Theater

The Theater program is a multi-faceted, highly creative, immersive, and award winning program that utilizes both classroom instruction and practical production experience to inspire, cultivate, and grow self-confidence and self-worth, while teaching the skills necessary to become a better performance artist. The program involves approximately 140 students across all 3 grade levels.

There are 3 classes available at Austin Academy:

Theatre I: a 6^th grade only introductory course,
Theatre II: a 7^th and 8^th grade regulars course for those interested in experiencing a theatre class for the first time
Theatre Workshop, an audition based, enriched honors course for 7^th and 8^th graders, which focuses primarily on rehearsing and preparing for regional and national speech, debate, and competitive theatre tournaments. Theatre Workshop is unique to Garland ISD middle schools and can only be found at AAE.

"I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being." ~Oscar Wilde

Theater program

Director

Aaron Gallagher, Theatre director

Aaron Gallagher is very excited to be back at Austin Academy for his 8^th year as theatre director. He previously served in this position from 2014-2019. Prior to teaching at AAE, he taught in Dallas ISD, and at Wylie ISD in the interim between 2019 and 2022.

A Garland native, Mr. Gallagher earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Vocal Performance from Austin College and his Master of Arts degree in Theatre Performance from Oklahoma State University. Acting is his passion and he can be seen performing around DFW in equity and non-equity theatre companies: including Undermain Theatre, Firehouse Theatre, Garland Summer Musicals, Theatre Frisco, Garland Civic Theatre, Brick Road Theatre, Repertory Company Theatre, and Plano Stages.

Awards

In the fall of 2023, the AAE Theatre Workshop One Act Play cast and crew of The Book of Dog placed 2nd overall at the Garland ISD middle school UIL One Act Play contest! Individual awards earned: All Star Tech Crew – Jackson Vargas, Honorable Mention All Star Cast – Rylan LaBombard, All Star Cast – Madison Smith, and Best Overall Performer – Genevieve Walsh.

Cast and crew of The Book of Dog One Act Play

Theater productions

Beyond classroom participation, students have the opportunity to audition for fall and spring productions presented by the Theatre Department. Rehearsals, held after school, allow students to perform and/or serve on one of the many crews involved in producing a show. Throughout the rehearsal and performance process, students will have the opportunity to make new friends and grow on an individual level. Participation in our productions is not limited to theatre students. AAE is the only middle school in Garland ISD to cast and crew its productions from the entire campus. Every student at Austin Academy has an opportunity to audition for a production or apply for a crew position. AAE Theatre also consistently partners with local DFW professional theatre artists to assist in mounting its high quality productions, which provides the students with practical, real world experience not found anywhere else at the middle school level in GISD.

Austin Academy theatre group after the final production of Midsummer Night's Dream.

Quicklinks

Quicklinks

Austin Academy for Excellence

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