NEXT ON OUR STAGE:

The 2026 Senior-Directed Showcase:

RECKONINGS

Scenes from Landmark works of modern theatre

Sat 5/16 @ 7PM & sun 5/17 @ 1PM

Fine Arts BUilding TheatrE

Admission is Free

OUR MISSION

Preparing Gifted and Talented Students for Post-Secondary Colleges and Careers through the Performing Arts.

performance theatre

The Performance Theatre major is designed for young actors who are serious about their craft. The performance training is Stanislavsky-based and incorporates techniques designed to help the students explore the full potential of their own unique resources. When students leave McCallum, they have a broad range of experiences and are prepared for success in university, conservatory, and/or professional theatre. 

Curriculum

• Acting for Stage a & Screen

• Scenework and Monologues

• Improvisation

• Directing

• Playwriting/Screenwriting

• Auditioning

• Voice & Diction

• Movement

• Theatre History

• Theatre Production

• Theatre Criticism

• Fundamentals of Technical Theatre

TECHNICAL THEATRE

The Technical Theatre major gives students opportunities to study stagecraft and design in the classroom and use McCallum’s state-of-the-art facilities to make their ideas a reality. The program includes hands-on experience in scenic design, lighting design, costume design, sound design and stage management. Design and production students have opportunities for collaboration with other departments including Dance and Cinematic Arts. 

Curriculum

• Scene Painting & Props

• Set Design

• Stage Management

• Sound Design

• Scenery Technology

• Lighting and Sound

• Lighting Design

• Costume Technology

• Costume Design

MUSICAL THEATRE CERTIFICATE

The Musical Theatre Performance Certificate program is an add-on to the primary major in Choral Studies, Acting, or Dance. To graduate with the performance certificate, students complete an additional four courses in addition to all courses in the primary major. These course requirements include but are not limited to:

• Musical Theatre class (2 years)

• Choir (1 year)

• One musical (each year)

Curriculum

• Acting The Song

• Choreography

• College Audition Prep.

• Contemporary Performance Styles

• Directing

• Golden Age Performance Styles

• Musical Theatre Dance Styles

• Musical Theatre History

• Musical Theatre Writing

• Voice

• Building Your Songbook

PROVEN

Experience in the Fine Arts Academy theatre program prepares students for successful auditions at leading theatre programs at the college or conservatory level. Recent graduates have been accepted to the following theatre schools:

• Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

• University of Michigan

• Penn State University

• Wright State University

• Ithaca

• Pace

• NYU

• Oklahoma City University

• Guildhall School of Music & Drama, UK

• Eastman School of Music

• Northwestern

• Rider

• Rutgers

• Boston Conservatory

• CalArts

• Roosevelt

• Point Park

• Oberlin

• University of the Arts

• North Carolina School of the Arts

• Emerson

• Brown

• Parsons

• Vassar

• DePaul

• Liverpool Institute of the Arts, UK

• Marymount Manhattan

• Webster

• Syracuse

• Montclair

• Shenandoah

• University Of Oklahoma

• CAP21

• University of Evansville

• Buckinghamshire New University (Wycombe, England)

Previous Guest Artists

It all started at McCallum...

• Broadway Star Adam Pascal (Memphis, Aida, Cabaret, Chicago, Rent)- Auditioning For Musical Theatre

• Olesya Rulin famous for her role as Kelsi in the Disney High School Musical film franchise- The Spiritual Care of the Performing Artist

• Emmy award-winner Allen Robertson workshopped his new TYA musical Tortoise & Hare with our advanced Musical Theatre students

• Jon Hacker, National Tour of Newsies and Broadway company of Jersey Boys- 16-Bar Auditions & Musical Theatre Dance

• Catherine Weidner, Head of Theatre, Ithaca College- Meisner Technique & College Audition Prep.

• Broadway Performer Cody Wiliams (On The Town, Cinderella, Memphis)- Acting The Song

• Roger Del Pozo, New York Film Academy- Acting For Film

• Blake Babbitt, New York Film Academy- Acting For Film

• Internationally-Acclaimed Physical Theatre Company Action Hero- Physical Theatre & Movement

• Broadway Veteran Dave Clemmons (Les Mis, Scarlett Pimpernel, Civil War) Founder, Dave Clemmons Casting- College Audition Prep.

• Internationally-Acclaimed Performance Artist Carla Goldman- Devising Theatre

• Professional Film & Stage Actor Aaron D. Alexander, BFA University of Texas- Stage Combat: Hand to Hand & Rapier

• Jelani Remi, Electra Weston, and 14 Members of the Cast and Crew of the National Tour of The Lion King- Professional Theatre Practices

• Union Broadway Technician Jeff Miller- Guest Sound Design

• Award-winning Austin Actress Lara Wright, American Academy of Dramatic Arts- Guest Director, Trenchcoat In Common, You Can't Take It With You, The Man Who Came To Dinner

• Master Teacher Beryl Knifton- Guest Director, Rumors, Halequinade, The 39 Steps, Billy Liar, Dialects

• Adam Roberts, master's degree in music and college teaching certificate from the Florida State University and undergraduate degrees from Kent State University and Youngstown State University's Dana School of Music- Guest Musical Director, Contemporary Broadway and Pop/Rock Vocal Technique

• Patrick W. Anthony, MFA Lighting Design, The LIR- Guest Lighting Designer

• Court Watson, MFA Scenic & Costume Design, NYU- Scenic & Costume Design from Page to Stage

• Founder of Austin-Based Nationally-Acclaimed Experimental Theatre Company Rude Mechs Madge Darlington- Devising Theatre

• Northwestern University X-Factors- Pop/Rock Musical Theatre Performance

• Shana Merlin and Sarah Marie Curry, Merlin Works Institute for Improvisation, ZACH Theatre- Musical Improv

• Scott Vandenberg, Lighting Faculty at Texas Sate University- Guest Lighting Designer

• McNally Smith College of Music- Vocal Jazz

• Christine Ferguson, BFA Musical Theatre, Texas State University- What Is My Type?

• Michelle Hache, MA Voice, The Julliard School, BFA Voice, Okahoma City University- Guest Director, Cyrano The Musical

• Adam Miller-Batteau, BFA Acting, University of Michigain- Guest Fight Director, Cyrano The Musical, Animal Farm

• Patrick Shaw, Managing Director, Rude Mechanicals Off Center Teens- Devising Theatre

• Nick Mayo, Broadway and Juilliard Alum- Staying Generous and Stanislavsky's Given Circumstances

• Shawn Churchman, Associate Professor of Musical Theatre, Oklahoma University- College Audition Prep.

• Ramón Valdez, Assistant Director of Admissions, University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts- The College Theatre Experience

• Joe Deer is Distinguished Professor of Musical Theatre and Director of The Musical Theatre Initiative at Wright State University- College Audition Prep

• Molly Fox, Professor of Anthropology, UCLA- Writing for the Musical Stage

• Frank Cortez, Union Stage Hand, The Long Center-Professional Rigging Practices

• Dr. Ana María Tekina-eirú Maynard- Puerto Rican History: From Tainos to West Side Story

• Connor Jameson Casey, Peter, Finding Neverland National Tour- Life On The Road/Auditioning in Musical Theatre

• Omar Abdullah, Artistic Director, ComedySportz Austin, Showcase Improvisation

• Mary Anna Austin Dennard, THE College Audition Coach- College Auditions

• Michael Trautman, International Variety Entertainer, Delsarte Movement Method

• Maira Montez- Commercial Dance

• Gerran Reese, American Musical and Dramatic Academy- Body Projection

• Angelique Lio, Open Jar Institute- Auditioning in Musical Theatre

• Tim Evanicki, The College Audition- College Auditions

• Lee Lobenhofer, Broadway Alum, Faculty LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts- Acting

• Anthony Pearson, Beetlejuice on Broadway- Lighting & Technical Design

• Sean Patrick Doyle, This Sitter, The Boxtrolls, Broadway- Multi-Cam Sitcoms

• Haley Podschun, Broadway- Original Broadway Choreography: Hello Dolly

• Billy Tighe, Broadway- Original Broadway Choreography: Pippin

Kristin Vandenberg- Technical Theatre

Kristin Vandenberg is originally from Tallahassee Florida where she graduated from Florida State University with a BFA in Technical Theatre – Lighting Design. After college she worked in regional theatre and national tours until beginning to work as the Production Coordinator / Operations Manager running all crews and coordinating all scheduling for a 12,000 seat arena complex in Tallahassee. After almost 20 years there, she and her husband and four children moved to Austin five and a half years ago to handle the grand opening of the Performing Arts Center at Texas State University where she worked until deciding to move into secondary education at McCallum. She is very excited to be spearheading the Technical Theatre program at the Fine Arts Academy and wants to thank her husband for supporting this surprising change in career paths!

Samantha Gang - Performance & Musical Theatre

Samantha Gang graduated from Texas State University with a BFA in Theatre and her EC–12 Theatre Teaching Certification in 2022. Prior to joining McCallum, Samantha served as the Theatre Director at Lively Middle School, where she spent four years developing a highly successful program centered on collaboration, creativity, and the belief that every moment matters.

During her time at Lively, Samantha directed numerous productions including musicals, UIL One Act Plays, Junior Thespian festival pieces, and multiple showcases. Under her direction, Lively Theatre earned over 100 individual and group awards, 50+ national qualifying scores, and multiple district honors, including back-to-back AISD Middle School UIL One Act Play District Championships in 2024 and 2025. Samantha was also recognized as an AISD Teacher of Promise and a Campus Teacher of the Year Finalist.

At McCallum Fine Arts Academy, Samantha is excited to continue developing young artists through performance, storytelling, and a shared passion for musical theatre. She believes theatre has the power to build confidence, create community, and inspire students both on and off the stage.

Natalie Uehara- Musical Theatre Dance

After earning a BFA in dance from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC, Natalie danced professionally at theme parks and on international cruise lines for many years. During her time in NYC and beyond, she trained and worked under some of the most prestigious names in the Musical Theatre industry, including Ann Reinking, Chet Walker and Gregory Hines. Natalie relocated to Austin in 2016 from Honolulu, HI where she was the director of Castle DanceForce for over 8 years. There she worked hard to develop and expand the dance department at the internationally recognized Castle Performing Arts Center (CPAC). Furthermore, she was the resident choreographer for CPAC, working on at least 4 musical productions per year. For 10 plus years, she directed theatre education programs and choreographed shows at Diamond Head Theatre, most recently, the Hawaii premiere of Matilda in 2019. In 2010, she won a Hawaii State Theatre Council award for choreography for her work on the Hawaii premiere of the musical, Zombie Prom. At McCallum Fine Arts Academy, she is a Dance Director and Resident Choreographer for MAC Theatre. She has received multiple nominations for the Heller Awards (Greater Austin High School Musical Theatre Awards), winning the award for best choreography in 2019 for 42nd Street. Additionally, she is the Musical Theatre Director for Dance Discovery & Avery Ranch Dance and co-choreographer for the AISD Summer Theatre Series. Natalie is married to Chris and together they have two beautiful children, Kobe & Giabella.

GUIDELINES

The audition panel is looking for:

• A vibrant and energized body and mind

• A healthy body and a healthy voice

• A knowledge of theatre, television, film and digital media

• An ability to transform the written text in either song or speech into believable and theatrically truthful words and thought

• An ability to freely use your imagination

• An ability to listen and follow instructions

At the point of an offer being made or a place on the reserve list, the audition panel will have assessed the following:

• An ability to work with others to achieve a presentable piece of work

• Spontaneity

• An ability and previous experience in singing, acting and dancing (for Musical Theatre the panel will expect potential in at least two out of the three)

• An ability to attempt everything regardless of previous experience

• A receptive and inquiring mind

• A voice and body that is trainable and a personality responsive to our methods of training

• An ability to listen and follow instructions