NTPA Announces New NTPA Dallas Program Director

North Texas Performing Arts is pleased to announce that Christian Robert Black has been named Program Director for the North Texas Performing Arts - Dallas Theatre. NTPA - Dallas is the fastest growing of NTPA's youth theatres, and will produce over twenty productions in 2019 under Christian's Leadership. Christian is an NTPA success story; his passion for the theatre ignited in his teens as a student in the Plano Children's Theatre.

A theatrical veteran of 15 years, he earned his Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Drama from the Peggy Dow Helmerich School of Drama at the University of Oklahoma in Spring 2016. This led him to a year-long artistic fellowship at the Tony-Award winning Dallas Theater Center, and he returned to NTPA to direct over a year ago as a Director, then promoted to Resident Director last spring.

Christian also has some significant professional acting credits in the DFW Metroplex and beyond including "Mercutio" in Romeo and Juliet, "David Warren" in Dear Delinquent, "Alistair Spenlow" in Move Over, Ms. Markham, and more. "In his time back with us, we have seen a Director with a huge heart that wants to make an impact on every single child he meets," says NTPA Chief Executive Officer Darrell Rodenbaugh. "He personifies what it means to 'develop characters' and we look forward to his great success in this new role."

Christian will assume this role effective January 1, 2019, and will report to Frisco/Dallas Managing Director Lindsey Lederer. Together with a strong Dallas Management Board led by Chairperson Kris Murphy, Christian will be responsible for continuing the successful growth of the Dallas program. He will continue to direct shows throughout NTPA in 2019.