Paul Baker, the founding artistic director of the Dallas Theater Center, has died at 98, just a few days before the official opening of the Wyly Theatre, the DTC’s new home. Baker’s daughter, Robyn Baker Flatt, is the founder and artistic director of Dallas Children’s Theater, where a memorial will be held in December.
Current DTC artistic director Kevin Moriarty met with Baker soon after taking the position, and last summer, for the 50th anniversary of the DTC, hosted a panel that included all former artistic directors or their representatives; Baker appeared in a prerecorded message, and Flatt sat on the dais.
I am greatly saddened at the passing of Paul Baker. As a member of the very first graduating class of the Booker T. Washington school for performing arts (class of `77), and as the first and only student (at that time) to major in technical and lighting design, I had the opportunity to work with Paul on design projects at both the Booker T. and Kalita Humphreys theatres. He strongly believed not only in collaboration, but indeed full integration of all the arts to form a unified whole.
We have lost one of the pioneers of theatre arts in Texas, and much like Margo Jones before him, his influence will live on. Surely, the lights on stages all over Dallas will glow a bit dimmer.