Actor Durning to Help Dedicate Arts Tix Booth

Charles Durning, three-time Emmy Award nominee and two-time Academy Award nominee, best known for his roles as the high-stepping governor in “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and Jessica Lange’s father in “Tootsie,” will join Mayor Maureen O’Connor at the opening of a permanent Times Arts Tix booth at the southwestern corner of Horton Plaza today.

The dedication, which is open to the public, begins at 11:45 a.m. and continues until 12:30 p.m., and will feature selections from the Starlight Musical Theatre’s production of “The Sound of Music,” which opens tonight at the Starlight Bowl.

In its three years at its temporary site at the Spreckels Theatre, Times Arts Tix, founded and operated by the San Diego Theatre League and Foundation, has returned $1 million to local arts organizations through its sale of more than 80,000 half-price day-of-show tickets and full-price advance sales for more than 70 theater, music and dance companies in San Diego.

The new booth is a $166,000 facility built on land donated by the Hahn Co., owners of Horton Plaza.

Durning, a veteran of more than 100 plays, films and TV shows, heard about the Times Arts Tix Booth from the Celebrity Outreach Foundation in Los Angeles, an organization that the San Diego Theatre League contacted in the hope of enlisting support for its opening ceremonies. The actor recently completed filming “Dick Tracy” with Warren Beatty.

The Los Angeles Times San Diego County Edition, along with the Times Mirror Foundation, provided Arts Tix with a $75,000 capital gift toward the booth.