According to Andrew Noyes, president of the Noyes Fine Arts Foundation, Katy needs more drama. To that end, Noyes and his associates on the foundation's board of directors created an organization dedicated to bringing a semi-professional theater and performing arts school to Katy. The foundation is awaiting final approval and funding from a federal grant program in order to construct a theatre, which it plans to build near Katy Mills mall."Basically, we started the foundation because we wanted to bring different kinds of arts in Katy, " he said. "We knew we needed to build a venue and get the funds to do that."
The Noyes Fine Arts Foundation has already staged productions under the banner of The Katy Grand Theatre, relying on local churches and organizations to allow them to use space. In 2013, the Katy Grand Theatre produced a version of Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" as well as a Best of Broadway concert.
Once their theatre is complete, it will host a year-round season of semi-professional plays and musicals. Noyes said he anticipates the theatre would produce seven or eight shows each year, with each show running for 14-16 performances. The theatre would provide ample rehearsal space and seating for 400 audience members.
Previous Katy Grand Theatre productions have involved a mixture of experienced—even former professional—actors and singers as well as first-time performers.
"We'll have seasoned people in there, along with people who have never done it before, and that's what we take pride in," he said. "We can take people who have never done anything before, and by the end you'd never know it."
In the spirit of turning aspiring performers into seasoned veterans, the foundation is planning a performing arts school as a part of the larger theatre project. The school would teach a range of performing arts disciplines, including various styles of dance, singing and acting, Noyes said.
The Foundation has already seen success with the Katy Children's Choir, which is under the direction of foundation Vice President Dr. Debra Seibert. The choir was formed in 2012 and is open to Katy children from kindergarten to eighth-grade.
Another major objective is to start a city orchestra, Noyes said. The theatre would give the orchestra rehearsal and performance space.
To accomplish all of this, the Noyes Fine Arts Foundation applied for a grant from the US Department of Agriculture. Though Shakespeare and farming have little in common, the grant funds any facility that will help a community, which includes performing arts venues. The foundation expects to receive word on its funding sometime in the coming months, Noyes said.
"We had a lot of people saying that community theatre wouldn't work in Katy, but it's fun to see your dentist up there that you didn't know could sing and dance," he said.
Noyes Fine Arts Foundation
1723 Sparrows Ridge Court, Katy
281-903-6479
www.noyesfineartsfoundation.org
