Brittany Kelley
BUDA — After a year and a half of debating, Angela Burchfield and her husband knew that they needed to open an educational theatre in Buda to mitigate the lack of arts programs in schools.
Burchfield has been in theatre since she was two years old, she said, and made a career out of performing and eventually obtained a music therapy degree in 2002.
Her skills acquired from working with children with disabilities have transferred to the Burchfield Educational Theatre, which opened June 2 and offers all-inclusive opportunities for students ages kindergarten through high school in Buda and Hays County.
“We decided to open this school because both of our children go to public school and they don’t have what they need right now, as far as the arts are concerned. It’s very concerning what we see happening with the funding for cultural education in our community and we have such a large population of children [here]. Buda and Kyle is [made up of] 27% of children under the age of 18,” she explained.
Additionally, the Austin Educational Theatre, where she served as director for several years, recently closed its doors, leaving her students to question where they could continue their education.
She shared that she and her husband wanted to build a place in the community, where children can come and participate in every aspect of theatre, including acting, singing, dancing, lighting and more, stating that there is an opportunity for everyone with the motto, “Where every child finds their light."
The for-profit theatre program includes recreational possibilities, as well as pre-professional development for those who want to make a career out of the art. Burchfield stated that those who choose to participate in the latter will learn how to audition, how to apply for scholarships and more to create a career in the trade.
Burchfield shared that the organization has a 10-year goal of building the first proscenium — a classical theatrical stage — in Buda.
Recreationally, students have the opportunity to enroll in various summer and fall camps, according to marketing director Lilja Macki.
The summer camps are themed, with one and two week options. The one week will provide character development skills, while the musical productions are a full performance, with community members having the opportunity to purchase tickets. The students will learn the basics of theatre here, said Burchfield, such as how to write a script, how to make a story with a plot twist, how to work on costumes and do makeup and more.
The fall camps will consist of three days each week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday — with after school pick-up provided and a goal of having two productions in the semester.
Currently, the ratio of student to counselor is 1.5 to 1, said Burchfield.
Because typical theatre programs are “cutthroat” in their approach, said Macki, Burchfield Educational Theatre prides itself on being student centered and removing the typical nature of having a standard of singing, acting and dancing.
Additionally, the inclusive nature is something that stands out amongst others. Burchfield explained that one of her many college intern’s expertise is in special education and this, combined with her background, as well, makes for an environment that can encompass all students, such as those with leg braces, wheelchairs, neurological differences and more.
“We even have a designated room that is for helping overstimulation. The counselors are trained to recognize when a student might be feeling emotionally flooded or just overwhelmed or anxious and to be able to intervene and ask if they want to step away,” said Macki.
“I really push community here at the theater. I really push allowing people to have their differences and there is zero tolerance policy on things, like bullying or exclusion because of differences. I see people finding a safe place. These children are finding a safe place to come out of their shells and show us who they really are,” emphasized Burchfield.
This is further explored by requiring those who land a lead role to also participate in an ensemble role at another showing, Burchfield said, as it encourages supporting one another.
For those interested in joining, Macki and Burchfield noted that day passes are available in the summer or parents can request a tour: “If somebody doesn’t know if they’re going to fit here, get a day pass. Come check us out and let it just stand for itself,” concluded Burchfield.
Summer enrollment is now open and fall enrollment will begin soon. For more information, visit www.burchfieldtheatre.com.
