March 8, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kris Rose
Performing Arts Center
(805) 756-7223

Performing Arts Center to Host its Millionth Ticket-Holder Saturday

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The millionth ticket-holder will pass through the doors of the Performing Arts Center’s Christopher Cohan Center Saturday night.

“We don’t know exactly who that person will be, but we do know that our millionth customer holds a ticket to the ‘Symphonic Blockbusters’ performance,” explained Ron Regier, Director of the Performing Arts Center.

The $30 million, 91,500-square-foot Performing Arts Center opened in November 1996 on the Cal Poly campus. It incorporates the pre-existing 497-seat Alex and Faye Spanos Theatre (formerly the Cal Poly Theatre) and the Cohan Center’s 1,300-seat Harman Hall, 170-seat Philips Hall, and the Pavilion, a multi-purpose venue.

The Performing Arts Center is the result of a funding partnership between Cal Poly, the City of San Luis Obispo and the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center. Each provided funds for the construction of the center in the early 1990s and continue to support its operating costs.

Members of FPAC and other donors have been invited to Saturday’s performance by the Cal Poly Symphony, and there will be a short ceremony noting the milestone during intermission. “Hosting our millionth ticket-holder is very exciting for us, and we want to make it special for some of the people who helped us get to this evening,” Regier said.

The soaring Christopher Cohan Center, which houses the 1,300 seat Harman Hall, was named in honor of Golden State Warriors owner Christopher Cohan, who donated $2.6 million toward the center’s construction.

The PAC now hosts more than 300 events every year. Shows include a full annual season of touring Broadway shows, national dance companies, vocal artists and comedians brought by Cal Poly Arts, and frequent appearances by big-name entertainers between performances in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is also home to large performances by local groups including the San Luis Obispo Symphony, San Luis Obispo Civic Ballet, the Mozart Festival, and the Vocal Arts Ensemble.

For the latest news on Performing Arts Center listings and events, visit the Cal Poly News Events Web page at www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/eventsindex.html or Cal Poly Arts’ Web site at: www.calpolyarts.org. The Performing Arts Center Web site also offers online ticketing and a calendar of performances at its Web site, www.pacslo.org. For more information about Cal Poly, visit its Web site at www.calpoly.edu.

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Editors: The short ceremony will feature remarks by PAC and FPAC leaders as well as community members during intermission, approximately 8:30 to 8:45 p.m. Photographers are welcome to shoot photos during admission or the performance. Please call Kris Rose at the above number to let her know in advance if you are sending a photographer.