When the Dallas Wind! Symphony’s Kim Campbell chose Casablanca for his installment of FrontRow’s Film Series, we here at the D headquarters immediately started scheming. We wanted to find a venue that would support Campbell’s reasons for choosing the film: to highlight how when you watch a movie with an audience it profoundly changes the experience of watching that movie.
“I chose Casablanca because everyone has seen it, but most likely very few have seen it with more than themselves and a friend watching,” Campbell said at the time. “I had probably seen Casablanca ten times, then saw it on the big screen with 1,200 people in attendance. It was a completely different film.”
In keeping with the series’ idea for showing films in various locations around Dallas, we wanted to figure out a way to present Casablanca in a large public setting, where we could gather together outside and enjoy the film on a large screen in common with hundreds of people.
Call it serendipity, it just so happened that the Dallas Film Society and the AT&T Performing Arts Center were working on similar plans, hoping to host the very first outdoor film screening in the new Annette Strauss Artist Square this October. The planets aligned, the conversations happened, hands were shaken, and now we are very excited to announce a screening of Casablanca in Annette Strauss Artist Square on October 16, festivities beginning at 7 p.m. and the movie showing at 8 p.m. (note: that’s a change from our originally scheduled date for Casablanca). All the glorious details can be found in the release after the jump, including how you can obtain your free tickets and information about our pre-show stand-ins for Sam: Booker T. Washington’s Dacia Kings and her father James. You can read more about the Kings here.
DALLAS FILM SOCIETY and the at&T performing arts center PRESENT CASABLANCA AT THE FIRST EVER OUTDOOR SCREENING IN ANNETTE STRAUSS SQUARE
DALLAS, September 28, 2010: DALLAS FILM SOCIETY AFTER DARK and the AT&T Performing Arts Center are joining forces to bring the first ever outdoor screening to the Dallas public at Annette Strauss Square. On October 16 at 8:00PM, the FREE screening of CASABLANCA will raise the curtain on Dallas’ newest outdoor venue, part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
The evening will kick off at 7:00PM with live music from the incredible father-daughter duo James and Dacia Kings, so bring your family and friends and be a part of the celebration for this significant occasion. “We are thrilled to partner with the DALLAS Film Society to launch outdoor screenings in Annette Strauss Square,” says Doug Curtis, interim CEO of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. “On September 30, Strauss Square opens as the city’s premier outdoor performing arts venue so showing CASABLANCA as our inaugural film just two weeks later is perfect: a classic film in what will become a classic venue in the heart of the Dallas Arts District.”
James Faust, Artistic Director of the DALLAS Film Society adds: “This AFTER DARK event promises to be a really special night. Annette Strauss Square: what an incredible venue for us as film lovers to enjoy. Beautifully designed by renowned architects, Foster + Partners – we get to experience its’ full unique glory for free. The facility can hold at least 2500 people, so let’s have a film party and start this off in style!”
WRR and D Magazine Front Row: A Film Series will also be partnering with DALLAS Film Society and the AT&T Performing Arts Center to help make this a wonderfully memorable evening. D Magazine’s Front Row: A Film Series launched in July 2010 with the purpose of luring movie lovers out of their living rooms and into impromptu theater spaces, to reemphasize the communal aspect of watching movies. Each installment of the series asks a Dallas arts leader to pick a film in response to the question, “What movie do people living in Dallas today need to see?” The Dallas Wind Symphony’s Kim Campbell chose CASABLANCA, “because everyone has seen it, but most likely very few have seen it with more than themselves and a friend watching,” Campbell said. “I had probably seen CASABLANCA ten times, then I saw it on the big screen with 1,200 people in attendance, and it was a completely different film.”
D Magazine’s Arts Editor Peter Simek said this screening of CASABLANCA fits perfectly with the idea for the Front Row: A Film Series. “Film is a popular medium that serves as common language between artists working in many genres,” Simek said. “A free screening that brings people together from different walks of life in unique venues and sharing their love of film will be an unforgettable experience. This is the beginning of a wonderful partnership with the DALLAS Film Society and the AT&T Performing Arts Center.”
CASABLANCA is a PG-rated movie. Admission is free but tickets are required. For printable tickets: telephone the AT&T Performing Arts Center Box Office at 214.880.0202 or go online at www.attpac.org/casablanca. Five hundred reserved seats in chairs at the front of the lawn are available; the remaining seats will be on the lawn. Wolfgang Puck concession stands will have refreshments available for purchase. Convenient parking is available at Lexus Red Parking, underneath the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, with the entrance off of Jack Evans.
ABOUT THE DALLAS FILM SOCIETY
The DALLAS Film Society celebrates films and their impact on society. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the DALLAS Film Society recognizes and honors filmmakers for their achievements in enhancing the creative community, provides educational programs to students to develop better understanding of the role of film in today’s world, and promotes the City of Dallas and its commitment to the art of filmmaking. The annual DALLAS International Film Festival is a presentation of the DALLAS Film Society. In addition to producing one of the largest festivals in the Southwest, the Society produces numerous year round events, screening series and partnership programs with arts organizations around the city.
Save the dates for “The Art of Film” a new fundraising event co-chaired by Lynn and Allan McBee (Hall of State Building in Fair Park, Friday, November 19) and the 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival (March 31-April 10, 2011).
For more information, call (214) 720-0555, or visit www.dallasfilm.org. The offices of the DALLAS Film Society are located at 3625 North Hall Street, Suite 740, Dallas, TX 75219.
ABOUT THE AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Open since October 2009, the AT&T Performing Arts Center is a vibrant destination for entertainment in the heart of the downtown Dallas Arts District. The Center presents a variety of programs, including its Lexus Broadway Series, Brinker International Forum, JAZZ ROOTS and, in association with TITAS, contemporary dance and music, and other performances. The Center also provides performance space for The Dallas Opera, Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, in unparalleled venues set within a 10-acre urban park.
The Dallas Fort Worth Lexus Dealer Association is the title sponsor of the Center’s Lexus Broadway Series. Lexus is the official vehicle of the Center and its resident companies, the official valet sponsor and the naming rights holder for the Center’s two underground parking areas. RideCentric is the Official Ground Transportation Provider of the Center.
More information on the AT&T Performing Arts Center is available at www.attpac.org
ABOUT DACIA & JAMES KINGS
Singer Dacia Kings is a student at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts. On August 26, Dallas Symphony Orchestra Pops Conductor Marvin Hamlisch held auditions for seniors at Booker T. Washington, with the hope of possibly finding performers for the DSO Pops’ holiday program. Kings, accompanied by her father, James, on the piano, was the second to last student to perform for the award-winning conductor / composer. Hamlisch was blown away by the performance and decided on the spot to feature the duo in the Pops Orchestra’s performances that weekend, where they were audience favorites. They will be performing “As Time Goes By,” as well as other theme-appropriate classics.
