MANSFIELD — The Performing Arts Program at PCTC has moved from Fourth Street, Mansfield to 166 Park Avenue West adjacent to the Renaissance Theatre. Currently there is a small parking lot and a building between the two buildings, however plans are in the process to raze the building and renovate the parking lot. The Performing Arts Program and the Renaissance Theatre will be working in collaboration to make this section of downtown Mansfield a hot spot for entertainment.

Students will be working in various areas of the Renaissance to enable them to learn about theatre. The Renaissance will be working in Theatre 166 (where the Pioneer students have classes, work on various performance events, and learn about entertainment in many different areas) using the various rooms for production of their performances.

Theatre 166 has a theatre room, technology room, several classrooms upstairs for the students to learn the basics such as English, Math, etc. and an instrument room. A recording studio is in the process of being finished for all to use at various times.

Recently the Shawshank Production staff met at Theatre 166 because they had used it to film parts of the movie Shawshank Redemption. The Black Box Theatre is in the main part of the building. It can be made into whatever the studio needs it to become. The black drapes surround the room and it has rows of seating for an audience.

The building also has a scene shop where different scenes can be shot with little effort.

Plans are in the process to make a dancing workshop in the basement of the building. Pioneer is working with several of their construction programs to save on costs with the remodeling of the building.

Students will be attending classes and work on their entertainment that is planned for the upcoming Crestline Harvest Festival which will include singing and music entertainment.