Tulsa Performing Arts Center

Tulsa Performing Arts Center (or Tulsa PAC) is a performing arts center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has four theatres, a studio, an art gallery, and a large reception hall. The Chapman Music Hall, which seats 2,365 people, is its largest theater. The Center hosts 14 local performances groups. Tulsa Opera and Tulsa Symphony are just a few of the major clients of Tulsa PAC. Tulsa Town Hall and Theatre Tulsa are also part of the PAC calendar.

The Tulsa Performing Arts Center has hosted many headliners, including Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Steve Martin, and Anthony Bourdain. It was constructed with public and private money and opened in 1977. It houses a permanent collection that includes 76 pieces of art.

In 2006, the Tulsa Performing Arts Center started a regional ticketing agency, managed by the Tulsa PAC. MyTicketOffice.com manages the ticketing for 12 performing arts venues in Oklahoma, Texas. Tulsa PAC was opened on March 19, 1977. It was funded with a mix of public and private money. Minoru Yamasaki, who designed the former World Trade Center Towers, was the architect of the project. The City of Tulsa owns and operates the Center. It is managed by the TPAC Trust of which the Mayor of Tulsa also is a member. Robert D’Angelo was the first Managing Director. Mark Frie, the current director of the PAC, was appointed director in June 2017.

Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s predecessor was the Tulsa Municipal Theatre. It is now the Brady Theatre. The Theatre Advisory Committee was established by Charles E. Norman in 1970 when it became clear that a new and updated theatre was necessary.

Many scenarios were examined, including the restorations of the Tulsa Municipal Theatre (built 1914) and the Akdar Shrine Theatre (vintage 1925). The committee learned that John H. Williams (president of The Williams Companies) had bought nine blocks of land and intended to develop it. Williams originally planned to build a new headquarters, consisting of two buildings that would be 30 stories high and located along Boston Avenue at 3rd Street. The original plan was to build Williams’ headquarters in one tall tower, instead of two smaller buildings. It was then rearranged so that it is located at the center of Boston Avenue at Second Street. Williams offered the land between 2nd Street and 3rd Streets on Cincinnati that was occupied by the Hotel Tulsa to be used as a performing arts center. Leta Chapman, a community philanthropist, and Williams made an offer to Tulsa’s citizens in May 1973: Williams and Chapman would fund half of the funding for a performing arts center if Tulsa citizens voted. The bond campaign was launched and the proposed PAC was given the slogan “Everyone’s Place.”