On Sept. 19, Texas Performing Arts announced an expansion of its education and engagement opportunities for local K-12 students.

Since 1981, Texas Performing Arts, part of UT, has served the Austin community by providing opportunities for local students to witness theater productions and to access theater arts education. Tim Rogers, the director of education and engagement for Texas Performing Arts, said there’s been a demand for this kind of education in the Austin area. 

“We were able to arrange [a] daytime performance for a Broadway show, and that is going to be Peter Pan in December,” Rogers said. “We’ve already filled out the whole show and have a waiting list because of how much demand there has been.”

Phillip Taylor, executive director of fine arts at Austin Independent School District, said to promote student and staff visual art efforts, he started working with the center to reach 16,000 K-12 students this semester.

“It could be really transformative,” Taylor said. “What they’re doing really does align with what we’re doing at Austin ISD, because we focus on access to the arts. Especially being an urban school district, we want to close the gap, like accessibility, and they offer some free opportunities for our students.” 

Taylor also said by offering educational opportunities like school-day performances of music and dance, students will not only be able to see the real-world possibilities of a career in the arts, but also connect with local students they might not otherwise get the chance to meet.

“They’ll see students from across the school district or across the Greater Austin community and see how theater performances can build a sense of community to be really a universal language,” Taylor said.

Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, associate professor of theater education and associate dean of education program UTeach Fine Arts, said young people need to see live performances and arts education to encourage traits like empathy, collaboration and creativity needed in careers. 

“If a theater teacher takes his students to see something live, then you can talk about it,” Schroeder-Arce said. “We can connect the arts to all kinds of other subjects, and TPA is poised to make those connections with really strong educational staff who know the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and know how to make those connections for educators.”