Summer Performing Arts Company
The Summer Performing Arts Company (SPA) is a summer theater program in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is part of the Grand Forks Public Schools. SPA began in 1987 as a voice lesson and performance program for high school students. Today it serves more than 1,000 students from elementary through high school and puts on one to three mainstage productions each summer at Red River High School and Central High School. Other venues have included the Chester Fritz Auditorium at the University of North Dakota and the Empire Arts Center in downtown Grand Forks. In addition to the mainstage shows, SPA offers accredited high school classes, a middle school/junior high program, and an elementary program. The Grand Cities Children’s Choir operates as a division of SPA and features several choirs with concerts and tours.
SPA is an eight-week summer arts program for students in Grand Forks and nearby communities. Instructors come from the local area, including the Grand Forks Public Schools and the University of North Dakota, along with guest teachers from across the country. SPA produces several theatrical performances and a concert series each year, and offers many classes in vocal and instrumental music, visual arts, and technology. Students can also take individual voice or instrument lessons. The program is part of Grand Forks Public Schools, and students can earn high school graduation credits.
Elementary SPA (grades K-5) is a two-week workshop filled with drama games and creative activities. Students develop characters, create plays, and perform for each other, with a public performance on the last day. Middle School SPA (grades 6-7) runs four weeks and focuses on drama, dance, and music. It emphasizes learning and process, with the final show showing what they have learned. High School SPA (grades 8-11) lasts about two months, with hours that vary.
High school programs also include the SPA Mentoring Program, designed to help students build positive relationships with peers and adults. All SPA participants can take part in mentoring, and at-risk students can be referred by a counselor, teacher, or parent to receive one-on-one help from trained mentors.
From 1987 to 2007, about 6,537 students took part in Elementary SPA. When combined with other SPA programs and the Grand Cities Children’s Choir, about 11,754 students have participated from 1987 to 2007. In 1988, SPA had 30 participants and 13 staff members; in 2007 there were 1,333 students and 50 staff members. A student who starts in kindergarten or first grade and stays through high school spends roughly the equivalent of a full school year in SPA. SPA has given more than 325 public performances to over 111,500 audience members and has had 904 staff members, including 456 alumni. The program is known nationally for Keep the Faith, a musical written by SPA staff and local composers after the 1997 Red River flood. After the 10-year anniversary performance, former FEMA director James Lee Witt suggested taking the musical to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:28 (CET).