By Design: Stunning Theatres in Dallas
Two of Texas’ architectural highlights happen to be the best places to take in a show.
The place: The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, Dallas
The backstory: Dallas spent decades composing a grand downtown cultural district: first an art museum, then a symphony hall, later a sculpture center, a 2,200-seat opera house, and the remarkably flexible Wyly Theatre for drama, dance, music and film. The theatre is part of the city’s AT&T Performing Arts Center, which was completed in October 2009.
The beauty: Theatre at its best is slightly disorienting, and that sequence of mystery and revelation is embodied in the building itself. You enter down a broad ramp, which leads to a below-ground lobby. Narrow staircases lead up into the glass-walled, ground-level performance hall. At a director’s will, the city can become the backdrop to a performance; passers-by can witness the drama within.
Fun fact: The floors, balconies, seats and proscenium wall can be raised, lowered or even disappeared. In this theatre, almost anything is possible.
And nearby, don’t miss: The Nasher Sculpture Center’s glass-roofed galleries and outdoor gardens are an oasis of contemplative beauty at the city’s heart.
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