Deedie Rose, Caren Prothro and Bess Enloe*
Their second annual Chairman’s Dinner on September 16 at the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House capped a busy day for the people who run Dallas’ AT&T Performing Arts Center. Earlier in the day the PAC board of directors had held its annual meeting, voting to make three of its most prominent directors—Deedie Rose, Caren Prothro, and Bess Enloe—the board’s first-ever lifetime trustees.
The dinner in the C. Vincent Prothro Lobby of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House also was a sort of bittersweet one for PAC Chairman Roger Nanney. While it marked great success for the Center—it just finished its second straight year in the black financially—it also marked Nanney’s final year as board chair. A search committee is looking for his successor.
Don and Ellen Winspear*
While guests including Sarah and Ross Perot Jr., Adriana and Guillermo Perales and Ellen and Don Winspear prepared to enjoy a three-course feast by Wolfgang Puck Catering, Nanney and PAC CEO Doug Curtis threaded through the Prothro Lobby, greeting those at the exclusive gathering of directors, major donors and sponsors and supporters like old friends.
Roger Nanney*
“It’s been great fun to see the Center become as successful as it has,” said Nanney, who’s been on the board since 2002 and was first elected chairman in 2010. “We raised the money, built the buildings, and then had to start up a new business. We learned how the place needs to operate. We’ve had a stable management team, and the venues are creating more revenue opportunities than we could have imagined.”
That’s important, he stressed, because it’s hit attractions like “The Book of Mormon” and the “Seinfeld” show that support the PAC’s resident companies including the Dallas Opera, the Texas Ballet Theater and the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico. Nanney’s thoughts on leaving the chairman’s post? “I’ll be a part of this forever,” he replied.
Sara and Chris Peck and Doug Curtis*
Not far away, meantime, Curtis, who is the PAC’s longest-serving employee as well as its chief executive, said he was surprised by how quickly the Center had become successful. So how does one do that? “With good business practices and sticking to your principles,” Curtis said. “We’ve been disciplined with our annual budget, and we’ve had to be nimble,” since not every PAC offering can be a “Book of Mormon.”
However, Curtis added, significant challenges remain. The Center needs to “broaden” its reach to more people in North Texas, he said, and, most importantly: “We still have some money to raise to pay for the buildings.” A capital campaign will begin soon to address that, he said, and he hopes it will be a short one.
Dinner*
Later, guests like Jeanne Marie Clossey, Marnie and Kern Wildenthal, and Lynn and Allan McBee finished their meal (black kale and spinach salad, seared halibut) by heading for a sliced-to-order pie bar from Emporium Pies. As the diners lined up for their desserts, many were swaying to the lively, soul-pop presentation of Motown classics by the band Cuvee.
Dance floor*
As the evening began winding down, we asked Caren Prothro and Bess Enloe their thoughts about being named PAC lifetime trustees. “I’m flattered and honored,” Enloe said. But “it’s kind of a ‘sentence’ too.” Agreed Prothro, laughing: “They’ve ‘sentenced’ us to more work!” Then the PAC grande dame turned serious. “What an honor it is,” Prothro said. “It feels like the Center’s momentum, everything, is going in the right direction.” And this momentum, she added, will only help the Dallas community, especially its corporate community, realize the importance of becoming even more involved in the arts.
* Photo credit: Carter Rose