BWW Features: Top 10 Reasons to be Excited for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Orlando is best known for its theme parks, but there's a new entertainment venue in town. With the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts opening this week, it will undoubtedly be a game changer for Central Florida performing arts community. Since there is a lot of exciting things to look forward to with the new center, here are BroadwayWorld's Top 10 favorite things about the Dr. Phillips Center:

1. New Theaters

Until now, Orlando only had one theater big enough to accommodate touring productions of Broadway musicals. The Dr. Phillips Center features not one, but THREE new state-of-the-art theaters: The largest is the Walt Disney Theater that can seat up to 2,700. The Walt Disney Theater features tiered seating including orchestra, mezzanine, balcony, and a limited amount of box seats. It's a big beautiful space that maintains its intimacy from the front row to the balcony.

The Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater is a 300 seat black box theater. This theater is anything but black. While it has the intimacy and versatility of a black box, it actually features a colorful ceiling of abstract artwork and star-like light elements that adorn the sides of the theater.

Coming in the next phase will be the Acoustic Theater, which will seat up to 1,700 people. This theater is like a Transformer robot. The renderings show the shape of the theater transforming with the back of the stage moving forward or backwards and sides moving left and right. This theater promises to be an ideal home for symphony, opera and ballet. Until the Acoustic Theater is built, we still have Bob Carr Theater serving as the third theater.

2. New Seats

During a recent visit to the Dr. Phillips Center, I was able to visit the Walt Disney Theater and sit in the brand new plush seats. First and foremost, the sightlines are incredible. I've spent a lot of time sitting at the back of the Bob Carr trying to see the stage from around a column. There are no columns to obstruct viewing in the Walt Disney Theater. Even in the mezzanine and balcony area, the seats have amazing sight lines.

Another feature that is probably taken for granted in other situations is the addition of aisles. No more 40 seat "excuse me shuffle" to get in or out! The aisles are wide enough for guests in wheelchairs to fit comfortably. Also, there is a significant amount of legroom between rows. Granted, I'm not THAT tall, but it felt very comfortable. Every seat also has a cupholder either in front of it or below it, which seems to indicate that beverages can be brought into the theater.

With 2,700 seats in the Walt Disney Theater; 304 seats in the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater; and eventually an additional 1,700 seats in the Acoustic Theater; The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts has a lot of seats. More seats means different pricing tiers that will hopefully fit any budget.

3. Sound

One of the biggest complaints about the Bob Carr Theater was the sound or lack of sound balance. No need to worry about sound at any of the Dr. Phillips Center theaters. The sound system and engineering in the Walt Disney Theater was specifically designed to be the best it can be. You'll notice that the floors do not have carpet, this is specific engineering to provide the best sound quality. Even parts of the walls are made of cork for full sounds absorption. It seems that the theater build teams made sight and sound one of the top priorities and with today's technology I imagine that it can exceed expectations. Time will only tell what the sound will be like sitting in the audience, but it is certainly something to look forward to (especially Carmina Burana).

The future Acoustic Theater would not be called "Acoustic" unless it was specifically built for amazing sound. As previously described, the back of the stage will move forward or backwards depending upon the type of sound needed. Image Orlando's high-tech version of Carnegie Hall.

4. Amenities

One big complaint of any public venue is the lack of restrooms and long lines for refreshments. Especially in theaters where everyone is trying to go to the bathroom or get a drink during intermission. The large open spaces of the lobby and floors also ensures that the Dr. Phillips Center never feels crowded. There are multiple stair ways leading to the upper floors, but for those with mobility issues there are also multiple centrally located elevators, which is a huge upgrade from the Bob Carr Theater.

The Dr. Phillips Center boasts bathrooms (with multiple stalls) on every floor. This should significantly cut down on the long lines at the women's restroom. There is a large permanent bar available to all guests on the first floor and many smaller portable bars on the other floors. The railings on the upper floors have a little shelf so you can relax and have a place to put your drinks, playbills, etc.

In addition to community rooms and sponsor rooms, donors and patrons receive exclusive access to the donor room or patron lounges. Aside from these rooms, there are also new venues that anyone can book as meetings and event space. The DeVos Family Room faces the Seneff Arts Plaza and Orange Avenue. It is surrounded on three sides with floor to ceiling glass windows with the Orange Avenue side windows being a giant sliding glass door. It would make an amazing space for wedding receptions or company holiday parties.

On the fifth floor is the Kessler Lobby, with a maximum seating capacity of 160, it is a private area with no theater access, so there is not a lot of public movement on this floor. Since it is a smaller space it would be a great location for private parties, dinners, etc. Working with local caterers, the Dr. Phillips Center maybe become a hot spot for rental space, so if you're interested book soon.

5. Collaboration

Aside from being a theater venue, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts also has several rehearsal spaces. We like rehearsal space because it can be the launching point for original and innovative work. We have a handful of great writers in Orlando, but also we have local universities that have strong theater programs where talented individuals learn to hone their skills. Collaboration between these organizations gives the entire arts community new opportunities to showcase their work.

Some cities like Boston, Denver, Chicago, Seattle, and Washington, DC, to name a few often host shows in their out-of-town previews prior to their arrival on Broadway. Wouldn't Orlando make a perfect place to host a pre-Broadway show? We have hotels, entertainment, great weather, and now a fantastic new performing arts center. I suspect that in the next few years, we'll be seeing a lot of new works come out of Orlando before they make their way to The Great White Way.

6. School of the Arts

The School of the Arts was built as part of phase 1 of the Dr. Phillips Center; however, there's not a lot known out there on the internet about it. Will it be a full-time school, or just an after school program? According to the official Dr. Phillips Center website: "The Dr. Phillips Center will provide programs such as advanced learning, performance-based education, professional development, partnerships with local public and private schools, arts groups, after-school programs, and distance learning.

The Dr. Phillips Center's education initiatives will be designed to add a new dimension to what currently exists in the community, leveraging local artistic creativity with the latest technology, while delivering new collaborative learning opportunities for ages two to 102."

If the description above is correct, then it should be an exciting opportunity for all performing arts students. The Dr. Phillips Center career site, currently has two school jobs listed: School of the Arts Class Instructors, and Outreach Teaching Artists, which indicates that classes will be across all sorts of performing arts genres. This is definitely something to stay on the lookout for more information in the future.

7. Architecture

Have you seen the photos of the place yet or maybe the video fly through? It is a beautiful modern building. Gone are the brick walls of old Orlando architecture. Instead of imposing columns that usually adorn great theatrical establishments, there are floor to ceiling glass windows that provide sweeping views of downtown Orlando. As the surrounding lights of metropolitan Orlando begin to sparkle, it sets a beautiful scene.

Walking into the lobby visitors will come face to face with the Della Phillips Grand Lobby and a soaring glass staircase that winds up to the top floors. The stairs and railings are all glass making the space outside the theaters feel wide open.

In the center is the wave wall that runs the length of the Dr. Phillips Center. It is literally a wave that is a work of art on its own. It looks like there is an ability to use projections on the wave wall, but at the very least, it could be turned into pretty colors.

On top of the beautiful architecture, the Dr. Phillips Center is even envrionmentally friendly!

8. Location

Ok, I know that you're thinking: How can parking possibly be something to be excited about? Isn't the theater in the middle of downtown Orlando? Yes, the theater is located in downtown Orlando, right off the 408 and very close to I-4. For me, the least amount of time spent on I-4, the better. As for parking, there are plenty of parking garages around. I imagine that since most performances occur at night or during the weekends after all the downtown workers are done it is easy to find a spot.

According to the parking map, the closest garage is the City Commons Parking Garage on Boone Avenue. It is about a block away from the Dr. Phillips Center. This is not bad, just imagine you're going to be sitting watching a wonderful show for a few hours and can use the walk. You can even pre-pay for your parking ($10 per performance/event). For the first few shows, I recommend coming early to obtain your parking spot, to explore the new space, and to do whatever pre-show drinks/bathroom breaks you do. If walking one block is not your thing there is also valet, which allows you to drop off your party right in front of the Dr. Phillips Center on Magnolia Avenue.

When the show is done, you can easily hop onto the 408, I-4, or continue to party in the downtown bars.

9. More variety

We're familiar with the inside theaters, but there is also an outdoor area that can be used for performances. The Seneff Arts Plaza is described as "the community's outdoor living room." It has a grassy area and seating that would be great to hang out. As part of the Dr. Phillips Center Grand Premiere there will be a free concert by Sheryl Crow will be given on the Seneff Arts Plaza.

This plaza could also be a place for outdoor concerts, festivals or other artsy gatherings. With the theater in the background, the Seneff Arts Plaza could be the Orlando version of Lincoln Center in New York.

10. Arts for Every Life

This is the vision statement for The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

"Our Grand Premiere has been 25 years in the making and we are excited to share the arts center with the community," said Kathy Ramsberger, president of The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. "Arts for Every Life is about engaging people with the arts and with each other in such a way that they bring creative inspiration back to their home, their neighborhoods, and every aspect of their lives. We designed our grand premiere events to start with community open houses and a free concert starring Sheryl Crow on the Seneff Arts Plaza. We're having a black tie celebration and we wanted that to reflect Arts for Every Life as well, so the gala dinner starts the evening off and then a show opens the Walt Disney Theater with tickets available for everyone in the community to purchase. Stars from all over the world are in the show and we held auditions for local teen girls to make their debut alongside big name talent like Norm Lewis and Deborah Voigt. That's the heart of Arts for Every Life."

The building of the Dr. Phillips Center is a game changer for arts in Orlando. For many years arts have been a passion of Orlando residents and finally the community has a space for it all. It is my hope that Orlando will become amongst the top cities that has a thriving arts culture that is innovative and cherished.

Excited yet? On November 8th & 9th there are free community open houses where you can take self-guided tours of the various sights around the Dr. Phillips Center. For information about the Grand Premiere events or to learn more about the venue visit http://www.drphillipscenter.org/.

Photo credits: Courtesy of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

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