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.