Houston Family Arts Center plans black box theater

The Houston Family Arts Center recently announced that construction has begun on a new black box theater for its Children's Theatre and Actors Academy programs.

The new stage venue, according to an HFAC press release, is being undertaken to alleviate the challenges of the current stage, which impedes viewing for audience seats in the back and hides actors that perform high upstage.

The project design team is being led by Shundra Harris, who designed the Garza Mainstage. A black box theater is traditionally painted black and everything is moveable. Seating can be arranged on any or all sides of the space. This model challenges actors to move and speak in order to engage an audience seated right in front and in all conceivable directions. The space also allows for quick transitions and reduces the amount of set needed in each show.

"By building a black box, we take the pressure off of design teams to fill a small stage with scenery for our Academy actors, and we push those same actors to create the scene themselves," said Lisa Garza, assistant artistic director of HFAC, in the press release. "This should make an immeasurable difference to the quality and the number of shows that can be produced every season."

The Houston Family Arts Center and Actors Academy is at 10760 Grant Road, Houston.

For more information, call 281-685-6374 or visit www.houstonfac.com.

HFAC is a nonprofit organization established to enhance creative community involvement in affordable, high-quality, family-friendly live theater for actors and audiences of all ages.