Can the Majestic Theatre roll out the red carpet to more artists?
It’s a marquee when a pretty cultural monument celebrates its 100th birthday. But in a city like Dallas, which so often abandons its history with a wrecking ball, the Majestic Theater Downtown’s centenary is anything but a miracle to please Dallas fans on the streets.
The stunning Renaissance-style auditorium turned 100 in April – the last remnant of Dallas’s famous Theater Row on Elm Street. Two years ago, civic leaders began planning celebrations for this milestone, including a dinner to pay for community events and a concert. But then the coronavirus pandemic messed everything up and the organizers wondered if it was even possible to celebrate in person.
The arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine encouraged the organizers to raise the curtain on their plans. They also realized that the Dallas art world had been bleeding tens of millions of dollars due to the pandemic and decided to not just host some events but start something lasting. A sold-out gala scheduled for September 18 will raise funds to set up a fund to help small art groups and economically disadvantaged schools rent the theater for programs and performances that can bring them income. There is also a free open day for the public in September.
Kristina Whitcomb, a development consultant who works with the Hoblitzelle Foundation and the City of Dallas, told us the goal is to start the fund with $ 100,000 and move on from there. We say bravo!
When groups rent a theater, they’re not just paying for the space. In general, they are also billed for technical assistance and other support services. Whitcomb estimated that renting a theater could cost anywhere from $ 8,000 for a modest performance to over $ 20,000 for a complex event.
The Friends of the Majestic Fund will act as a kind of scholarship for art groups and public schools that can’t afford to rent the theater on their own, Whitcomb said. The Hoblitzelle Foundation, named after theater mogul Karl Hoblitzelle, donated the Majestic Theater to the city of Dallas in 1976.
“It’s really about accessibility,” said Whitcomb. “We just want to make sure this gift is available to everyone.”
As mentioned earlier, spaces for small and medium-sized art groups in Dallas are scarce. This citizens’ initiative fits in well with the city’s efforts in recent years to create more venues and increase grants for arts organizations that reflect Dallas’s cultural diversity.
Whitcomb said the Friends of the Majestic Fund is financially sponsored by the Sammons Center for the Arts, the local and nationally recognized arts incubator, which will provide financial services and oversight. Centennial organizers are in the process of formally establishing the fund and a board that will evaluate requests from art groups.
We are excited about what this effort means for Dallas: a red carpet for new audiences at the Majestic and a livelier downtown that shines in front of the talent of people from all over the city. More adults and children flock to this art palace with crystal chandeliers, ornate moldings, and red velor seats. More artists are channeling the courage that makes this city great and sharing its limelight.
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