank building. The building will be fronted by glass, giving a brilliant view of crowds in conversation pre-show and during intermission -- something architect Phil Szostak stated over at Endangered Durham was an intentional choice, intended to highlight Bull City citizens' proclivity for lively debate. (See more over about the project and the history of the site over at Gary's place.)

In fact, if you're growing accustomed to the open steel front of the building -- take your last pictures soon. The glass windows have arrived, and will start going on the building in the coming weeks; a mix of clear and tinted glass will be visible on the building's north-facing facade.

To the north side of the DPAC will sit a public plaza, sponsored by Capitol Broadcasting; the plaza will lead you eastward towards American Tobacco and will line up with the old silo and coal shed visually. Just to the north of the plaza, Vivian Street will re-open; the structure between Vivian and Pettigrew will come down and make way for a small surface parking lot initially. Capitol's future plans call for the eventual construction of residential on the site bordered by Blackwell, Pettigrew, Vivian and Mangum.

Below, looking from the future plaza towards American Tobacco's phase two (Lucky Strike Building, home of Duke Corporate Ed, sits on the left; the Old Bull apartment building is on the right.)

To the west side of the DPAC will be a surface street and sidewalk; the road will connect to Blackwell and the East Deck mid-block, while the sidewalk is the likely path for folks walking between the deck and the performing arts center.

Entering the DPAC on the first floor, the box office and a series of VIP rooms will be available straight ahead on the first floor; a ramp leads to the orchestra seating, with stairwells and elevators on the building's sides leading to the upper two floors and their lobbies. Concessions and services will be available on all floors. Office space for the facility will be behind the box office/VIP rooms, under the orchestra tier.

To the west side of the lower floor, the stairwell invites visitors up to the upper levels.

My favorite view from the DPAC already is the skyline as visible from the mid-tier lobby. The floor-to-ceiling windows provide a great view of Durham's city center to the north, and parts of American Tobacco to the west. (And, naturally, free but involuntary housing to the east.)

Of course, the sights to be seen in the DPAC aren't facing north, but south -- the stage itself. The three-tier design is reminiscent, I'm told, of the Belk Theater in Charlotte, and provides for a total seating capacity of 2,800. Even seeing the mass of the building from the outside, you still really don't get a good sense of just how large a space this is for performances until you step inside.

The stage, as seen from the orchestra level. One advantage of a modern performing arts center is the ability to build in both supports and flexibility for the massive set pieces in use by many of today's touring Broadway performances, something hard to accommodate in order facilities.

Another view of the DPAC's seats, this time from the middle tier:

Not shown in these photos are the box seats along the east and west walls of the stage. (My lousy photography skills met with a lousy camera in a dark space, unfortunately.)

Good to see the DPAC coming together so well. We'll have more updates throughout the year as the project moves along -- and more info on the inaugural performances later this week.

Comments

[Jessica]

Thanks so much for the heads up on the Durham Performing Arts Center! I've only lived here about 1 year and I hadn't heard of this project yet. From a non-natives prospective, I am very excited about the downtown renovations and love what entertainment, food, and social offerings that Durham has.