Author: Heather Ruiz

Blackhawk Plaza has been around since 1989 and recently sold to Southern California Investors. Ramanujan Group in Orange County bought the shopping center for a little over $38 million in April. This isn’t the first time the Plaza has been up for sale. It was previously owned by Los Angeles-based CenterCal Properties.

The Plaza has some competition from Bishop Ranch, which is seen from the freeway with easy access. Unfortunately, the Plaza is about 5 miles away from the freeway and not viewable. However, The Plaza sits near the beautiful Blackhawk Country Club and close to residents in the area. With the increasing numbers of new residents leaving the city and Southbay and purchasing homes in Blackhawk and Danville, this may be a positive for the Ramanujan Group.

The history of I Can Do That! Performing Arts Center:
Founders Shayna Ronen and Jarusha Ariel founded the I Can Do That Theatre Company in 2016 with the goal of raising the bar on youth musical theatre. In their 1,000 square foot studio they started with just 18 actors in their first cast and within a year had casts of over 50. For 4 years ICDT produced 4 musicals per year with approximately 50 cast members per production and also offered classes, workshops, and summer camps. Over those 4 years, Shayna and Jarusha realized that their students were looking for more than just theatre training. They were looking for a place to belong, to be accepted, and to create meaningful relationships. They realized their purpose was so much bigger than they had originally planned. As their mission grew, their vision grew to meet this new purpose. In 2020 ICDT made the leap to move to a 6,000 square foot location and expand their offerings to include more performing arts as well as community and wellness programming to give their local youth community the tools they need to become the empowered change-makers they are destined to be.

The Update:
Demolition is now complete, and walls are being constructed! The Center will have 3 large studio spaces for a multitude of performing arts, community, and wellness programming. In addition, a lounge/cafe is being built at the entrance to the Center where all are free to meet with their friends, do homework, and have a safe and healthy place to be. In this new space ICDT! will continue raising the bar in theatre arts education as they challenge and expand those interested in exploring the arts with more productions, classes, and workshops. They will begin hosting activities and events for the entire family such as karaoke nights, family dance parties, and open mic nights to create a more connected and supportive community. They will also begin offering wellness programming focused on the physical, mental, and emotional health of our youth, giving them access to local teachers and leaders with classes in meditation, yoga, journaling, stress management, and more.

Benefits to Danville:
This project will allow local youth to have a place to call their own. This new center will not only impact the lives of children, but it will also better the lives of adults as well. Our main population is families within a 20-mile radius who have and will be coming to the Center for various performing arts, community, and wellness programming. Our students will range in age from 1 year through 18 years and our general parent age is between 25 and 55 years old. We do imagine that by year two we will expand to allow for Senior Citizen programming as well and we will be able to expand our scholarship program to help our Tri-Valley Families who are not able to pay for our services. Through this expansion in programming, we will also be employing more and more teaching artists and providing an opportunity for adults to become part of this community as teachers and mentors to these students.

They just released social distancing class options:
in-person masked outside
in-person masked inside
virtual

Check out their website!