Artisan Center Theater produces Broadway-style musicals in our 195-seat theater-in-the-round on the Main Stage. Additional plays, musical reviews and special events take place in our new 143-seat thrust stage theater called Second Stage. This theater is also the home of Artisan Children's Theater which produces high-quality shows where children perform for children.  

 

As part of our mission to "create opportunities to experience uplifting family-friendly theater," Artisan offers a complete program of theatrical education, dance and performing arts classes throughout the year.

 

Artisan Center Theater produced our first show, Steel Magnolias, March 28, 2003 in the space originally known as Birraporetti's Restaurant in the North Hills Mall located in North Richland Hills, Texas. The mall was closed in 2005 forcing Artisan to find a new location with only 48 hours notice. DeeAnn Blair remembered the unoccupied Belaire Theater and the space around it located on Pipeline Road and Brown Trail in Hurst. A lease was signed, a crew of volunteers joined a very small workforce, and renovations began. The fire marshall allowed one more performance in the North Hills Mall (on New Years Eve 2004) whis was the opening and closing for Nunsense in our original home. The Lutheran Church in Richland Hills, Texas graciously offered their gymnasium for the next few performances while the original Pizza Inn space in Hurst was renovated for Artisan to occupy. Nunsense finished the run in our new location 12 days after construction began.  Nunsense will always hold the unique distinction of having played in three different locations during the same run. It is also the only production in our history that was created to be a "road-show".

 

Artisan has continued to grow in both size and attendance since relocating in 2005 and now occupies 28,000 sq. ft. and enjoys over 90,000 visitors per year making Artisan the largest community theater in North Texas. In 2013, the theater began a major remodeling project costing over $800,000 in materials and labor, much of it donated from generous patrons and friends of the theater.

 

The original Mission Statement and Guiding Principles remain the foundation for Artisan Center Theater’s growth and demonstrate the continuing need for family-friendly entertainment in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and our commitment to it. 

 

 

IRS Non-Profit EIN 81-0575548