Texas Border Business
PHARR, Texas – Making district history Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (PSJA ISD) theatre programs united to host a joint two-week long musical theatre camp for middle and high school students passionate about theatre arts at PSJA Southwest Early College High School taking place June 5-15, 2023.
The PSJA Rising Stars Musical Theatre Camp was led by recognized professionals in the field and theatre directors from across the district. The camp focused on allowing students from the district’s five high schools and all eight middle schools to come together collaboratively to help perfect and master their theatre art skills by participating in a wide variety of workshops such as dancing, singing, acting, and technical theatre to name a few.
According to PSJA North ECHS Drama Director Jacqueline Zepeda, the goal of the camp is to help the district’s fine art students become well-rounded performers and well-versed in all aspects of theatre starting at the middle school level.
“We’re hoping that this camp is something we can do annually to provide students the chance to learn, enhance, and engage in their theatre skills, whether it be acting or technical,” said Zepeda. “We want to carry this initiative year after, year, and hopefully see growth in all of our theatre departments district-wide.”
In addition, technical theatre ‘master classes’ have also been available during the evening sessions of the camp for students that already have prior experience in the fields of technical theatre such as marketing, hair and makeup, light, sound, and set construction.
The camp is the first initiative of many under the new PSJA Tri-City Theatre Program focused on bringing students from across the district together to help them reach their fullest potential.
“We are excited to kick off the first initiative under the PSJA Tri-City Theatre Program umbrella,” said PSJA Fine Arts Director Jon Taylor. “We know there is an abundance of talent within our district, and we are excited to continue to see the program grow as well as create a sense of unity between the schools as one PSJA Family.”
Teachers and students are looking forward to continuing this new initiative in the future and are excited to put on the first-ever major joint production later this fall.
In addition to Theatre, students at PSJA ISD can participate in numerous award-winning fine arts opportunities including Band, Orchestra, Dance, Jazz Band, Mariachi, and Conjunto. PSJA ISD is still accepting students for the 2023-2024 school year. To learn more or register, parents can visit www.psjaisd.us/whypsja
