Blinn Theatre Arts faculty, students attend Texas Educational Theatre Association conference

Galveston conference includes workshops, auditions

October 18, 2024

Blinn College Theatre Arts Program faculty and students recently attended the Texas Educational Theatre Association (TxETA) Theatrefest, taking part in workshops, recruiting, and auditions.

Blinn College-Brenham Theatre Arts Professor Brad Nies, Technical Theatre Arts Professor Kevin Patrick, Theatre Arts Instructor Jennifer Patrick, and 12 students attended the conference at Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston.

The faculty members led recruiting efforts, working a booth and networking with various theatre vendors, university faculty, and high school theatre arts directors. They also took part in technical and acting/musical auditions to recruit potential theatre arts majors to Blinn.

Jennifer Patrick hosted two sessions of a workshop called “Emotions Come When You Start with the Body.” The Patricks co-hosted a workshop on “Designing Medea: The Ancient and the AI.”

At the conference, Kevin Patrick officially received his TxETA Educator of the Year in Higher Education Award , and Blinn Theatre Arts was recognized as a Higher Education School of Distinction exemplary program.

Theatre arts sophomores Aliana Hernandez, Steven Houlihan, and Benedite Trecy participated in acting/theatre education auditions. All three received callbacks from schools, including the Academy of Dramatic Arts, American Musical Dramatic Academy, Angelo State University, Baylor University, Lamar University, McMurry University, Midwestern State University, Oklahoma City University, Sam Houston State University, Stephen F. Austin University, University of Houston, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas Southern University, Texas Tech University, University of Texas-Austin, University of Texas-El Paso, and West Texas A&M University.

Hernandez and Trecy also took part in musical theatre auditions.

Sophomore Eric Cruz took part in the TxETA Designfest and technical auditions. His callback list included Baylor University, Sam Houston State University, Stephen F. Austin University, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, University of Houston, University of Oklahoma, University of Texas-Austin, University of Texas-El Paso, and West Texas A&M University.

Blinn Theatre Arts faculty member Erin Moore is serving as TxETA president.

“I am proud of our students and their incredible work while attending this worthwhile conference,” Nies said. “I am proud of Kevin Patrick, Jennifer Patrick, and Erin Moore, who represented Blinn College so very well, and I am proud of the awards and accolades our program received.”

The Blinn Theatre Arts Program cultivates a quality educational foundation of study, application, and experience through a wide range of performance, technical, and production studies. Its Associate of Arts degree plan integrates artistic, technical, and academic disciplines of theatre from the classroom to the stage. Students have an opportunity to audition for performances related to drama and theatre and are prepared to transfer to four-year colleges and universities.

For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/theatre-arts.