144. A Home for Arts and Culture in Lower Manhattan

Last year, the Perelman Performing Arts Center opened in New York City - the last major piece in the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site. Its opening marks a new chapter in the story of Lower Manhattan as a center of culture and creativity.

The space - dubbed PAC NYC for short - includes three theatres with movable walls and seats that expand and contort to create endless possibilities of layouts to stage a wide variety of shows. From a reimagination of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats to free programming on the lobby stage, PAC NYC’s inaugural year has hosted an impressive range of performances.

Over the past year, PAC has welcome around 200,000 guests into their building and hosted 238 separate free performances with artists from 24 different countries.

On this episode of Follow the Data, Katherine Oliver is joined by Khady Kamara Nunez, Executive Director of PAC NYC, and Bill Rauch, Artistic Director of PAC NYC, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the PAC's opening. Together, they discuss what drew them to working at this brand-new venue and what's to come for the Perelman Performing Arts Center.