Camp on the Coast

Summer Theatre Workshop: Camp on the Coast

SEE THE CAMP PROGRAM HERE

June 18-June 30, 2023 / CAMP REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. Families will need to create a CircuiTree account to register their camper(s). Remember your CircuiTree login and password so that you can log back in to pay any remaining balance or complete/sign unfinished paperwork. Families with students who attended camp last summer will use their original usernames and passwords to sign into CircuiTree. If you have forgotten your password or have trouble logging into the system, email Kelly.Russell@tamucc.edu

To access your camp registration, click here.

To access the Information Packet for Campers 2023, click here.
To access the Housing Waiver, click here.

About the Camp

The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Summer Theatre Workshop is a two-week residential camp designed for high school students seeking a highly intensive and creative theatre experience. Participants will rehearse and perform in a one-act play directed by one of six highly successful theatre educators. Students interested in performance will study acting, voice, and movement in morning classes taught by TAMUCC Theatre faculty. Returning campers will take a three-hour master class in acting and movement. Technical Theatre Students will attend classes in design, participate in the creation of each production’s sets, lighting, and costumes, and serve as crew for the shows.

High School teachers who wish to attend will serve as assistant directors for the shows and participate in sessions on directing taught by our guest directors and members of the TAMUCC faculty. Additionally, teachers will observe the acting, movement, and voice classes. Continuing Education Credit will be awarded for workshop hours.

Workshop Fees

Students staying on campus $1,400

Student Commuters $1,100

Teachers $1,100

Welcome to the Island University

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is one of the most unique campuses in Texas. It is located on its own private island, just minutes away from miles of Gulf Coast beaches. From palm-lined breezeways to state-of-the-art classroom facilities, A&M-Corpus Christi is a great environment for living and learning. The campus is located at 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas, 78412.

Campers 2023:

To access the Information Packet for Campers 2023, click here.
To access the Housing Waiver, click here.

Housing

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

Arrival and Departure

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

Auditions

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

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

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

Safety and Camp Guidelines

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

Faculty/Staff

Kelly Russell (Camp Director/Acting Instructor) is the Director of Theatre at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. 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 (Co-Camp Director/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.

Destyne Miller (Guest Director) led Bush High School’s Theatre Program to their first One-Act Play State Championship in 2022 with We Are Proud to Present… Her productions of Ruined, In the Blood, and Water by the Spoonful all received first runner-up at the UIL State Contest, as well. She studied theatre in Chicago, New York and at the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, and received her MA in Theatre from the University of Houston and her BA at Grambling State University. She currently serves on the UIL Theatre Advisory Board, the Texas Thespians Theatre Educator Collective Board, and was formerly secretary for the Texas Educational Theatre Association.

Andy Reynolds (Guest Director)has been the Head Drama Director for Waxahachie High School for the past 20 years. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a BFA in Theatre Arts in Acting & Directing. Seven of his one-act plays have advanced to the UIL State Meet, four of them placing in the top three. The Waxahachie High School Musical has garnered eight nominations for Best Musical at the Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theatre Awards, winning the coveted prize of Best Musical in 2016 (SPAMALOT) and in 2021 (MATILDA). In 2019, Reynolds was the recipient of the first Broadway Dallas Outstanding Educator Award.

Daniel Gambill (Guest Director) is the Director of Theatre at Sunnyvale High School, where he also serves his students as UIL Academic Coordinator and Speech coach. He has had numerous state finalists in Prose and Poetry Interpretation including the 2018 4A Prose State Champion. In his eight years of directing UIL One Act Plays, he has directed multiple state finalist shows including the 2018 4A State Champion production of The Book of Everything. He is also a two-time recipient of the White House Presidential Service Award.

Kathy Powdrell (Guest Director) has over 30 years experience as an actress, singer, director and teacher. Mrs. Powdrell graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Education and Theatre at the University of Houston. She has completed studies at London's Globe Theatre after winning a fellowship from the Houston Branch of the English Speaking Union. Mrs. Powdrell has directed numerous plays and musicals as the Director of Theatre at Friendswood High School and has been the recipient of the Lillian B. Rhoades Texas Excellence Award as an outstanding high school teacher.

Rod Sheffield (Guest Director) is chair of the Theatre Department at Magnolia High School. He was the winner of the 2003 HEB Excellence in Education Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year Award and the 2018 TETA K-12 Educator of the Year. He has advanced to the State Championship in UIL One-Act play at four high schools where he has taught, with a total of nine appearances. Two of these shows won 1st place (1998-4A, The Hypochondriac, LaMarque and 2003-5A, Black Snow, Kingwood), and another placed 2nd (2010-5A, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Atascocita).

Greta Peterson (Assistant Camp Director/Movement Instructor) received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Texas-Austin and an MS in counseling from TAMU. She was the director at Rockport-Fulton High School for fourteen years and advanced to the State level of One Act play in 2008 and 2012, placing 3rd. She has also been honored as a recipient of the Ford Award for Excellence in Education. Under her direction in 2012, Rockport-Fulton was privileged to be invited to perform on the Main Stage in Nebraska at the International Thespian Convention. She is currently the director at Lampasas High School.

Kevin Loeffler (Design/Tech) is an Assistant Professor 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 (Improvisation) 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. She loves to bring Viewpoints, improvisation, and comedy to the workspace. Recently, Meredith has been developing new devised theatre works.

To access your registration, click here.

Camp on the Coast

Campers 2023:

Camp Coordinator

Kelly Russell