The Frisco ISD Board of Trustees approved a final budget of $54.9 million for the construction of a fine arts facility utilizing funds from the 2018 $691 million bond package
The project will start construction during summer of 2024 with an expected completion date in 2026. Located near Hunt Middle School, the center will provide FISD fine arts students with approximately 1,200 seats with upper balcony seating (twice the maximum capacity of current high school auditoriums), two multipurpose labs, a fine arts office suite, an art exhibit gallery, and back of house support spaces.
According to FISD’s Managing Director of Fine Arts Preston Hazzard the project is designed to be a hub for its art programs.
“We’re not just looking at the performance hall, but we’re looking at all the spaces in the facility and being able to increase programming opportunities because we’ll have a centralized home,” Hazzard said to Community Impact.
For sophomore and orchestra student, Rupal Shirpurkar, the extra space the center will provide is especially beneficial for competitions and for a professional experience.
“I think [the project] is a great idea, especially for competitions,” Shirpurkar said. “I think that the new center will give us a more realistic idea of what performing would really feel like at a professional level. Unlike our high school auditoriums’ limited space.”
More accommodating spaces for the tech crew like larger booths and multiple dressing rooms is something sophomore tech student Lexi Holding would like to see. .
“For the tech crew, I would like to see bigger booths since a lot of high schools that theater currently performs in have very cramped and limited spaces,” Holding said. “I also would like to have more than just one girls’ dressing room and one boys’ dressing room. Having several and possibly even general dressing rooms would be very helpful for people who have to run back and forth.”
The construction of the performing arts center represents recognition of the importance of fine arts for sophomore Ana Ortiz.
“I think the new fine arts center is a great idea,” Ortiz said. “I like how it recognizes the importance of fine arts since we often aren’t acknowledged as much as academic and sports programs. It gives us our own space where we can show our talents.”
