Dr. Phillips jewel awaits its crown of completion
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, envisioned as a sanctuary for the arts, has more than fulfilled its mission as a place for shared creative experiences. After the Pulse tragedy, the center has emerged greater: It has transitioned from a public-works project for the arts to the epicenter of meaningful community, in the heart of our city. When thousands of mourners descended on the Seneff Plaza the Monday after the shooting, it was only the first of dozens of public gatherings.
Late on Sunday night, a week after Pulse, I walked with a friend, Jake, downtown. As we turned southward, toward the Dr. Phillips Center, I knew the building was now a mecca. It drew us with a magnetic sense, a spiritual beckoning.Even at 11 pm, dozens of mourners were there to lay flowers and light candles.
A few days later, I was at the Dr. Phillips Center again — this time with several arts leaders, this time inside — entering through the side door into the concrete and glass lobby. With its ceiling the height of the building, we sensed the ethereal, as the sound of performing-arts students reverberated through the space, ascending.
We were there to plan “Beautiful Together: An artistic journey toward hope.” The dream was for an event would allow the community to sit together and breathe deeply in quiet reverence. It was all too fitting that the journey would take place inside the courts of this building that had become a sanctuary.
The night of the event, 16 days after the shooting, throngs of people streamed across that lawn, now worn from the feet of the pilgrims paying tribute day after day, communing with one another.
Through the backstage door, hundreds of singers, dancers, instrumentalists and technicians entered.
That night, the community came together to cry, and laugh, and just know that we are here, together, in a sacred space.
A few days later, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen took the stage.
This week, dozens of actors and performers from across the country will take the stage as we once again gather in this grand house to honor those lost.
Since the Pulse tragedy, the keepers of this great space have opened its doors to event after event. They have facilitated performances by more than 40 musicians on Seneff Plaza, hosted three vigils, and welcomed the president of the United States.
Their generosity has showcased events that have raised more than $300,000 for the OneOrlando Fund, and after this week’s “Fun Home” and “From Broadway With Love” benefits, that amount is likely to at least double.And during these events, most of the fees for service and facility rentals have been waived to ensure the greatest return to the fund. Even income from valet services will be donated back.
All the while, the marketers, technicians, front of house, operations, logistics, and executive leaders have shown up for one planning meeting after another. They have humbly and quickly answered thousands of emails and phone calls.
Without raising a banner to congratulate themselves, they have absorbed the costs of two additional shifts of security every day to monitor the plaza and to ensure mourners and their memorials are safe.
They have worked hand in hand to prepare a space for the Orange County Regional History Center to come and to archive all the memorial items.
And they have collaborated with their vendors to facilitate the donation of thousands of dollars in services and equipment.
Tens of thousands of us have visited this building at the center of the community’s mourning, while a team of several hundred people worked tirelessly to facilitate our experiences.
I’ve grown to know many of those people. None would ever stand on a mountain and shout, “Look what we did.” So I’m standing for them. On behalf of a grateful community, “Thank you to the staff of the Dr. Phillips Center who have opened their doors time after time, in so many ways — many of which most of us will never know. We’re grateful for you and your generosity. Thank you for creating a safe place for our community to journey together through mourning and toward hope.”
And while we’re here, one last item: Moments like these show us the value of city-defining buildings. The Guggenheim, Sydney Opera House, The Louvre. The Dr. Phillips Center is hopefully the first of many of these types of architecturally and cultural significant spaces in our city. But today, this building around which we have gathered stands only two-thirds completed. Central Florida leaders, when will you go the distance and finish what we’ve started?
Let’s finish this project so we can all dream about what’s next.