North East School of the Arts is marking its 30th anniversary with a fall staging of Frozen: the Musical, opening Friday at Lee High School's Performing Arts Center in San Antonio. NESA students will bring the Disney story to the stage, with the school's instrumental music department providing the live musical component.
The production runs November 6–8 and again November 13–15 at the Lee High School Performing Arts Center, 1400 Jackson Keller Road, according to KENS 5. Friday's opening night also serves as the anniversary celebration, with pre-show entertainment beginning at 6:30 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. curtain.
A Broadway Homecoming for Opening Night
The opening-night program will include NESA alumnus Preston Perez, who played Hans in a Broadway production of Frozen, KENS 5 reported. Perez has also performed the role for San Antonio audiences: he appeared in a 2024 touring production that played the Majestic Theatre from May 22 to June 2. The San Antonio Express-News described that production as Tony-nominated, with new songs and realistic sets.
Perez's route to Broadway began in San Antonio. The Express-News reports that he found his interest in performing at Tejeda Middle School, went on to study musical theater at Texas State University and made his Broadway debut in 2022 in A Beautiful Noise. His appearance at NESA's anniversary event brings a former student back to the school as its current performers prepare their own production.
Themed Extras Planned for the Celebration
The NESA Partners event page advertises additional opening-night features, including pop-up performances by students playing Anna and Elsa in an Immersive Ice Cave VIP Room, themed refreshments and premiere seating.
This is not the first time NESA has marked a milestone with a splashy stage production. The school celebrated its 20th anniversary with a staging of The Phantom of the Opera, according to KLRN, establishing a tradition of pairing big anniversaries with ambitious theatrical showcases.
Three Decades of Arts Training in North East ISD
NESA began with its first class in 1996 on the Lee High School campus and has remained there as a magnet charter high school within North East ISD. The tuition-free program offers seven majors: musical theater, cinema, theater production, dance, visual arts, instrumental music and creative writing.
Access and pathways at NESA
According to the NESA Magnet School Program, the school welcomes students from both within and outside NEISD boundaries.
The program says its graduates commonly pursue arts-related college majors, including film production, dance, script writing and music composition, as well as professional roles on Broadway, in television, international orchestras and cruise lines. These details document NESA's access and graduate pathways; they do not provide a side-by-side comparison with other San Antonio arts programs.
NESA says its training is intended to prepare students for college and careers in the arts. Perez's return connects that goal to the school's 30-year milestone and gives current students an example of an alumnus who has gone on to professional performance.
