Allen Performing Arts Center
The Allen ISD Performing Arts Center is a premier performance and educational venue on the Allen High School campus in Collin County, which is located approximately 23 miles north of Dallas. The mission of the performing arts center is to support the educational and artistic development of all students while providing a state of the art performance venue for the use of various organizations. The center is committed to providing diverse, quality entertainment for the residents and families of Allen and surrounding communities.
The Center opened its doors in the fall of 2011, is owned by Allen Independent School District, and is managed by the District’s Operations Department. In 2008, a select community group called Project Kids, was asked to assess the need for fine arts spaces in Allen ISD. After extensive research and broad community input, Project Kids recommended the creation of a quality, state of the art performance venue on the Allen High School campus to expand the educational and cultural benefits for each arts entity. In 2009, the citizens of Allen approved a bond package that authorized construction of the new venue. The Center features a proscenium theatre with 1,500-seats on the main floor and balcony. It is also equipped with state of the art lighting, audio and video capabilities. Technical features include a motorized acoustic curtain draping system used to brighten or dampen the acoustics as needed. The venue also offers designated dressing rooms, a multipurpose backstage area, a scene shop, and a green room.
In addition to the performance space, the Center includes a spacious commons area that looks into the broadcast studio, campus store, and the Culinary Arts Department’s restaurant, Blu. Other fine arts spaces in the Center include band, choir, orchestra, and dance rehearsal halls along with a black box theatre and an art gallery featured on the second floor of the lobby. From meetings and conferences to performances and banquets, the Performing Arts Center has hosted a wide variety of events with outstanding reviews. The architectural firm PBK, theatrical consultants Fisher Dachs Associates, and acoustical consultants BAI designed the Allen ISD Performing Arts Center. Architects PBK were awarded the TASA/TASB Design Award in 2012 for their design. In February 2014, the Center was awarded the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Irving’s Grace Note Award in recognition of the Center’s mission to help make North Texas a center for the performing arts.
