North Texas Performing Arts, the largest non-profit youth theatre in the country announces the opening of its services in the Southlake/Grapevine area. Headquartered in Plano, TX, and celebrating it’s 30-year Anniversary, this new opening joins youth theatre locations in Plano, Fairview, Frisco and Dallas in offering performing arts productions and classes to families in the Southlake, Grapevine, and surrounding areas.
NTPA will be producing its inaugural production of Annie Jr. this fall and is inviting youth grades 1-12 to audition for this exciting premiere. Auditions will be held in-person and by video submission in September. The production will rehearse at Dana’s Dance Studio in Southlake and perform at Grapevine’s historic Palace Theatre, November 18-21.
“We are excited to bring thirty years of educational youth theatre experience to Tarrant County and know there is incredible talent there deserving to have their voices heard onstage,” says NTPA CEO Darrell Rodenbaugh. “We can’t wait to make available this unique and powerful opportunity for a child to take the stage in the historic Palace Theatre in what will be a fun, fulfilling and safe extra-curricular activity this fall.”
For families interested in learning more, NTPA is offering free UpSTARt Workshops on August 6 and 20 at Dana’s Dance Studio in Southlake. The free program includes a 90-minute high-energy, and fun-filled student audition prep workshop that will give future actors the confidence to “take the stage” and the training so that they know what to expect throughout the audition process. The student session is followed by a 30-minute parent briefing talking through what it means to be an NTPA parent, expectations and possible next steps.
“Acting in an NTPA show is a fun and exhilarating experience where students learn critical stage and performance skills and form great friendships all while learning important life skills,” says NTPA Vice President of Youth Theatres Lindsey Lederer, herself once an NTPA student. “The NTPA 10 Characters are at the core of everything we do. These 10 life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and confidence allow us to teach our students not only how to act, sing or dance, but also how to be better human beings. The most common feedback from our students is ‘there is nothing else I’ve ever done that’s better prepared me for life.’”
This exciting production of Annie Jr. will be directed by NTPA Resident Director Morgan Haney, a Dallas-based actor and director with a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre from Oklahoma City University, one of the leading theatre arts schools in the country. Morgan is a two-year veteran of NTPA with deep experience in teaching and directing youth performers.
Founded thirty years ago, NTPA’s mission is to develop the character of youth through quality performing arts education and family entertainment with a vision to light the passion of the performing arts for our youth, and ensure all youth have the opportunity for the profound experience of taking the stage and having their voices heard. NTPA offers generous need-based scholarships to broaden the impact of its programs.
NTPA provides best-in-class performing arts experiences, led by degreed-professional arts educators, who embody and teach NTPA’s “10 Characters” of Teamwork, Leadership, Responsibility, Respect, Confidence, Integrity, Discipline, Gratitude, Positive Attitude, and To Love One Another.
North Texas Performing Arts will be producing some 170 productions and over 1,200 performances in 2022 in its theatres in Plano, Fairview, Frisco, Dallas, and Tarrant County and in addition to youth productions, is the home of the award-winning NTPA Repertory Theatre, providing Broadway-quality productions in the DFW area suburbs. NTPA was also a pioneer in the use of drama as a means for therapy now delivered by its Starcatcher therapeutic performance troupe. NTPA offers a wide variety of supporting programs from its Collegiate Pursuits college prep program to its ACE advanced performer’s troupe and its full-time NTPA Academy, a full and part-time conservatory for those youth in middle and high schools desiring specialized full-time performing arts instruction.
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