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Artisan Center Theater ended its final summer academy with the production of “Seussical the Musical” on Aug. 4, 2024, at First United Methodist Church of Hurst. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)
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DeeAnn Blair wanted a family-friendly community theater.

She loved theater, but felt many plays featured content that did not align with her personal values. She turned to her husband, Rick Blair, with an idea: to start a theater aligned with her faith.

The couple and co-founder Dorothy Sanders, found a spot in North Hills Mall in 2003 then moved to Artisan Center Theater in Hurst two years later.

After nearly two decades, DeeAnn’s theater had its final curtain call Aug. 4. The theater’s landlord locked the building at 444 E. Pipeline Road in March 2024 because of overdue rent, according to a notice posted on the door of the space. 

Actors and producers say Artisan Center Theater was a unique feature in Tarrant County because its founder’s values were so intertwined with the company.

“She gave many young girls the power and strength to stand up for themselves and believe in themselves enough that they wouldn’t compromise their values,” Rick Blair said.

Fort Worth resident Jack Horton, 17, sings on stage during Artisan Center Theater’s production of “Anastasia” on Aug. 4, 2024. Jack played the character Dmitry Sudayev. (Courtesy photo | Richard Blair)

Parents chose to allow their children to audition for roles at Artisan because it shaped them into actors, said Renee Norris, the theater’s executive producer. Many of the children stayed with the company as they grew up and became adult cast members, she said.

Fort Worth resident Bella Lindsey, 17, has been with the company since 2020 and performed in the children’s show of “Aladdin Junior” in 2021.

“‘Aladdin Junior’ was really special because it was my first lead role,” Lindsey said. “Artisan has been believing in me since.”

Cast members considered each other more than colleagues, Lindsey said. 

“They just love me and it is my home and these people are my family,” Lindsey said. “I’ve never had the same experience at other theaters, and I want to keep coming back.”

Watauga resident Daniel Muka, 17, felt immediately accepted when he joined Artisan Center Theater in summer 2022 for the junior camp production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

“Going into Artisan, you don’t know a single person, but by the end of the week you’re calling someone your brother or sister,” Muka said.

A notice posted on Artisan Center Theater’s building states it was locked because of unpaid rent. (Georgie London | Fort Worth Report)

On April 13, in an effort to keep the theater open, an opera benefit concert raised over $25,000 for Artisan Center. The funds were not enough to pay the $57,000 owed to the landlord.

Rick Blair concluded that it was no longer worth the hassle and cost and decided to shut down the theater after the final production, he said. Without a physical theater, the company held classes at churches and performed at area high schools. 

In its two decades of operating, the theater has put on over 100 productions, 45 special events and 200 children’s shows, Blair said. 

Some of the plays produced include “The Sound of Music,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The theater closed with a production of Anastasia, a musical DeeAnn enjoyed.

DeeAnn didn’t get to see the play. She died April 12, 2022, from ovarian cancer.

“She had a sixth sense of knowing things like this, but I didn’t know it would be our farewell play,” her husband said. “If you follow ‘Anastasia,’ it’s about being thrown out and having to rebuild your life. What an appropriate story for her to send us out on.”

Georgie London is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at georgie.london@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

Artisan Center Theater, first founded in 2003, closed after a final production of “Anastasia” on Aug. 4, 2024, at Birdville High School. (Georgie London | Fort Worth Report)

Children watch Artisan Center Theater’s final summer academy production of “Seussical the Musical” on Aug. 4, 2024, at First United Methodist Church of Hurst. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)