Spring 2023 End of Semester Updates from ACC Drama!

Happy end of the Spring term!

I hope all of you have had a productive semester. The department has been busy this year. Our students generated some exceptional work, both in class and through productions. From October’s Fade to February’s The Snow, from Curtain Fall in December to our student play readings in April. Students, faculty, and staff churned out some amazing pieces of theatre this academic year. That said, we still have more to offer as spring turns into summer. 

I hope you can join us for the Spring showcase, Curtain Call on Thursday May 11 at 7:30pm. The semester showcase is always a wonderful event. We will present selections from our performance classes and installations of design projects from our tech courses. A bit of theater, light refreshments, and an opportunity to gather. I hope you can join us.

A few new offerings are planned for the summer term. Scenic painting will make its debut, alongside the History of Technical theater course, Theater Workshop, and a special summer section of Voice for the Actor. It is exciting to see the department grow into our new spaces at Highland Campus.

A part of that growth also includes deepening our connections with the communities we serve. We’ll partner with Creative Action to host three score of 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th graders from Campbell Elementary for tours, workshops, and activities on May 16^th. It is a great opportunity to share our love of theater and lead the next generation on an exploration of the arts in higher education. Future Freshmen. Can’t wait.

June will house our third departmental production, The Mad Ones. It’s been six years since we presented a musical, and this production will help to announce our newest degree offering in the 2023-24 season. This fall the Drama department will partner with Dance and Music to offer a new transfer degree in Musical Theater. Warning: we are so excited about this addition to our programming we might, uncontrollably, burst into song.

Once The Mad Ones closes at the end of June we will be done for the 2022-23 season. Except that we won’t be done. Instead, we are planning one more treat that can be enjoyed from the comfort and air conditioning of your own home. The Snow will air on ACCTV through the month of July so if you didn’t have a chance to see it live, you can still enjoy its magic. Nothing like dreaming of snow in July.

I can’t tell you what a joy it is to work with the students, faculty, and staff here in the Drama Department at ACC. Every day is a lesson in creativity, ingenuity, compassion, and a love for the craft. If ever you need a pick-me-up, I invite you to spend a day in the department. Just stop on by…

Marcus McQuirter

Chair, Drama Department

Austin Community College

poster design by Rachel Atkinson

featuring Costume designs by Christina Montgomery and Makeup/Wig Designs by Miguel De Hoyos

from our Spring 2023 production of The Snow

The Austin Community College Drama Department is proud to announce our upcoming

Summer 2023 production:



The Mad Ones

by Kait Kerrigan & Bree Lowdermilk

"Mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved... 18-year-old Samantha Brown sits in a hand-me-down car with the keys clutched in her hand. Caught between a yearning for the unknown and feeling bound by expectation, she telescopes back to a time before her world had fallen apart. As she relives her senior year, we meet Sam’s well-intentioned helicopter mother Bev and her high school sweetheart of a boyfriend Adam, but it’s her painfully alive best friend Kelly that haunts her. Kelly was everything Sam is not – impetuous and daring. She pushed Sam to break rules and do the unexpected. When Kelly’s killed in a car wreck, Sam loses not only her best friend but also the part of herself that was learning to be brave. Now, Sam has to make a decision. Will she follow her mother’s dreams for her, or will she summon the courage to drive away from her friends and family into a future she can’t imagine"

Directed by Marcus McQuirter

HLC2 Black Box Theater

June 8th - June 25th 2023

Thursday & Friday 7:30 PM

Saturday & Sunday 2:00 PM

All ticket sales go directly to the ACC Drama and Dance Scholarship Fund.

Ticket link will be available soon!

Registration for Fall 2023 ACC Drama Courses begins May 15th!

FALL 2023 REGISTRATION LINK