They also studied Peter Brook's theatre in Paris, Bouffes du Nord, borrowing from that the idea of overlapping the geometries of the stage and auditorium, further heightening the feeling of intimacy. The scheme has been funded privately, with more than 100 individuals donating $1m and Ross Perot, the former presidential candidate and Dallas resident, giving $10m.įoster + Partners' team of architects, led by Spencer de Grey, went on a 'grand tour' of opera houses before they began, concluding that the horseshoe shape found in London's Covent Garden, Munich and the Mariinsky in St Petersburg offers the most intimate experience, bringing the stage closer to the auditorium. The scale of the master plan is testimony to the wealth of Dallas – a communications and engineering hub – as well as the philanthropy of its many billionaires. The complex includes a 10-storey theatre designed by another celebrity architect, Rem Koolhaas, and a smaller performance hall to open in 2011. It is billed as the most ambitious arts centre in the US since New York's Lincoln Centre, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The Winspear is the centrepiece of a $354m (£222m) art project, the AT&T Performing Arts Centre, that covers 19 blocks of central Dallas and was opened this week with events that featured Bruce Willis, singer Patti LuPone and Foster.

Winspear opera house grand tier