I love new usage for old buildings, and this place is a classic example of that. It was previously the Collin County Courthouse, and it has been a excellently converted over to a performing arts center. I believe most of its usage is usually musical artists and small intimate concerts, but I was here to see a play. Specifically, I was watching "A Christmas Carol", a work I have always been fond of for my entire life. This was a special one hour adaptation of the play, written by Dr Andrew Harris. We did not come to McKinney specifically to see the play, but while we were there we were looking for a particular bookstore. Tiny Tim was outside the Performing Arts Center drumming up people to come in and watch the play when my wife asked him (really her) where we would find the bookstore. When we got to the bookstore, wouldn't you know, there was Dr Harris, doing an Author/Writer visit. How could we not take that as a sign and attend the play! Glad we did, it was a great experience! read more

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Old courthouse turned into an intimate music venue, this little place rocks. Literally tonight it rocked with blues revival artist Jax Hollow. She was born and raised in New York City by a firefighter father( injured in 911 and school teacher mother. After appearing on and doing well on the 14 Season of American idol, she's worked hard getting her musical career up to speed. Great performance tonight and after her very first Texas Performance,the Lone Star state wishes her all the best. The system keeps giving me error messages I apologize if this gets posted more than once read more

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Located in downtown McKinney in the center of the plaza is the old courthouse. It has been converted to a performing arts center where a variety of shows, live music, and art is shown. Get there early on nights when there is a show so that you can park directly on the plaza outside of the building. If you get there late, you can park for free on the side streets or in the free parking garage down the street on Virginia. It's a very short enjoyable walk along a broad sidewalk lined with interesting storefronts and restaurants. The downstairs of the courthouse had large pieces of art hanging. As we headed upstairs, we could see old black and white photos of what the courthouse and the City of McKinney looked like in the past. There were ushers on the second floor landing where we entered the courtyard theater. They checked off our names on paper and handed us a program. The said general admission allows us to sit anywhere. The floor was filled, but the wings still had openings. The stage was elevated at the front of the room. We arrived just in time. The band was lined up outside getting ready to make their entrance. We slipped past them and scored 2 seats on the wing in the third row back. The seats were wide wooden chairs with a thin cloth cushion. They were steady and comfortable enough for the hour that we were there. The main floor seats would have had a better view directly facing the band, but the wing was satisfactory since we didn't have to sit next to anyone. We could also quickly exit the venue at anytime without having to wait for others in the row to move. There appeared to be another floor above us with just balcony/wing seats. I'm guessing those seats were okay too, but offered a different, bird's eye perspective. Acoustics were great. The sound system was fantastic. The band had individual microphones for the different soloists that performed throughout the night. We could easily hear the instruments and the band members when performing, singing, or talking. This is not a state if the art performing arts venue. It's a community space used for a variety of performances. It is a unique venue that serves the needs of the local community and offers decent entertainment for the surrounding cities of North Texas as well. read more

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Boring, boring, boring Needs much better entertainment. I've lived in McKinney for over 30 years and was excited when this venue opened in the McKinney Courthouse. I attended once. The facility was poor. The show was ho-hum. I check the shows and events from time to time and it's a whole lot of stuff that might appeal to some seniors and family with young kids but holds nothing of interest for me. So sad that I have to travel distances for good community theater. read more

Great Day to attend a Bridal Show at this venue. 3 floors of vendors about 45 local vendors who support weddings. Lots of venues to choose from close to McKinney Texas. My 1st Bridal show and truly enjoyed each vendor and all they have to offer. Sample cocktails and food. Prizes for the bride and a fashion show! The center's elevator was broken made it tough for some attendees. read more

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Went to the Rocky Horror Picture Show last night for the first time in Texas. The Arts Center put on a great show even providing a prop bag ($10) and yelling out when a prop use was coming up for the newbies. There was a huge amount of props and the staff even threw more at us. It was the best showing of the movie I have ever experienced. I was amazed at how much was going on and how they allowed everyone to get so carried away. The staff is incredible. We got there very early because of the parking problem in downtown McKinney. Had dinner then walked over to pick up our tickets and bags. It was almost 2 hours before the show but they let us hang out in the lobby and set up the bar so we could buy refreshments. The bartenders told us ghost stories and were very entertaining. A great time and highly recommended. read more

McKinney Performing Arts Center - The Prop bag for Rocky Horror Picture Show - Performing Arts Near Me - McKinney, Texas

This old courthouse-turned-performing arts venue is an intimate place to see a show! A friend and I went to see the Indigo Girls this weekend, and it was the perfect venue to see those two! The staff was friendly and the sound was good. The seats weren't the most comfortable ever, and some of the seats in the balcony are situated close to the stage, but don't face it, which could be awkward or uncomfortable. Watch this place for your favorite performers, because it's a great venue for an intimate show with plenty of options for meals or drinks before or after the show. read more

I can't believe I drove an hour out here for a comedy show because it wasn't worth it. The staff from ticketing to ushers were really nice. This building was an old courthouse. The comedy show took place in the main court room. There was the stage and two levels of seating. It totally reminded me of the court house scene from "To Kill A Mockingbird" the movie. I came to see Four Funny Women do stand up comedy. They were so NOT funny. It was such a waste of my time coming all the way out there for this show. I was so disappointed. Luckily, I didn't pay for the tickets, so at least my wallet didn't burn. read more

Went to the MPAC last night for the Clint Black concert...simply one of the best evenings I have had in a long time. Couldn't have asked for a better venue. Of course I may be a little biased since we live close enough to walk there. There was a full house and everyone was in and seated very efficiently and volunteers were stationed to direct people to wherever they needed to go. Keep up the good work everyone! read more

McKinney Performing Arts Center - Clint Black 08/27/14 - Performing Arts Near Me - McKinney, Texas

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The McKinney Performing Arts Center is known locally as the MPAC. This is a great building and is open most of the time. There is a gallery in the basement that is frequently used for special events like receptions. Very pretty, with stone walls and good lighting for displaying art. There are lots of rooms on the first floor with high ceilings and hard wood floors. I think that they are available for rent but they are also used for special events. During the recent Collin County Art Show, the first floor was a veritable maze of artwork. The old courtroom has been converted to a theatre and is very pretty. I've attended a City Council meeting and a film screening there. I'm also planning on attending a musical there at the end of the month. They have a lot of different events scheduled - classic movies on Mondays, silent movies orchestrated by the Wurlitzer, all kinds of different performers. Some of the seats (along the back and sides) have cushions but most don't. They rent seat cushions for an additional dollar but I didn't feel like the seats were too bad if the performance is short. I wouldn't want to sit without a cushion for a long time. These are the original courhouse seats. The acoustics are very good. You can bring cushions with you if you want. read more

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Went for school field trip. They overbooked the venue and the parents of 4 schools sat in the balcony ( not with our kids ). The kids loved the play, but felt the center was poorly managed. read more

We used MPAC as a spot to hold our yearly graduation for our Pre-K students! The room we rented was wonderful! The historic location made for a nice event with great picture opportunities for our parents and students. The ladies at MPAC were very helpful in every way! We highly recommend doing business with MPAC and we will continue to rent space from them in the future! read more

Great reuse of this historic building, and glad to have local entertainment options. Really enjoyed a silent movie showing with the center's Wurlitzer organ - cool that they've collaborated with the NTC-ATOS to install and preserve such a unique piece of history. Was impressed to see multiple events going on in the other areas of the building, too...good quality of life investment by McKinney. read more