Camp on the Coast

Out of area campers will be housed on the TAMU-CC campus in residence halls which offer spectacular bay views. Laundry facilities are available in the dorms. Campers will need to bring their own detergent.

Parents (or High Schools) are responsible for transportation to and from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi at the beginning and end of camp. Students arriving at Corpus Christi International Airport need to email Kelly Russell by June 1 to arrange for transportation to campus:  kelly.russell@tamucc.edu.

Students staying on campus: $1,550

Student Commuters: $1,200

Teachers: $1,200

Click here for Camp on the Coast registration link.

The A&M System has opened our camp registration portal.  Parents: you must register for your camper as there are legal forms that only you may sign.  Be sure to save your login and password so you have access to pay any remaining balance.  

A non-refundable deposit of $500 must accompany your application. 

The application deadline is May 15, 2026. The remaining balance is due before registration on June 15, 2026. 120 campers are accepted each summer (60 female and 60 male campers). Capacity is usually reached before the application deadline.  Students are accepted on a first come, first serve basis. If the camp is already full when an application is received, we will return the deposit.

It is not necessary to prepare a monologue for the auditions.  All of the directors will conduct theatre exercises and cold-readings to cast their shows.

Commuters must arrive on time each day for class (9:00 a.m.).  If you are not in class at 9:00 a.m. your parents will be notified immediately.  You may come earlier and eat breakfast with the rest of camp if you wish — the cost of breakfast is covered in your tuition.  Commuters are required to eat lunch and dinner on campus.  Once you arrive each day, you MAY NOT drive your car until you leave campus at the end of the session.  You MAY NOT, for any reason, transport a residential camper in your vehicle.  Doing so will result in your suspension from camp without a refund.

Meals will be provided for all campers, and are included in the tuition price, both for commuters and for those staying in the dorms.

The camp will have strict rules regarding curfew, class attendance, rehearsal etiquette, and behavior.  Rule violations may result in a phone call to parents, restrictions on social activities, or suspension from camp.  If a student is sent home for rule violations, his/her tuition will not be refunded.

Students will be housed in the TAMUCC campus dormitories.  Access to living areas of the opposite gender will be absolutely prohibited at all times.  Violation of this rule will result in suspension from the camp.

Individuals staying in the dorms who bring their own cars will surrender their car keys to the Camp Director at Registration.  The Camp Director will return keys during check out. Students will never be allowed to ride in a car with anyone other than camp staff...and then only in the case of an emergency (trip to the hospital, doctor, etc.)

We have an excellent faculty and staff that will supervise the campers at all times. College counselors will accompany campers to the dining hall, rehearsals, the dorms, and social activities.  At no time during the day will students be left un-chaperoned.  A strict dorm curfew will be enforced, and an adult dorm supervisor will be on-site throughout the camp, along with the counselors. 

Contact Information

Kelly Russell
Camp Director
kelly.russell@tamucc.edu 

Kelly Russell (Camp Director/Acting Instructor) is a Professor of Theatre at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and has served as Camp on the Coast Director since its beginning in 2005.  He received a BFA in Acting from Texas State University and an MFA in Directing from Baylor University.  In his ten years as a high school teacher, four of his one-act plays advanced to the UIL state meet, winning 1st in 2001 and placing 2nd in 1996, 2000 and 2002.  He has been honored with four A&M Chancellor’s Awards for Teaching Excellence and was named TETA University Educator of the Year in 2012.

Alison Frost (Director) currently serves as Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi.  She’s directed over 200 plays and musicals at the professional, collegiate, and high school level--including 4 one-acts that competed at the UIL State 5A Division.  She holds an an MFA in Directing from Florida State University, an M.Ed from Sam Houston State University and a BFA in Directing/Design from Baylor University.  She was also certified in the inaugural Contemporary Theatre program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.  In 2016, she was awarded Outstanding University Educator from the Texas Educational Theatre Association.

Andy Reynolds (Guest Director) has been Head Director for WHS for 24 years, directing 120+ productions. He graduated from UTA with a BFA in Theatre Arts in Acting & Directing. WHS has brought home 21 District, 15 Area & 8 Regional championships with 8 State appearances, with 4 of them placing in the top 3 at the UIL State OAP Contest. Reynolds has managed over 24 contests as a TTAO Certified UIL Contest Manager. He is also a TAPPS OAP regional and state critic judge.  WHS Musical Theatre has been nominated for Best Musical at the Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theater Awards 10 times in the past 14 years, winning the coveted prize of Best Musical in ‘16 & ‘21. He also won for Best Direction in ‘14 , ‘21 , and ‘25 & was the recipient of the first DSM Outstanding Educator Award in ‘19. During the summer of ‘23 ,24, ‘25 he had the honor of being a guest director at TAMU-CC CAMP ON THE COAST & during the summer of 2026. He would also like to recognize the love he feels every day from his wife, Melanie and his children, Caleb, Noah & Sophia.  

Daniel Gambill (Guest Director) is the Director of Theatre at Sunnyvale High School, where he also serves his students as the UIL Academic Coordinator and speech coach. In his sixteen years of teaching, he has directed several UIL One Act Plays which advanced to the state contest and two plays that won the state championship (2018-The Book of Everything, 2025-Charles Dickens’s the Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.) In addition to OAP, Gambill has coached numerous state medalists in UIL Prose and Poetry Interpretation. He and his wife have three children; they are his greatest inspiration and frankest critics.

Sarah Kouba (Guest Director) is currently in her fifth year as Head Director at Barbers Hill High School, bringing a wealth of experience and passion for theatre education to her program. Prior to her work at the high school level, she spent eight years teaching junior high theatre in Deer Park, where she built a strong foundation in performance, storytelling, and student development and was honored as Secondary Teacher of the Year. Under her leadership, along with her technical director, Chris Irwin, Barbers Hill’s One Act Play company has competed at the state level with productions such as The Drowning Girls, Spring Awakening, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Kouba graduated from East Texas Baptist University in 2004.

Demond Wilson (Guest Director) is the founder and president of The Perfect Performance LLC, a nationally recognized communication and theatrical consulting company. Since 2002, he has traveled nationwide to provide hands-on coaching, curriculum development, and workshops for students and educators. A visionary leader in arts education, Demond founded the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC) in 2009, where he led strategic initiatives, raised over $500,000 in scholarships, and garnered national recognition for his pioneering contributions to student and teacher excellence. Demond has directed 6 state championship one-act plays in three different states and helped over 30 plus students win National and State Championships. Demond’s passion for student success and dedication to mentoring future generations have earned him numerous accolades, including the Hall of Fame induction from the National Speech & Debate Association in 2024, and the Connie Magee Educator of the Year Award in 2004..

Reed Chappell (Guest Director) is a theatre teacher with a decade of experience, currently serving as the lead Theatre Teacher at Aledo High School. Reed received a degree in Theatre from Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi with a focus on theatre education. Over his career, he has directed six shows that performed at the State UIL One Act Play contest, receiving second runner-up twice and first runner-up in 2025.

Chris Irwin (Technical Theatre). A graduate of Texas A&M University, Chris Irwin has served as the Technical Director for the theatre program at Barbers Hill for the past 13 years, and at Deer Park for 10 years before that. He has co-directed shows that have been seen at the State UIL Meet 5 times (2012 - Rimers of Eldritch, 2021 - Ugly and Majestic, 2023 - The Drowning Girls (1st Runner Up), 2024 - The Awakening of Spring (2nd Runner Up), and 2025 - The Caucasian Chalk Circle).  At Barbers Hill, he teaches technical theatre and stagecraft, designs and builds large-scale productions, and mentors students in all aspects of backstage artistry — from scenic construction and lighting design to stage management and production leadership.

Kati Grimmer (Assistant Camp Director/Movement Instructor) has known that she would be an actor and director since 6th grade when she was asked by her English teacher, Mrs. Elms, to write an essay entitled, “What Will You Do When You Grow Up?”. Kati graduated with honors from Texas Tech University in 1991 with a BA in Theatre and a BA in English.  She was trained by Dr. George Sorenson who helped her evolve into the educator that she is today.  Kati began teaching and has been involved in the instruction and direction of young Thespians since 1990.   She has taught every grade level from 5th to 12th.  Kati was proud and honored to be Teacher of the Year in 2020 and to have placed in the top 5 Secondary Educators of the Year for Keller ISD for the 2019-2020 school year. She also received K-12 Educator of the Year from Texas Educational Theatre Associate in 2019 and Secondary Theatre Educator of the Year from The Live Theatre League in 2022.  She is a proud educator and will soon retire after 32 years of service in public education. 

Michael Hollomon (Assistant Camp Director/Master Class) has been an educator for 25 years and currently serves as the Head Theatre Director at Lebanon Trail High School in Frisco ISD. He holds a BFA in Theatre Arts from Texas Woman’s University. Hollomon has led his programs to two state appearances in 5A UIL One-Act Play (2021 and 2022) and six Regional appearances. His work in musical theatre has earned widespread recognition, including winning Best Musical at the 2015 Schmidt & Jones Awards, and receiving six nominations, including Best Musical, at the 2023 Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theatre Awards. In 2013, Hollomon was honored as the Dallas Theater Center’s Distinguished Educator of the Year.

Kevin Loeffler (Design/Tech) is Director of Theatre in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. At TAMUCC, Kevin teaches courses in design and collaboration while also designing scenery for the main-stage season. Kevin received his MFA from the University of Iowa and his BFA from the University of Evansville. Professionally, Kevin has worked as a Scenic Designer for Hope Summer Repertory Theatre and the Las Vegas Academy and as a Scenic Artist for the Santa Fe Opera and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Meredith Melville (Improv Instructor) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance at TAMUCC. She received her M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Memphis. She spent ten years prior working in the improv and sketch comedy world in Chicago. She was the Artistic Director for the Alliance Sketch Group, taught improv at the Actor's Garden, and was an original member of the Musical Improv House Ensemble at the Second City Training Center.  

Marco Muñoz (Acting Instructor) is an Assistant Professor for the Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He premiered Off-Off Broadway in 2016 in a play called "Flip-In". He received his Bachelors in Theatre from Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi with a focus in Acting/Directing and has an MFA in Acting from Pennsylvania State University.  During his time in Graduate School and beyond Marco has focused on training and researching the Sanford Meisner Acting Technique and devised playwriting and even had the opportunity to originate the role of "Helix" in a devised play called I.D., which had its international debut at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda(Grahamstown), South Africa, and it's national premier at the Centre Stage Theatre in Pennsylvania.