Today we’d like to introduce you to Dione Kennedy, President & CEO of Performing Arts Fort Worth.
Dione, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m from a very small town in southern Ohio where there was no opportunity to see the kind of professional programming that Bass Hall provides. While I was involved in a small community theater as well as high school theater productions, a career as a performing arts administrator was not even on my radar. Positions I held while working my way through college included several organizations that operated entertainment facilities and presented concerts, trade shows and sporting events. In 1990, I took a position with a company that operated a performing arts center and presented touring theater productions as well as other performing arts programs. That is when my high school love of theater and my previous work experience coalesced and set my future direction. I’ve now worked in the performing arts world for 28 years and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Has it been a smooth road?
I took the position with Performing Arts Fort Worth in 2009, right after the economic crisis began. That economic climate, along with other factors in the company, required a re-evaluation of our business model. We developed a 5-year plan to address our short-term financial and operational needs and a longer term plan, including endowment fundraising, to address the long-term needs of the organization. Today, with the changes to our business model, we are proud that our annual operating position is consistently in the black. In addition, as our endowment fundraising matures, our efforts have ensured that the organization will thrive for generations to come.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Performing Arts Fort Worth – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Performing Arts Fort Worth (PAFW) is the non-profit organization that owns and operates Bass Performance Hall. In addition to providing a home for resident companies – Fort Worth Symphony, Texas Ballet Theatre, Fort Worth Opera and The Cliburn – PAFW brings national touring productions to Bass Hall including first-class Broadway tours, concerts and family shows. PAFW is also responsible for the outstanding Children’s Education Program at Bass Performance Hall which reaches over 60,000 students and teachers annually. Bass Hall is recognized for its iconic architecture and is renowned world-wide for its excellent acoustics. I am extremely proud of the role Bass Hall fills as the cornerstone of the performing arts in the region.
Contact Info:
- Address: 525 Commerce St., Fort Worth, TX 76102
- Website: www.basshall.com
- Phone: 817-212-4280
- Email: dkennedy@basshall.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/basshall
- Facebook: facebook.com/bassperformancehall/
- Twitter: twitter.com/basshall
- Yelp: yelp.com/biz/bass-performance-hall-fort-worth
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