AUSTIN, Texas — More than 250 Austin Independent School District (AISD) students are coming together from more than 40 different schools across the district to put on their Summer Theatre Series.
Students can participate for free, and the district provides them with lunches and buses if they need a ride.
The magic happens at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center in the Mueller neighborhood.
The students produce two different shows – a play and a musical – and they're responsible for everything. From creating costumes to building sets, the students have a hand in every layer.
"It is so rewarding, and it's such a great experience to like, see like, 'I built that myself,'" Ayla Marshman, a student lead and upcoming Scenic senior, said.
Marshman leads the crews in building all the sets. She said the technical skills they are learning will go beyond swamps and castles.
"It's so versatile and important. And also, if you want to do this as a career, [it] is a really good way to learn stuff and make a career out of this," she said.
Stella Thomas is in charge of costumes and just graduated.
"We're offering opportunities to learn skills that students will use in the professional world," she said.
Thomas said making the costumes not only reinforces the story but teaches students new abilities as well.
"It's a dying art, you know. We're are not learning those skills like sewing. It's not taught in schools," she said.
From behind-the-scenes to center stage, everyone involved is getting something out of the experience.
"Need help with costumes. We've got the costume crew, you know, set building crews all over the place. And, obviously, it's us. And we get to act here and make a lot of the creative choices," Astrid Gothard, an actor in "The Twelve Huntsmen," said.
The 250-seat Blackbox production of "The Twelve Huntsman" is a smaller play that gives students a more intimate setting.
"It's a much smaller cast, so I feel like you can get close with everybody," incoming sophomore and actor Keira Caldwell said. "It's honestly a lot of fun to be such a big part of like, the making of a show."
Then, there's the big musical number in the main hall.
"It's 'Shrek.' It's a movie I've always loved," Ethan Galvez, who is cast as Young Shrek in the musical, said.
AISD Director of Fine Arts Phillip Taylor hopes the show will encourage more people to come see the work the students put in.
"It's the perfect production to engage young and older audiences," Taylor said.
Finn Alexander, the lead actor playing Shrek, said it's nice to see his classmates work together.
"It feels hopeful for me because I keep hearing these concerns like, 'What's going to happen to the American theater?'" he said. "We're all going to spread out and do wonderful things for theater in the future."
Just like onions and Ogres, the larger-than-life production has layers.
Since students come from all over the district to work together for the summer series, they get to organize bigger shows and have more resources than they might at their home campus.
"The Twelve Huntsman" has another show this Friday and two on Saturday. "Shrek the Musical" is scheduled for Thursday, July 18; Friday, July 19; and there are two shows set for Saturday, July 20.