Celebrate Plano’s vibrant art scene at the Collaborative Arts of Plano’s upcoming Celebrate the Arts 2023 show

On August 19, those who buy a ticket to Plano’s Courtyard Theatre will have the unique opportunity to see beautiful ballet, stirring theatrical performances, moving music and captivating art, all for one price.

Each of those exciting experiences and more will be part of the Collaborative Arts of Plano’s (CAP) Celebrate the Arts 2023 show. The show spotlights 17 CAP organizations by giving them each a chance to display their unique talents in a series of seven-minute performances, according to CAP President Sara Egleston Akers.

Akers explained that attendees can see dancing, choir numbers and scenes from current plays running right now at theaters in the area starting at 6:30 p.m. at the show. After the performances, the celebration will then move to a reception at the ArtCentre of Plano where attendees can view some of the artistic installations at its current “Texas Sculpts II” exhibition.

In total, it’s a cross-section of cultural experiences the likes of which Akers said became a hit with attendees last year.

“Last year, everybody that came loved it because it was a great way to see (each organization) in one night,” Akers said. “Everybody walked away being impressed with the vibrancy and the cultural richness of the organizations that we have here in Plano.”

This year’s Celebrate the Arts show comes at a unique time for the CAP as it looks to partner with the Plano City Council on a cultural arts plan that will help continue to promote that vibrant art scene.

Akers described how the CAP grew from the Plano Arts Coalition in an effort to help local arts organizations continue to collaborate with one another while also becoming a unified voice in the advocacy for a cultural arts plan.

“It’s allowed us to come together and to share, collaborate and learn from each other,” Akers said of the CAP.

The organization’s efforts are close to Akers personally as, prior to her role at the CAP, she founded the Plano Children’s Theatre which became the North Texas Performing Arts (NTPA). She served as executive director at the NTPA for over two decades before eventually transitioning to work as the vice president of community outreach.

Now, Akers is part of a team helping steer an organized effort to promote not only the NTPA in the community, but all of the arts in Plano.

Currently, the CAP is already seeing those efforts pay off thanks to the development of a volunteer art ambassador program seeking volunteers.

Akers also hopes to see the cultural art plan continue to take shape in the coming months as she discussed the city’s support of the concept. The CAP notes that the Plano City Council has already confirmed, “their financial support in connection with the costs of hiring an arts plan consulting firm” in a February update posted to its website, a development echoed by Akers.

“I think it sends a very important message to businesses that are located in Plano now, and business leaders and community leaders, about the importance of the arts in our daily lives,” Akers said of the plan.

Keep an eye on the Collin-Denton Spotlighter for more information about the Collaborative Arts of Plano and the proposed cultural plan. To purchase tickets to the Collaborative Arts of Plano Celebrate the Arts 2023 show, visit Plano Stages’ OvationTix here.