The Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson aims to reach new audiences while stabilizing its revenue in its upcoming Eisemann Center Presents season, executive director Ally Haynes-Hamblen presented to City Council on May 4.
Haynes-Hamblen proposed a $992,420 budget from the city for the upcoming 2026-2027 Eisemann Center Presents season.
The big picture
The Eisemann Center, which opened in 2002, hosts a range of theater, music and dance events as well as meetings, lectures, banquets and receptions. The Eisemann Center Presents programming are a majority of the music and theater shows and make up about a quarter of all center events.
The Eisemann is city-owned and -operated, meaning Richardson is responsible for all facility operations, maintenance, capital improvements and programming at the Eisemann. Haynes-Hamblen presented a budget deep dive on the entire Eisemann Center in February, where she said the center aims to reduce its reliance on city funding by increasing its earned and contributed revenue, including revenue through its Eisemann Center Presents season.
“We know that every Eisemann Center Presents season is the best there ever was, but we want each successive season to continue being even better than the season before,” Haynes-Hamblen said.
By the numbers
In the 2025-26 season, the Eisemann Center Presents program was short of its net budget by about $44,000, which Haynes-Hamblen said was largely due to several planned shows that did not materialize.
Haynes-Hamblen proposed a budget from the city of $992,420, about $340,000 more than last year. She said the program anticipates roughly $992,710 in revenue, largely from ticket revenues and fees.
For the upcoming Eisemann Center Presents season, Haynes-Hamblen said the center also aims to stabilize its revenue in the coming season by expanding memberships, sponsorship and repeat rentals as well as maximize existing events by filling more seats and growing ancillary revenue. Ancillary revenue is everything not included in the base rental invoice, including parking, ticket fees, concession sales, artist merchandise and catering fees.
The approach
Haynes-Hamblen said highlights from the 2025-26 season included additional multi-cultural offerings, collaborative presentations with local and national organizations and the launch of Eisemann Center Jazz, all of which she said brought new audiences to the center.
For the 2026-27 season, she said the center aims to continue hosting generationally and culturally diverse programming, with planned artists representing a multitude of countries and languages. Haynes-Hamblen said the upcoming season will also include more comedians and one-person plays, as well as performances that spotlight music history.
“We are really focused on making sure that our season is very diverse and that it represents a lot of wonderful cultures that we have here in Richardson,” Haynes-Hamblem said.
Haynes-Hamblen said the Eisemann will also promote its recently-earned Sensory-Inclusive Venue Certification from Kulture City. Recent upgrades under the certification include designating lobby areas as “sensory-friendly” with special furniture and identifying triggers ahead of performances and equipping staff with tools like ear plugs and fidget spinners.
What’s next
The Eisemann will host its Eisemann Center Presents season preview on May 7. The center also will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year, with a weekend-long celebration planned in September 2027.
