ATTPAC Shake-Up
CEO of Dallas' AT&T Performing Arts Center will step down when contract ends
After 16 years as CEO and president of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Doug Curtis is stepping down. His current contract is up on May 18, and he will not be renewing it.
"When I joined this project in 2002, it was the opportunity of a lifetime to bring to life world-class performing arts venues designed by some of the greatest architects of our time," says Curtis in a release. "For the last six years, I've been proud to lead the AT&T Performing Arts Center, with its dedicated staff and board, as it has made a significant impact on our community. As the Center prepares for its 10th anniversary, the time is right for a new leader to shape the next phase for this organization, and for me to pursue new opportunities."
Curtis first joined the nonprofit ATTPAC as vice president of design and construction, where he oversaw all aspects of building the Center's venues: Winspear Opera House, Wyly Theatre, Strauss Square, and Sammons Park. He was assumed his current position in 2013, and recently spearheaded efforts to create a plan that would retire the Center's outstanding construction debt and close its capital campaign.
Part of that involved accepting money from the Galveston-based Moody Foundation, which renamed Dallas City Performance Hall as Moody Performance Hall. In the past two years, the Center has raised $24.5 million in commitments toward the remaining $27 million-goal in that campaign.
"Doug's contributions to the Center have been invaluable," says Matrice Ellis-Kirk, chair of ATTPAC's board of director. "On behalf of the board and staff, I'd like to thank Doug for his stewardship of the Center over the last 16 years. He is leaving the Center in a strong position as we move into the next era in a highly competitive cultural and entertainment environment."
Debbie Storey, a current board member and former executive vice president of AT&T, will serve as acting CEO beginning May 7, as the Center launches a search for Curtis' replacement.
AT&T Performing Arts Center's current Broadway series continues on May 8 with the Pulitzer Prize-nominated play The Humans, and finishes with stops from the national tours of the musicals Jersey Boys and Bright Star. The 2018-19 season includes a co-production with Dallas Theater Center, seven Broadway and West End musicals, and The Play That Goes Wrong.
