CHARLES W. EISEMANN CENTER

OPENING SEPTEMBER 2002

Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin To Headline Gala Series Of Opening Events 

RICHARDSON, TEXAS, August 27, 2002 - A series of firsts will take place this September when the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations opens its doors to a new era of performing arts and corporate events in Richardson’s new Galatyn Park Urban Center. 

The Eisemann Center, a 117,000 square foot facility featuring three primary performance venues, will officially open its doors to the public at a Dedication Ceremony scheduled to take place on Thursday, September 12 at 4:00 PM sponsored by Hunt Construction Group.  The opening will culminate 2 ½ years of construction on the region’s newest center for performing arts and corporate events.  It represents the first major performing arts venue to open north of the LBJ corridor. 

Designed by the Dallas architectural firm of RTKL Associates, with Hunt Construction Group serving as Construction Managers, the Eisemann Center will be able to host and present a wide variety of events in its three distinct spaces - The 1550 seat Margaret and Al Hill Performance Hall, the adaptable 230 – 400 seat Theatre, and a 3,150 sq. ft. Multi-Use Room.  A 16,686 sq. ft. common use lobby spanning three levels services all three venues.  An extensive backstage area on four levels supports the needs of multiple companies utilizing the different venues concurrently.  Pelton, Marsh, Kinsella of Dallas, Theatre Design and Acoustical Consultants, assisted RTKL in sound isolating the venues and public spaces from each other. 

To meet the needs of both the corporate and the performing arts worlds, the Eisemann Center has been outfitted with a broadcast infrastructure.  This system ties camera and audio positions strategically located throughout the building to a broadcast center located on the building’s lower level, that is in turn connected to an outside patch panel for studio production trucks. 

The building derived its name from a $2 million gift from Charles and Ann Eisemann, made through the Eisemann Foundation Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas.  Long time residents of Richardson, the Eisemanns saw the Center as an important component to enhancing the quality of life for the City and the region. 

The Eisemann Center, located in the new Galatyn Park Urban Center of Richardson, is one of a series of developments that have taken place as part of a public-private partnership involving the City of Richardson, Galatyn Park Corporation, DART, John Q. Hammons Hotels, and Nortel Networks.  Within the past two years the urban center has come alive with the expansion of Nortel Networks Galatyn Park campus, the opening of the Renaissance Dallas-Richardson Hotel, the start-up of DART’S Red Line rail service, the City of Richardson’s completion of a new public plaza featuring an impressive water fountain as a welcoming symbol to the urban center, and now the opening of the City’s Eisemann Center.  The Galatyn Park Corporation, through the holdings of the Margaret and Al Hill family, donated the land on which the Eisemann Center has been constructed.  In recognition of this gift, the City of Richardson named the Center’s largest venue in their honor. 

“FIRSTNIGHTS! Setting the Stage for a Season of Firsts,” is the theme surrounding the Eisemann Center’s series of gala opening events scheduled to take place from September 12 through September 22.  Following the Dedication on September 12, the Eisemann Center will celebrate its opening night on Saturday, September 14 with a concert featuring An Evening With Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin at 8:30 PM.  This premiere event will represent a show specifically created for the Center’s opening by two of Broadway’s most heralded performers. It will be their first performance together since starring in the Tony Award winning musical “Evita” in 1980.  Tickets include a post-concert reception that will feature dancing to the Bill Tillman Band.  An optional pre-concert dinner is also being offered that will take place across the street at the Renaissance Hotel.  The Margot W. and Ben H. Mitchell Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas is sponsor of the evening. 

On Sunday, September 15 from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM the Richardson Arts Showcase will take place featuring performing arts, visual arts and literary arts organizations that are based in Richardson.  Admission is free to the public. Tickets will be issued in advance or at the door for access to the various performances.  The gala continues on Thursday, September 19 with a Classical Celebration concert featuring The Richardson Symphony, under the direction of Anshel Brusilow, and pianist Jon Nakamatsu, winner of the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, at 8:00 PM.  This concert will unveil the Center’s new custom-made orchestra shell that converts the Hill Performance Hall into its concert hall setting.  The Classical Celebration is sponsored by the Galatyn Park Corporation. 

Friday and Saturday, September 20 and 21, the gala will shift to the Center’s adaptable Theatre space with four performances by the improvisational comedy troupe The Second City, with performances at 7:00 PM and 10:30 PM each night.  Friday night’s performances will also include a dinner party between the two shows entitled Mission: Im-Prov-Ible for all patrons attending that night.  The gala concludes on Sunday, September 22 with a free public Open House from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM. 

The Charles W. Eisemann Center is located at 2351 Performance Drive, Richardson, Texas.  For further information or to order tickets call 972.744.4650 or visit the Center’s website at www.eisemanncenter.com.