“In the last nine years, the Durham Performing Arts Center has sold out hundreds of shows. More than 3.5 million patrons have attended events at the venue.
To keep the theater in top form, it was time for a renovation. “So many fans are so supportive of the DPAC that the seats have seen many people and the carpet has. So, we decided we probably needed to replace them sooner rather than later,” said Rachel Traversari with the DPAC.
Normally, the wear and tear that would take 15 years only took nine at the DPAC.”
Durham Performing Arts Center entertained more than half a million guests during the 2015-16 season, setting new records for attendance and ranking in the top 10 attended United States venues for the fifth time.
Pollstar Magazine, an entertainment industry publication, ranked DPAC as third in attendance among reporting theater venues in the United States. DPAC’s total attendance hit 511,073, a 14 percent increase over last season. Its eighth season also saw an increase in total events and sellout performances compared to last year, with 249 events and 119 sellout performances. DPAC seats 2,700, and opened in 2008.
“The city of Durham will earn $1.6 million from the Durham Performance Arts Center this year. The city, which owns DPAC, says unaudited financial statements for the 2014-2015 season’s financial results show the theater generated a net income of $5.3 million. The city gets a share of that under DPAC’s operating agreement.”
