DURHAM, N.C. — The Durham Performing Arts Center was recently named the No. 1 venue in the Untied States by Billboard Magazine based on ticket revenues of theaters of similar capacity in a midyear national ranking.
DPAC beat out venues like Beacon Theatre in New York, the Dr. Phillips Center-Walt Disney Theater in Orlando, the Fox Theatre in Atlanta and the Chicago Theatre in Chicago for the title.
What You Need To Know
- Billboard Magazine ranked the Durham Performing Arts Center the No. 1 venue of its size in the United States
- Since DPAC opened in 2008, it has generated more than $1 billion for the local economy, according to the theater
- “Hamilton” runs through this weekend at DPAC
ADVERTISEMENT- The DPAC For All initiative has lower ticket prices to make the arts more accessible
Much of the Durham theater’s success comes from traveling Broadway shows like “Hamilton,” which ends its run at DPAC this weekend.
Since opening in 2008, DPAC has generated over $1 billion in economic impact, according to the theater. It hosts more than 600,000 guests per year with more than 250 performances.
“There are people who go and see it multiple times just in one city because you will never catch everything the first time you see it,” said Christian Magby, who plays Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the North American tour of “Hamilton.”
Nathan Haydel, left, Tyler Fauntleroy, Jared Howelton, Elvie Ellis and company perform in “Hamilton.” (Courtesy: Joan Marcus)
“I have a lot of fun playing with [them. They] are very, very different. And I think their interactions with Hamilton and then the rest of the characters on stage are always a lot of fun to play,” Magby said.
Magby is one of the around 30 cast members in the “Hamilton” national tour, slated to perform in close to 20 states through September 2027.
The traveling element of the show makes it important to have all of the wardrobe and set pieces oiled like a machine.
“We travel a little over 2,000 pieces, and it’s quite an undertaking to maintain and upkeep all of these clothes. A lot of them are based on period looks, but with a more modern esthetic,” Michelle Cross, the wardrobe supervisor for the tour, said.
Each wardrobe piece travels with the show and has elements like zippers under long coats to make it easier for the cast to transition.
“We have eight local dressers backstage, and between me, my assistant and our advance wardrobe, we train all eight of them,” Cross said.
Other items like Hamilton’s green suit must be replaced frequently due to the wear and tear from sweat on stage.
Cross and her team are always on the go.
“We have to kind of unpack and repack like every two weeks. We have to reset everything up and then tear it all back down and move on to the next place,” Cross said.
All of this hard work makes the magic of the show that keeps drawing viewers back.
Wardrobe from “Hamilton” includes Hamilton’s green suit. (Spectrum News 1/Sydney McCoy)
“There are some people in one city, people had like pins that said, this is my first time seeing ‘Hamilton,’ but they also had some that said, this is my seventh, this is my eighth,” Magby said. “I think the fact that people just keep coming back to see the show just truly speaks to the artistry that the show is in and of itself and the masterpiece that it is.”
According to a report from The Touring Broadway League, an economic impact 3.27 times the gross ticket sales is generated for the area’s economy when shows come to town.
The Tanger Center in Greensboro has also had numerous Broadway shows, including Disney’s “Aladdin,” which generated an estimated $5.2 million in economic impact in the Triad during its premiere engagement in the 2023-24 season.
Other shows like Disney’s “The Lion King” had nearly a $12 million impact to the city, and “Wicked” had an $11 million impact in the Triad in 2021.
“Hamilton” runs at DPAC through this weekend with two shows on Sunday.
The theater has an initiative called DPAC For All that provides tickets at a lower cost to make the arts more accessible for everyone.
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