North Texas Performing Arts Names Mike Mazur Vice President Of Youth Theatres

As North Texas Performing Arts continues to work to fulfill its mission to develop the character of youth through performing arts education and quality entertainment, they rely upon a dedicated staff of professionals to support the programs that "develop characters" of over 11,000 youth each year. NTPA has announced that Mike Mazur will be overseeing the largest youth theatre organization in the country as NTPA's Vice President of Youth Theatres.

Mike Mazur has been part of the NTPA family for over seven years, having led NTPA - Plano (formerly Plano Children's Theatre) since 2015. He took on the additional role of Head of School for the NTPA Academy in 2020, and was promoted to Vice President in 2021.

In this role, Mike will oversee the Plano, Fairview, Frisco, Dallas, and Southlake youth theatres, the NTPA Academy, and their management, artistic staffs and programs.

Before joining NTPA, Mike worked as an educator, theatrical director, writer, and choreographer in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and California. He earned his Bachelor's in English, Speech and Drama Education from Bowling Green State University in his home state of Ohio and earned his Master's in Musical Theatre Writing from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Mike instructed theatre at the Middle and High School arenas, and taught in the California State University system for a decade.

"Mike personifies our Ten Characters and has a passion for excellence. His dedication to our mission and love and care for our youth together with his experience and credentials make him the perfect leader of our youth programs," says CEO Darrell Rodenbaugh.

Mike was integral to the transition of Plano Children's Theatre to North Texas Performing Arts - Plano, was central to our move to Willow Bend Center of the Arts, and has been a leader and spokesman for NTPA to the North Texas community. Under his leadership, NTPA's Plano operations have grown 54%.

Mike taught in the NTPA Academy since its inception, and as its Head of School successfully led it through the through the pandemic, managing the process of pivoting all classes to online learning in the spring of 2020 and executing NTPA safety protocols across the Academy, so students could return safely to in-person learning in fall 2020. He also created the NTPA Academy Master Class Series, a favorite among students, which brings in a different guest artist from Broadway and Hollywood each week to speak to students about their career and experiences in the performing arts.

Mike has also been central to the success of NTPA Community Theatre, having directed its inaugural program of "Sound of Music" and participated in or directed NTPA's Christmas tradition of "Scrooge - The Musical" for eight seasons.

About North Texas Performing Arts:

North Texas Performing Arts (NTPA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to developing the character of youth through quality performing arts education and family entertainment. NTPA evolved from Plano Children's Theatre founded three decades ago and is now the largest youth theatre organization in the country. NTPA is headquartered at Willow Bend Center of the Arts in Plano and has additional performance and educational spaces in Fairview, Frisco, Dallas and Southlake. Each year NTPA provides opportunities to more than 11,000 students ages three to 18 through its "Ten Characters" leadership development program. NTPA's professional artistic staff uses theatre, dance, music, voice, film and TV to ignite a lifelong passion for the performing arts and guide young people on a path to becoming better citizens in our community and our world.