Frisco ISD is less than a year away from unveiling its new Visual and Performing Arts Center, which will enhance student options throughout the district.
The approximately 65,000-square-foot building will have a large performance hall with approximately 1,150 seats, including upper-level balcony and box seating.
The $54.9 million facility, which was authorized by voters in a 2018 bond program, will also include a 2,000-square-foot gallery area meant to highlight rotating work from FISD students and to provide students with professional-level exhibition opportunities, authorities stated.
“From the beginning, this Visual and Performing Arts Center was intended to be a home for our fine arts programs,” said Preston Hazzard, FISD managing director of fine arts, via email.
About the project
The performance hall will improve fine arts education for all FISD students, said Brett Sumrow, principal and education sector leader at Corgan, in an email. The facility was designed in collaboration with Corgan, the center’s design firm, and FISD to understand the facility’s needs in order to create a professional-grade venue, he said.
“As always, the planning and design process was highly collaborative to ensure every aspect of the facility serves the needs of students and staff,” Sumrow told me.
He stated that the performance hall will seat roughly 1,150 people, with the option of adding moveable seats for more seating capacity. This will be a considerable increase over the district’s current high school auditoriums, allowing for more flexibility in holding large-scale events, he said.
Along with the concert hall and exhibition area, the facility will have two multipurpose rooms totaling 7,000 square feet. The multipurpose rooms can be used as locations for contests such as the University Interscholastic League (UIL).
A closer look
Hazzard previously told Community Impact that the district’s student opportunity model influenced the facility’s design.
As part of the student opportunity paradigm, the district operates more elementary, middle, and high schools. The district’s governing concept promotes student engagement by allowing a greater proportion of students to serve in leadership positions.
Officials stated that with fewer schools, there are fewer options for student organization roles.
Bob Zak, president of Theatre Frisco, stated in an email that students will benefit from the opportunity to work in a professional theater setting. He stated that fine arts students will have the opportunity to study by working with professional-level lighting systems, sound software, and other tools.
Assessing the influence
According to Zak, the new performing arts complex will give students firsthand experience with the discipline and expectations required in a professional theatre setting. Exposure to fine arts, such as music, theater, and visual arts, can help youngsters develop creativity and empathy, he said.
“Arts organizations create a sense of place and belonging, and bring people from different backgrounds together, enabling dialogue and understanding,” Zak told me.
Participation in fine arts has also been proved to benefit a student’s education. According to the Texas Cultural Trust’s 2025 State of the Arts Report, Texas students enrolled in arts programs are up to 46% more likely to meet Texas Success Initiative, or TSI, criteria.
According to the report, 94% of high school students who participated in arts programs went on to attend four-year colleges. FISD presently has 75% of middle school and 45% of high school students enrolled in fine arts programs for the 2025-26 school year.
District activities are planned to book the facility for more than 160 days each year. Community groups will also be able to use the facility.
Stay tuned!
Sumrow expects the Visual and Performing Arts Center to be completed and operational by the spring of 2026. FISD plans to hold grand opening celebrations later this school year, according to Hazzard.
“With this facility, we know the best is yet to come,” he told me. “I can’t wait to see our students performing and showcasing in this facility.”
