5600 Sunshine Dr. ATX 78756
5600 Sunshine Dr. ATX 78756
Next on Our stage
Next on Our stage
The McCallum Theatre 2 classes present two immersive and hilarious murder mystery productions, Murder’s In The Heir and Dinner at Eight, Dead by Nine. These productions will run in repertory in the Fine Arts Building Theater. There will be a preshow ice cream reception beginning at 6 PM, which is included with a ticket purchase. Prepare for a night of laughter, drama, and mystery!
An interactive children’s event written, directed, and produced by MacTheatre students.
ACTING
TECHNICAL THEATRE
MUSICAL THEATRE CERTIFICATE
ACTING
TECHNICAL THEATRE
MUSICAL THEATRE CERTIFICATE
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.
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
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.
Scene Painting & Props
Set Design
Stage Management
Sound Design
Scenery Technology
Lighting and Sound
Lighting Design
Costume Technology
Costume Design
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)
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
MacTheatre is proud of its alumni, who have been accepted to the most exclusive theatre schools in the nation and Europe.
MacTheatre is proud of its alumni, who have been accepted to the most exclusive theatre schools in the nation and Europe.
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)
Throughout the year, guest artists from the Broadway stage and professional film and television industry provide Master Classes and residencies with the Acting, Musical, and Technical Theatre students.
Throughout the year, guest artists from the Broadway stage and professional film and television industry provide Master Classes and residencies with the Acting, Musical, and Technical Theatre students.
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 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!
Bonnie holds a BA in Theatre from Trinity University with concentrations in Acting/Directing and Theatre History/Dramatic Literature. She also holds an MA in Teaching from Trinity and an MFA in Theatre from UT Austin with an emphasis in community-based theatre, youth theatre, and applied theatre. Passionate about educational theatre, she has taught and directed in Texas middle and high schools for over a decade, including six years at Tom C. Clark High School in San Antonio, where she served as director of the Theatre Arts department. Bonnie has also served as director of several community-based non-profit youth programs, including Teatro Alas at Say Si in San Antonio and Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble at SafePlace in Austin. Her directing credits include: The Crucible, Twelfth Night, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Rhinoceros, Dancing at Lughnasa, Bye Bye Birdie, A Clearing in the Woods, The Diviners, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma, Antigone, and She Kills Monsters. This is Bonnie’s third year on the McCallum Fine Arts Academy team and she is honored to be a part of it.
Robert joins the McCallum Fine Arts team with a diverse career as a professional musical theatre performer, opera tenor, classical concert soloist, choral singer, stage & music director, movement & stage combat choreographer, and a highly trained vocal instructor. He earned a BM in Music Education-Vocal from Chapman University and was awarded a Graduate Fellowship at the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana where he worked on a MM in Voice Performance. He’s trained in Estill Voice (Levels 1 & 2), Holistic Vocology and learned vocal pedagogy under Tom Burke. Inspired by his sister Roxane Carrasco (B’Way- Chicago) and with no formal theatre training, he spent eight years living in NYC pursuing an ultimately successful musical theatre career. After NYC, he moved to Kauai, HI where he worked with the Kauai Performing Arts Center program as director for four area schools and as the interim KPAC Head Director. Since relocating to Austin, TX, he has helped singers, actors, dancers and public speakers successfully audition for prestigious universities, regional theatres, Zach Theatre main stage productions and PPC programs, the Heller Awards Select Ensemble, and placement in the Lamar Middle School and McCallum Fine Arts Academies. Robert served as an adjudicator for the Heller Awards (formerly known as GAHSMTA), taught stage combat with the Texas Arts Project, and was the summer camp coordinator, guest stage & musical director, and musical theatre voice teacher for the Triple Threat Pre-Professional Program at TexARTS in Lakeway, TX. Last year, as the Theatre Arts teacher at Bedichek MS, he guided his cast to advance to the UIL One-Act Play Contest district finals and was honored as an AISD Teacher of Promise. Favorite credits include: The Drowsy Chaperone National Tour (Aldolpho); Shrek The Musical (Shrek); [Title of Show] (Hunter); Avenue Q (Gary Coleman); Miss Saigon (Chris); Les Miserables (Javert); The Barber of Seville (Count Almaviva) in Europe; The Elixir of Love (Nemorino); Los Angeles Opera Chorus (1st tenor) with Placido Domingo.
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.
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
The mission of McCallum Fine Arts Academy is to foster a diverse group of student artists who will create, lead, inspire, and contribute to a global community.
FIVE PILLARS
1. Focuses on the individual development of each student.
2. Provides high-quality instruction.
3. Integrates collaborative. intentional, reciprocal relationships with the broader Austin arts community into programs and instruction.
4. Encourages an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum and instruction.
5. Graduating students produce a pre-professional level of product in their chosen art form.
The mission of McCallum Fine Arts Academy is to foster a diverse group of student artists who will create, lead, inspire, and contribute to a global community.
FIVE PILLARS
1. Focuses on the individual development of each student.
2. Provides high-quality instruction.
3. Integrates collaborative. intentional, reciprocal relationships with the broader Austin arts community into programs and instruction.
4. Encourages an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum and instruction.
5. Graduating students produce a pre-professional level of product in their chosen art form.
5600 Sunshine Drive
Austin, Texas, 78756
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