For the past 30 years, North Texas Performing Arts has been providing opportunities for children and teens to express themselves on stage, driven by their belief that every child should have their voice heard. North Texas Performing Arts launched NTPA Studios in 2022 as a continuation of this mission.

Led by industry professionals, NTPA Studios allows young people to produce full-length films. This hands-on program provides training and mentorship for both actors and film technicians as they experience the art of filmmaking.

NTPA Studios Program Director Greg McKnight, who leads the technical theatre labs for each production, said his passion for film comes from his dad.

“As children, growing up we were always surrounded by film and watching everything film related,” he said. “After working in film and theatre professionally for 20 years, I wanted to find a way to share that experience with students, creating an opportunity for more methods of storytelling at NTPA, and that’s how we developed NTPA Studios.”

The process begins with a student application where actors submit an audition video and technicians submit any previous experience. Students are assigned roles on the cast or crew, and the two teams work together over a series of 10-12 weeks to produce, perform and edit the film.

At the end of the program, NTPA hosts a movie premiere at a local theater for the students and their families to see their final projects.

“They get to see themselves on the big screen and in the film credits and it's a pretty powerful experience,” said NTPA CEO Darrell Rodenbaugh. “This is just another way we fulfill our vision.”

Participants in this program get “a very different experience from working on stage,” Rodenbaugh said. Students learn technical skills such as lighting, sound, makeup, editing and special effects.

Those technical skills are highly sought after right now, Rodenbaugh said. For students who want to pursue acting as a career, having film production on their resume makes them stronger candidates.

“A student explained to me just about six weeks ago that they'd gotten a callback because they had prior video experience,” Rodenbaugh said. “It allowed them to stand out above and beyond other kids they were competing with because it's a unique skill.”

The NTPA Studios program is beneficial for students who pursue other careers as well. NTPA integrates its “Ten Characters” leadership development model into the program. In addition to technical skills, students learn life skills like teamwork, leadership, responsibility, respect and self-confidence.

This year, NTPA Studios will launch their inaugural NTPA International Youth Film Festival allowing students from around the globe to submit short films for a festival in Plano.

McKnight said the film festival is exciting because it gives teens the opportunity to tell their own stories, versus telling pre-written stories in the Studios program.

Rodenbaugh said the festival is for youth only and will be judged by industry professionals.

“We're excited about this because we think it's a one-of-a-kind program,” he said.

Submissions for the festival will open in October, with the festival premiere to be held in February 2024 at the Courtyard and Cox Theaters in downtown Plano.

“For many of our students working in film, television and commercials is an accessible way to make a living in the performing arts,” Rodenbaugh said. “By providing this early education, we hope to give them valuable experience and an advantage in a competitive postsecondary film career.”

NTPA Studios meets inside the Shops at Willow Bend at 6121 W Park Blvd., Ste. B 216 Plano. To learn more about North Texas Performing Arts, their studios program or their upcoming film festival, visit https://ntpa.org/.

The above story was produced by Mary Katherine Shapiro with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.