From government officials to wealthy donors, over one thousand attended the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center ribbon cutting Thursday morning.
Twenty-five years in the making, the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center is just one component of a master plan created to place Orlando even higher on the world’s stage.
The $500 million project includes a large, well-lit glass façade and two completed theaters, with a third to begin construction following an increase in funds.
The Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater comes in as the smaller of the two completed halls, serving as a venue for musical, educational, dance and theater based events as well as a venue for weddings. With enough seating to accommodate 304, this multi-level community sized theater contains a spectrum of artwork strewn across the ceiling and contains several seating and stage configurations. [sam_ad id=”3″ name=”flyhighmsb” codes=”true”]
The Walt Disney Theater comes in at 6,000 square feet, the largest of the three, seating 2,731 people across balcony, mezzanine, and orchestra sections of the theater. This venue will host everything from Broadway shows, to rock legends, conferences and more. Stage viewing also exceeds what one might experience in the Walt Disney Theater than at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, previously the only theater in Orlando large enough to accommodate tours of Broadway musicals.
The Walt Disney Corporation donated $12.5 million to the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in 2007 to honor the heritage and legacy of our founder, according to Jim MacPhee, a senior vice president for Disney.
“There’s no doubt in any of our minds that if Walt Disney were on the stage today, he’d be extraordinarily proud,” MacPhee said.
The amenities of the Performing Arts Center include a five story staircase and elevators that lead to multiple levels, community and sponsor rooms, donor and patron lounges, open air patios and a permanent, full service bar.
To address the lack of restrooms that usually accompany a public venue and the intermission crowds that use them, the Center’s large, open spaces provide enough room for patrons to access every floor, lobby, and all 123 bathroom stalls that are held in the front of the center. And for women, the upscale Harriett’s Ladies Lounge includes custom design sinks, makeup areas and chandeliers suspended from the ceiling.
The School of the Arts, as part of the Dr. Phillips Center’s education initiative, will “provide programs such as advanced learning, performance-based education, professional development, partnerships with local public and private schools, arts groups, after-school programs, and distance learning,” according to their website, “While delivering new collaborative learning opportunities for ages two to 102.”
The Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center is expected to be a new cultural center for the City of Orlando, already being dubbed “the front porch of the city.” Officials are touting the accomplishment with smiling faces, expecting to book 300 events a year, bringing more crowds to downtown Orlando.
“Today truly is a once-in-a-lifetime day, an event in the life of our city. With the opening of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, we take our place on the world’s stage,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer at the ceremony. “I don’t think there’s a mayor in America having as much fun as I am right now. I believe we are the city of the 21st century.”
A second stage will be implemented with an increase in funds, one that involves construction of a third auditorium that will host classical music performances.
Tickets are on sale for a variety of shows, including “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Nutcracker,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “The Book of Mormon.” The public is invited to self-guided tours from noon to six p.m. on Saturday and a free show featuring Sheryl Crow at 8 p.m. the same day. On Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m., the public is also welcome to attend an open house and family festival held in the arts plaza.
