Stone Oak Youth Theatre rebrands as Northside Performing Arts Center
In September of this year, Stone Oak Youth Theatre will be celebrating five years in business. The company is marking the occasion by rebranding as Northside Performing Arts Center.
Owner and Executive Director, Mary Claire Becan, began teaching classes as Stone Oak Youth Theatre in 2008, holding a musical theater class for seven children in a rented church space. Within two months, the group had grown to 35 students, prompting Becan to seek out a more permanent location. Less than a year later, the student population had grown to nearly 150 and the company expanded into a second suite in the shopping center where they are still housed.
Now instructing more than 200 students each semester, a name change follows the progress and growth of the company’s offerings. Aside from performing arts classes for kids and teens, Northside Performing Arts Center now offers Theatre For Young Audiences, performed by local, professional actors, and will begin offering entertainment for the whole family this fall.
“The new name gives us opportunity for more growth,” Becan says. “We want people to know that even though we are based in the Stone Oak area and have gained recognition for our youth programs, we are here to bring entertainment to a larger portion of the community.”
Artistic Director Lizel Sandoval agrees, adding, “Changing our name to Northside Performing Arts Center gives us more opportunities as a community organization. We will always be a safe and encouraging place for kids and teens to learn, but we want to become a place where families can come to see their friends and neighbors on stage in a production. The new name better serves our community-building purpose.”
New to the schedule for the 2013-2014 Season of mainstage shows are a murder mystery in the fall, a musical in the winter, and an undetermined spring production. These mainstage productions differ from Northside Performing Arts Center’s usual productions, which are open only to youth performers. These productions will involve volunteer adult members of the community, who will be selected by audition.
Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment