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Students Explore Theatre And Visualization Programs Through Youth Adventure Camps

Twenty-four students learned how to create a production and paint digitally with guidance from faculty in the Theatre and Visualization programs.

Aug. 12, 2026 By Bailey Brown

3 min. read

A teacher holds a costume prop in his hand as other students watch him.
Jeff Watson, theatre facility coordinator, leads a prop-making workshop for students in the Texas A&M University Youth Adventure Program. Photo by Igor Kraguljac.

This summer, middle school and high school students explored the Theatre and Visualization programs in the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts as part of the Texas A&M University Youth Adventure Program.

Theatre Camp

A group of 12 middle school and high school students experienced the Theatre program from July 12-17. With faculty guidance and expertise, they worked to create a performance through character development and production techniques.

Students participated in warm-up sessions in the Black Box Theater led by Rayna Middleton Dexter, academic program director and instructional associate professor. Jeff Watson, theatre facility coordinator, shared insight on how to make props for theatre productions in the scene shop in the Liberal Arts and Arts & Humanities Building.

“They are getting to learn from our faculty and all about our program,” Dexter said. “So, the enthusiasm and the energy is high and they are a lot of fun. I’m excited for them to get to see how what we do is perhaps different from what they’ve done in grade school theatre or community theatre.”

At the end of the week, the students presented a showcase of performances and projects in the Black Box Theater. The campers performed short skits and displayed their creations, including props built with guidance from Watson and costumes designed with D’Mya Tabron, costume shop manager.

“They are a fantastic group,” Dexter said during the showcase. “They have a lot of energy, and we have put it to good use. We have done a lot of really fun things this week, and wanted to present a mix of material they have written on their own, some scripts I provided for them and some of their designs. We are so proud of them.”

A group of 15 students and one teacher form a circle in a theater, they are all spread out and doing warm up exercises with their arms stretch side to side.
A group of students surround a teacher in a scene shop as he holds a piece of cardboard and a tool in his hand.
A student sits and performs in a black box theater.
A student stands next to several costume designs on display on costume busts.
13 students stand and take a bow in a black box theater.
Two students perform in a black box theater.
Photos by Igor Kraguljac.

Visualization Camp

Twelve high school students experienced the Visualization program from July 19-24 to learn about digital painting with Cara Baxter, instructional assistant professor. Baxter kicked off the first session with guidance on form and dimensionality.

“I believe that painting is a practice, not a product,” Baxter said. “I hope all my students embrace this challenge, deepening their passion with effort, consistency and the willingness to grow. Every day is a new opportunity to create something wonderful in the endless journey of art!”

At the end of the week, students presented what they learned through a digital still-life painting. They were provided objects to choose from including sunglasses, oranges with a plastic skull, a tea kettle and a rubber snake.

“This week, campers dove headlong into the realm of digital art,” Baxter said. “By combining the techniques of classical painting with powerful digital tools, the campers created vibrant works of art that embody the best parts of our program. I hope this camp planted a seed that will blossom into a lifelong journey of creative expression.”

Two additional Visualization camps took place throughout July. Baxter led campers in a “Character Design” workshop, and Michael Rugh, Ph.D., associate research scientist, led a “LIVE Lab: VR and Game Design” camp.

A teacher and student look at an ipad in a classroom with a computer at their desk.
A student poses in front of a projected image of a tea kettle. She is holding a tea kettle.
A student looks at a document with on a computer screen with a drawing of an eye and a figure.
A student poses in front of a projected image of a skull, rubber frog and a picture of a frog with a mushroom hat. She is holding a rubber frog.
A student sits in front of his computer and looks at his drawings on the screen of a skull.
A student poses in front of a projected image of a skull wearing sunglasses and two oranges. She is holding a skull with sunglasses on it.
Photos by Igor Kraguljac.

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