2024 Theatre and Dance Youth Summer Camps

The Department of Theatre and Dance is thrilled to offer programming beyond our formal degree programs. This summer, we have a variety of exciting opportunities for young artists to grow their skills, showcase their talents and explore The University of Texas at Austin. 

June 10-23, 2024 

Orientation June 9, 1:00-4:00 p.m. 

Ages 14-18 (9th-12th graders) 
Workshop Director: Michael Ávila

8:30-9:00 a.m. | Drop Off
5:30-6:00 p.m. | Pick Up
Schedule to be announced 

The Summer Theatre Workshop at The University of Texas at Austin invites high school theatre artists who are interested in developing and refining their skills as stage performers and technicians. Through a series of workshops, seminars, masterclasses and rehearsals led by renowned Department of Theatre and Dance faculty, participants will gain valuable skills and insight applicable to the professional production process.  Topics may include:  Voice and Diction; Physical Acting; Preparing the Audition Monologue; Foundations of Lighting; Intro to Sound Design; Costuming Basics; Prop Design and Construction; Stage Management 101; Portfolio and Resume Design; and more. Performance participants will be cast in one of two fully-staged productions. The workshop will culminate with two performances of each show.

Each Summer Theatre Workshop participant will also receive a ticket to attend the Saturday matinee performance of Frozen on June 15, courtesy of Texas Performing Arts.

Eurydice
Written by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Roshunda Jones-Koumba 

Eurydice is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
www.concordtheatricals.com

She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition
Written by Qui Nguyen
Directed by Luis Muñoz

She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. 
www.concordtheatricals.com

Performance dates and times will be available in May 2024.

ABOUT MICHAEL ÁVILA

Michael Ávila was born and raised in El Paso, Texas and is a proud Chicano artist and educator. He received his Master of Arts in Theatre at the University of Houston and graduated with honors from Our Lady of the Lake University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts and Drama. Ávila received additional training from Lincoln Center Theatre in New York City, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. He began his career in educational theatre in 2002 at Southside High School in San Antonio and also served as Fine Arts Department Chair and Director of Theatre at Karen Wagner High School with Judson ISD. In 2012, Ávila became the Head Theatre Director at Thomas Jefferson High School. Along with teaching, Ávila also held the position of Fine Arts Coordinator for Theatre and Visual Arts with San Antonio ISD. He is a member of the training cadre for the Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts and was selected by the Texas Education Agency as a member of the TEKS Fine Arts Review Committee. Ávila is a UIL One-Act Play Adjudicator and member of the Texas Educational Theatre Association’s Board of Directors. Currently, he is an assistant professor of instruction in the Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities / UTeach Theatre program at The University of Texas at Austin.

June 24-28, 2024 

Ages 13-17 (8th-12th graders) | To avoid injury and maximize enjoyment, participants should be dancing at least 10 hours per week.
Camp Instructor: Leah Cox 

9:00–9:30 a.m. | Drop Off
9:30–11 a.m. | Contemporary/Modern Technique Class
11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Phrase Work
12:15 –1:15 p.m. | Lunch
1:15–3:45 p.m. | Collaborative choreography
Friday Afternoon – informal performance – Time TBD

In this contemporary/modern dance intensive, you'll further your dance technique, deepen your artistry and develop your collaborative skills in a community of passionate dancers.  Each day will include classes in contemporary/modern dance technique, phrase-work and collaborative choreographic methods.  The week will culminate in a showing for friends and family of the dances we choreograph together based on a theme we choose. Our time together will be rooted in positive reinforcement, exciting challenges and shedding perfectionism for curiosity and imaginative play. Join us for a week of inspired, joyous and shared dancing! 

ABOUT LEAH COX

Leah Cox grew up in Spring, Texas.  Her senior year of high school, she attended North Carolina School of the Arts, graduating with an emphasis in ballet.  Leah attended Texas Christian University, where she realized she loved ballet, but was more at home in modern dance forms.  She spent fourteen years performing, creating new dances, teaching, setting repertory and developing education programs for the NYC-based Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company.  Currently, Leah dances with Liz Lerman in her latest project, Wicked Bodies, and makes dances for herself or for dancers in universities. Cox’s current role as an associate professor of dance at The University of Texas at Austin provides her with many opportunities to dance and collaborate with students and colleagues. 

July 15-19, 2024

Ages 7-11 (2nd-5th grade). No audition/portfolio required. Spots are limited. 
Camp Instructor: Renita James

8:30-9:00 a.m. Drop off (Camp sessions begin at 9:00 a.m.) | Pick-up 3:30-4:00 p.m. 

Exploring the Arts, Exploring the Self is a week-long day camp at the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin where youth going into grades 2-5 (approximately seven to 11-year-olds) will explore the self through art, music dance and theatre. Each day, the group will engage the arts to present and perform ideas of who they are, as individuals and as a community. All youth will be involved in each of the disciplines and be challenged to further develop their skills in art forms they are more familiar with as well as try art forms that are less familiar to them. On the final day (Friday, July 19), the group will showcase their art in an hour-long, youth devised exhibit and informal performance for invited family and friends. The full week-long workshop will be interactive and youth should come prepared to move, explore and collaborate every day.

Youth who are entering 2^nd - 5^th grade at any school or homeschool setting in Fall 2024 are encouraged to register. No audition or portfolio is required and youth new to the arts are encouraged to join! All levels of experience with the arts will be supported and those with more experience will be challenged to learn and develop their skills. The workshop will be facilitated by a UT Austin professor and graduate, undergraduate and high school students, plus some special guests (professor will always be present). Some scholarships are available.

Imagine arriving at UT, walking into a dance studio, gathering in a circle, participating in some community building exercises, discussing where your name comes from, then writing a short piece of prose or poetry about your name and reading that to a small group of other youth, drawing or creating an abstract art piece about your name and sharing with a few peers, shaping the letters of your name with a partner and sharing with others, finding sounds or using your voice or an instrument to create the sound of your name (without using your actual name) and then sharing with others. That is what one day of this camp might look like. If you want to have fun exploring and sharing who you are through the arts, join us!

ABOUT RENITA JAMES

Renita James (she/they) is a teaching artist, directory and creator. She is a current third-year M.F.A. in Theatre candidate studying Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities. Prior to attending graduate school, Renita served as Director of Education for Aurora Theatre and Teaching Artist Fellow for Metro Theatre Company in St. Louis, Missouri where they taught a variety of ages and subject matters. They are interested in play creation with youth and is excited to explore the arts with young people. renitajames.com