DPAC — Attraction in Durham

I purchased a Center Orchestra seat in Section 3 Row V for the Wiz tonight on Ticketmaster. I have been eyeing tickets for this production for over a year now. I missed their first premiere in New York when Avery Wilson and Deborah Cox starred in the show. What I failed to realize is that they were not casted in this production. I want to take some time out to thank my fellow yelpers who chipped in to help with all the planning logistics for my first visit to DPAC. Parking Downtown in this area was a challenge for a Saturday night with a local baseball game going on. Luckily, I scored free parking in the American Tobacco Campus garage. The staff was kind enough to waive the $10 Fee when I mentioned The Wiz. It literally felt like I was Dorothy trying to navigate to DPAC. After spending over $100 on a ticket, I refuse to pay for parking. The American Tobacco Campus aka The Bull Pen connects you DPAC, so it's a quick 4 minute walk. There are plenty of eateries you can access in the Bull Pen as well. I advise you arrive 1.5 hours ahead of opening. Upon arrival, I quickly made it through security and the ushers were very kind and helpful. They escorted me to my assigned row and I was very satisfied with my seat selection. Sect 3 Row V, Seat 113 puts you Center stage ! I advise only purchasing Orchestra seats for the venue. This is a large venue with a small stage ! I don't advise purchasing Grand Tier or Balcony seats. It would be impossible to see anything sitting up that high. I made it a point to use the restroom upon arrival. The intermission is too short and there are way too many people and not enough space. During Act I there was technical issue with the set design and they paused the show but failed to communicate why. I found this tacky and as a result many people left their seat assuming it was intermission. When they learned that it wasn’t, they had to all rush back to their seats creating a disturbance. This also scared me because we did not know what to believe was occurring. An emergency of some sort. Someone should have made an announcement!

The Wiz is my favorite movie and I have enjoyed other live performances of it. This one was not a favorite for me. The choreography and vocal talent was enjoyed, however I didn't enjoy the digital set, or this rendition in terms of the writing and stage play. The audience became overly rowdy with the comedy parts of the script and it was redundant and annoying after a while. DPAC appears to pack the chairs in the theater but the stage is not within view for every seat because it's too tiny. I prefer the Martin Marietta Center in Raleigh over DPAC. It just isn't worth the commute downtown Durham and the fight or high price...

First time at the DPAC and enjoyed it tremendously. While the seats weren't quite as comfortable as I had hoped (but then again, they so rarely are, anywhere I go), the ease of finding them, friendly and helpful staff, and other elements such as free earplugs at the guest services station were outstanding. Bathrooms were clean and fully functional and the parking was easy - even with my disabled parking placard, which often causes a bit of a hiccup when parking at events. Not here though! The acoustics were excellent, with even front row seating not being overwhelmed by the throw of the speakers or the mix. I had gotten the earplugs just in case but never even needed to take them out of the packaging. What a nice surprise!

The show itself was well produced (as is to be expected from such a long-time touring group such as Mannheim Steamroller), but the in-house DPAC crew was excellent as well. I ran audio/sound for events for a number of years, including FOH sound, stage, and monitors, and there was only one instance where the setup became immediately conspicuous to me (which I don't believe reflected at all on the DPAC crew who may have assisted). The stage foggers and "snow" worked very well and did not significantly affect the front row seating - always a concern for the differently abled. Even the "snow" at the DPAC exit after the concert was well-done.

While there is of course a degree of blending between concert touring/roadie crews and the local facility crew, the professionalism of the DPAC staff made it very hard to tell where that distinction was. This is, to me, the highest mark of dedication to a quality experience. It is also a very strong factor in my enthusiasm to return to the DPAC for future events. This may have been my first experience here, but if I have my way about it, it certainly won't be my last!

Highly...

Made our way out here for the Kevin James Comedy Tour. I had never been in this part of Durham, it is very inviting with a cool vibe. The DPAC is located next to the minor league baseball team……which I now want to make it out to a game…..restaurants all around and lots of parking decks. The center itself is really nice, clean and easy to access. Their security was a breeze and they along with the door greeters were super friendly and welcoming. Everyone was helpful and we quickly found our seats. They have some snacks for sale along with soft drinks and alcoholic drinks. We just got a soda and water because we had gotten dinner outside prior to the show. The venue is warm with lots of cozy seating. The sound and lighting were great. Once the show was over we were able to walk out pretty quickly. The venue itself is a five star. My only complaint is in the parking garage, even though they are conveniently located near the venue, they only had one elevator and lots of people waiting. The good thing is that even though it looked like a jam packed nightmare , we actually got out pretty quickly. Parking attendants have it set up perfectly and you are on the road home within minutes. Overall a great experience and definitely will try to get to...