2024 Bravo! Gala honors longtime Dallas arts supporter Matrice Ellis-Kirk

Set against the backdrop of various spaces in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, the 2024 Bravo! Gala welcomed 300 guests for an intimate evening of food, drinks, dancing, and a lively setlist of curated performances. This year’s Gala also honored longtime Center supporter and former Board Chair Matrice Ellis-Kirk. 

The event was co-chaired by current and immediate past board chairs Jill B. Louis and Danny Tobey. The welcoming cocktail hour featured performances from three of the Center’s resident companies — Texas Ballet Theater, The Dallas Opera, and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico. Dallas Theater Center’s Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company member Zachary J. Willis served as the evening’s emcee. 

The Center also honored Life Director and former board chair Matrice Ellis-Kirk. Ellis-Kirk has been involved with the Center’s work since its inception, serving as board chair from 2015-2020. Ellis-Kirk was accompanied by her husband, Ron Kirk, and two daughters Catherine and Elizabeth. 

After an onstage seated dinner, guests enjoyed a one-night-only performance from Dallas natives Cedric Neal — an original Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company member and Booker T. graduate — and Cherish Love Robinson. Local dance company B. Moore Dance, also a partner in the Center’s Elevator Project program, graced the stage during the performance with a specially commissioned piece performed to Neal singing Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”. The setlist crescendoed  into a rousing rendition of Al Green’s “Lean On Me,” with guests joining Cedric and Cherish on stage. 

The after-party was held in the PNC Members Lounge with DJ Endolena and featured espresso martinis and an interactive photo booth provided by Motus Booth. The Bravo! Gala is the Center’s largest annual fundraising event, bringing in more than $530,000 in philanthropic support this year.