Name Changes
Concert venue Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie undergoes name change
The concert venue we've been calling Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie for the past 10 years or so has changed its name to a new, slightly stripped down, slightly less sponsory moniker.
Drumroll, please: It is now called The Theatre at Grand Prairie.
The change took place on July 27. The hall's Facebook page shows the updated name, as does the venue's website.
However, the website URL remains Verizontheatre.com.
A spokesperson from the ex-Verizon confirmed the new name, and said, "we're currently going through a transition."
The "transition" in this case would be the end of a sponsorship by Verizon Wireless.
Name changes have become a common occurrence for venues which these days all boast corporate sponsors. Starplex, Dallas' outdoor arena, has most famously endured a number of name changes to accompany its rotating sponsors, from Coca-Cola to Smirnoff to Gexa Pavilion to its current sponsor partner Dos Equis.
This is not the first name change for Grand Prairie, either. When it opened in 2002, it was "NextStage Performance Theater," and touted as one of the most flexible and advanced indoor performance spaces in the U.S. for the way its walls could be moved to accommodate large shows and small.
In 2004, Nokia Corporation purchased the naming rights for six years, and changed the name to "Nokia Live at Grand Prairie."
In 2009, Verizon Wireless acquired the rights and changed the name to "Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie," purportedly for 10 years.
The facility has hosted everything from the Eagles, Alicia Keys, Michael Buble, George Lopez, Robin Williams, Sesame Street Live!, Justin Bieber, Celtic Woman, and Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
