New RHA has incredible upside. Seems like they are taking it serious but interested to see how it all works on that lot.
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The Memorial Auditorium is only 300 seats less than DPAC.
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What is more state of the art about DPAC that makes it so much better? The way the curtains go up and down? The popcorn machines? I really see no reason why Raleigh canât compete. In my opinion, The Memorial Auditorium is the better venue. Its got history and sophistication. DPAC feels like an IMAX.
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Ask the multimillion dollar touring Broadway shows that continuously choose to book at DPAC and not Memorial Auditorium 
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Each show doesnât choose to go there. They have a contract with one company who controls all the shows and where they go. I think all the broadway touring shows are under that one umbrella company.
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I would guess that those Broadway shows require extensive technical specs that DPAC has and Memorial doesnât.
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Well then Memorial Auditorium should upgrade their tech.
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Ok then I edit my retort to: âAsk the multimillion dollar company that controls all touring broadway shows and where they goâ hahaha
Same sentiment either way; thereâs clearly a reason they choose to go to DPAC and not Mem. Aud. in Raleigh - we can say âMem. Aud is historic! Itâs the better venue! It only has 300 less seats!â but at the end of the day, apparently it simply doesnât cut it.
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Perhaps its as simple as marketing and perception.
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The company that books DPAC I think is Nederlander and Iâm pretty sure their contract was arranged prior to DPAC opening. I donât think they can be separated but who knows. I think we should build a new larger theater than DPAC and see what happens!
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DPAC had several issues when it first opened as it cut down on cost by shorting the sound system. But it had the better contract (with Broadway shows that provided their own sound systems anyway), it eventually had the budget to fix any issues. Memorial is a good venue, but honestly half the battle is your lineup and itâs going into each season behind the 8-ball.
I donât think thatâs how any of this works hahaha - imagine the sh!tstorm the city would face if they approved building a giant new state of the art theater to compete with DPAC without actually having any guarantee in advance that it can compete with DPAC⌠and then just sits there empty and unused and draining funds. I think we just gotta accept that Durham has us beat with DPAC, and should focus our attention to other things that Durham cannot and will not be able to compete with (i.e.: Dix Park and the now world famous Dreamville Fest that is happening this weekend with the recent addition of 50 Cent!!!)
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Lemme guess, 50 because Chris Brown flaked in some new way - no foolinâ ?
There is not a bad seat in the house at DPAC. At Memorial, the back rows are waaaay back, you just about need binoculars. The seats in the âbalconyâ area on the sides are literally facing sideways, not even pointing at the stage. You have to crane your neck to see.
If you get front-and-center seats at Memorial, itâs fine, but the bad seats are really bad.
Sorry to say but while I love the aesthetics of Memorial, itâs a significantly inferior venue.
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DPAC is cavernous, and if you like the intimacy of Broadway plays, this venue is not a match. I canât see their faces. 
NC Theatre had quality productions at Memorial, but sadly NCT was claimed by long covid.
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Letâs look at this in a different way: Memorial Auditorium is just not built for touring shows. Itâs not, and I am saying that as someone who has performed there. Meymandi and Fletcher are two world-class venues, and should be highlighted more. Having performed in both, and seen performances in both, I can say that Raleigh is underrated in the classical music world. Memorial is fine for large gatherings, like graduations. It works like that.
IIRC, one of the perks when DPAC was being developed was that it would attract people from the Greensboro area and from Eastern NC. Whether that is the case, it does sit geographically well-located. This was before Greensboro built their own performance space.
I like DPAC. There are things to do around DPAC that are enjoyable, but I would love for Memorial to get one big show every now and thenâŚit just needs some updating.
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Iâve sat in that top mezzanine and thought that my seats sucked. I completely disagree that there isnât a bad seat in the house.
Also, I think that the concourse experience there is bad. Itâs entirely too small and poorly thought out for a new facility. Itâs a bad experience IMO.
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I like DPAC. It looks nice. I find getting the expensive seats helps. Lots to do nearby as well.
The seat I purchased was a late purchase for the show and the lower tiers werenât available. I have learned that lesson. I only buy orchestra now, but I donât go there very often at all.
I went to see A Christmas Carol there this year because I wasnât in town for the Raleigh showings. When the show finished, we couldnât find anything open to eat nearby in the direction we walked. It was a ghost town.
I am still not impressed.
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Sigur Ros is playing DPAC in the fall, Ill be sitting in the very last row but Iâm just glad to have tickets at face value. I think Memorial Auditorium could find success in going after shows like this.