#5 Culture Club

Things to love about the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Hard-working musicians, actors, dancers and other show folks may swoon off-cue when they roam the corridor dubbed “The Alley.” This back-of-house passageway to dressing rooms, costuming and other performer spaces is flooded with natural light from 10-foot-wide skylights that run 450 feet along the corridor. Kathy Ramsberger, Dr. Phillips Center president who’s led the project since 2002, says it was “a good business decision to make sure that the people who work here will have a great experience.” Behind-the-scenes amenities cater to artists, stage crews and shop workers with a “Starbucks-style lounge,” wardrobe and dressing areas brightened by natural light. The costume shop features state-of-the-art steamers and on-the-job tailors ready to make repairs so that the show can go on without a hint of wardrobe malfunction.

An arts center open house for the community is set for Nov. 8-9. For details about opening events and shows, go to drphillipscenter.org.