Ground Breaking - Willow Bend Center for the Arts home of Plano Children's Theatre and North Texas Performing Arts

PLANO, Texas – The Willow Bend Center for the Arts home of North Texas Performing Arts and Plano Children’s Theatre breaks ground at the Shops at Willow Bend on Wednesday, March 15th, from 5-7 p.m. in the front of their store.  In summer 2017, The Plano Children’s Theatre, the flagship of the North Texas Performing Arts family of theatres, has announced that it will be moving its operations to The Shops at Willow Bend, Plano’s premiere shopping experience. The theatres will be located on the upper level near Dillard’s. The Plano Children’s Theatre is scheduled to open at the mall June, 2017 and will be offering a full program of art, drama, dance and vocal classes and performances for youth ages 3 to 18.
 VIP's confirmed to attend: City Of Plano Mayor Pro Tem Lissa Smith, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Ben Harris, Councilman David Downs, Councilwoman Angela Miner, Councilman Rick Grady, Council Tom Harrison, Head of Neiman Marcus Charitable Giving, Kevin Hurst, Neiman Marcus and General Manager, Rusty Smith.
The “Willow Bend Center of the Arts” will house two “mainstage” theatres, two “black box” theatres, and five rehearsal studios, and a dance studio as well as a set build and costume shop and NTPA offices in the approximately 22,000-square-feet of space.
 
“We’ve been working on this with our friends with The Shops at Willow Bend and the Starwood Retail Partners for over a year and they have been incredibly supportive” says Darrell Rodenbaugh, President of the Governing Board of Directors.  “This move will fundamentally change the impact NTPA will have on the North Dallas region.”
 
“With the additional space, NTPA will be able to offer a variety of programs here that are currently not possible because of lack of space,” says Founder and Executive Director, Sara Akers. “New programs will include advanced training for a career bound students, a season of Repertory Theatre Company productions featuring adults and youth in age appropriate roles, therapeutic dance, art, and a full dance program. “
 
The Plano Children’s Theatre is a not-for-profit Plano institution with a history of twenty-six years of fulfilling a mission to develop the character of youth through the performing arts.  Last year the North Texas Performing Arts trained over 4,000 students and is the largest youth arts organization in North Texas.  NTPA, the NTPA provides arts opportunities for ages three to 18 years old with a mission of developing the character of youth through arts education and family entertainment. NTPA and PCT use the arts to help youth develop the character of youth’s life-long traits including confidence, creativity, communication skills, teamwork, integrity and good citizenship. The organization currently has offerings in Plano, McKinney, Frisco, Fairview and Dallas and the mall facility will become its new headquarters.
 
For more information, please go to www.northtexasperformingarts.org
 
Contacts:
Sara Akers
Executive Director/ Founder
sakers@ntpagroup.org
972 571-7626
 972 422-2575
Darrell Rodenbaugh
Governing Board President
darrellroden@yahoo.com
972 898-0950
 
 
 
PLANO, Texas – The Willow Bend Center for the Arts home of North Texas Performing Arts and Plano Children’s Theatre breaks ground at the Shops at Willow Bend on Wednesday, March 15th, from 5-7 p.m. in the front of their store.  In summer 2017, The Plano Children’s Theatre, the flagship of the North Texas Performing Arts family of theatres, has announced that it will be moving its operations to The Shops at Willow Bend, Plano’s premiere shopping experience. The theatres will be located on the upper level near Dillard’s. The Plano Children’s Theatre is scheduled to open at the mall June, 2017 and will be offering a full program of art, drama, dance and vocal classes and performances for youth ages 3 to 18.
 
The “Willow Bend Center of the Arts” will house two “mainstage” theatres, two “black box” theatres, and five rehearsal studios, and a dance studio as well as a set build and costume shop and NTPA offices in the approximately 22,000-square-feet of space.
 
“We’ve been working on this with our friends with The Shops at Willow Bend and the Starwood Retail Partners for over a year and they have been incredibly supportive” says Darrell Rodenbaugh, President of the Governing Board of Directors.  “This move will fundamentally change the impact NTPA will have on the North Dallas region.”
 
“With the additional space, NTPA will be able to offer a variety of programs here that are currently not possible because of lack of space,” says Founder and Executive Director, Sara Akers. “New programs will include advanced training for a career bound students, a season of Repertory Theatre Company productions featuring adults and youth in age appropriate roles, therapeutic dance, art, and a full dance program. “
 
The Plano Children’s Theatre is a not-for-profit Plano institution with a history of twenty-six years of fulfilling a mission to develop the character of youth through the performing arts.  Last year the North Texas Performing Arts trained over 4,000 students and is the largest youth arts organization in North Texas.  NTPA, the NTPA provides arts opportunities for ages three to 18 years old with a mission of developing the character of youth through arts education and family entertainment. NTPA and PCT use the arts to help youth develop the character of youth’s life-long traits including confidence, creativity, communication skills, teamwork, integrity and good citizenship. The organization currently has offerings in Plano, McKinney, Frisco, Fairview and Dallas and the mall facility will become its new headquarters.
 
For more information, please go to www.northtexasperformingarts.org
 
Contacts:
Sara Akers
Executive Director/ Founder
sakers@ntpagroup.org
972 571-7626
 
Darrell Rodenbaugh
Governing Board President
darrellroden@yahoo.com
972 898-0950