Treasured North Texas theater to close its doors forever amid financial distress, legal battle
HURST – The Artisan Theater's mission is to bring hope, joy, and optimism to those who love the arts. It's been doing that for two decades, but the light will go out due to an ongoing legal battle between the business owner and landlord. The treasure in the Hurst community will close its doors forever.
Amid the hustle and bustle outside North Richland Hills' Birdville High School comes the art of rehearsing the play "Anastasia."
"This is a show my wife picked out knowing she wouldn't be here to see it," Richard Blair said.
Blair founded the Artisan Theater with his wife DeeAnn in 2003.
"She got sick, and we finally discovered it was ovarian cancer. She passed from that," Blair said.
Recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for the nonprofit community theater to keep the doors open and pay rent to the landlord.
"We brought in a law firm. They came in and tried to help us negotiate. They tried to help us come to terms that we could settle and work with them on it. We'd fallen too much behind on our rent," Blair said.
Those with the theater said they showed up to find the doors locked in mid-March. Almost five months later, they're still locked, with the theater's belongings inside.
A benefit concert in April raised $25,000, but it's not enough to stay open.
Artisan Theater Executive Producer Renee Norris has been touched by the community support.
"Closing the theater, it's the end of an era, but there's just something so special about holding onto the memories that were shared for 21 years," Norris said.
Blair gave CBS News Texas a letter from the landlord. The letter reads Blair owes more than $58,000 in rent and everything inside the theater, including costumes, will be auctioned off to pay for it.
"We have almost 150,000 costume pieces," Blair said. "It's the largest I know of in Texas in one place."
The performers get ready for their final curtain call as the lights dim and are thankful for the memories the Artisan Theater gave them.
CBS News Texas reached out to the landlord for comment, but did not get a response.
You can watch the Artisan Theater's final performances at Birdville High School. They are this Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. You're encouraged to arrive an hour early to tour the extensive collection of pictures.
The actors, teachers, and those behind the scenes will have a new home at the Stand Performing Arts Ministry in Tarrant County.