Our Mission is to transform our community through accessible arts education and outstanding artistic experiences.

Impact Arts cultivates the next generation of artists. Fostering empathy, creativity, and critical thinking, our theatre and film programs propel young artists to the next level in their careers. Uniquely empowering area youth by producing professional quality productions, we aim to be a leader in inclusive educational programs that use the arts to unite people and create a lasting impact.

Founded in 2020 with Summer Stock Austin as its cornerstone program, Impact Arts also operates Texas Arts Project, Musical Theatre In-A-Box, the Heller Awards for Young Artists (in partnership with the Long Center and TPA), and other programs that support students, educators, and the Greater Austin community.

Join us as we commemorate two decades of Summer Stock Austin with exciting events and performances in our 20th Season.

As we enter our 20th year, our mission remains clear: to provide equal opportunities for all students. We firmly believe that every student deserves access to quality training and performance experiences. Our commitment to tuition-free programs removes financial barriers, empowering students by collectively fundraising instead of imposing participation fees. This approach fosters an inclusive environment, leveling the playing field, and nurturing the next generation of arts advocates.

Sustaining this mission relies on support from individuals like you. Your contributions this Giving Season directly fund scholarships and subsidies, ensuring that ALL students can access our programs.

Join us in making a tangible difference in the lives of aspiring artists and technicians. Your donations pave the way for inclusivity, empowerment, and the flourishing of artistic talent. Together, let's create opportunities and inspire future generations through the transformative power of the arts.

Snapshot of Impact Arts in 2023

Diversity & Inclusivity

Students & Teaching Artists: Ensuring representation of BIPOC, LGBTQAI+, and neurodivergent communities among students and teaching artists fosters a diverse and inclusive environment

Community Accessibility

Tickets: 20% discounted or free, ensuring broad community access to live theatre performances.
Training: 115 students ages 6-24 provided tuition-free training and performance experiences

Empowering Education

Students Engaged: Over 1225 coached, trained, and mentored, empowering their artistic and personal growth.

Real-World Experience

Internships: Providing 20+ invaluable real-world experiences to aspiring artists.

Community Engagement

Partnerships: Expanded partnerships enhancing the vibrant arts landscape within the community.

Institutional Growth & Stability

Strategic Plan: Implemented for institutional stability and long-term impact.

National Recognition & Achievements

Jimmy Awards: Debut participation resulting in a national champion.

Broadway Spotlight

Alumni Success: Celebrating an alumnus starring in a Broadway musical for the first time.

This year has been a testament to our commitment to diversity, accessibility, education, and artistic excellence. We're proud of these achievements and look forward to continuing our journey of making a profound impact through the arts.

Our Purpose is to ignite passion and empower change through the arts – one artist, one audience, one community at a time.

WE DO THIS BY…

ARTISTIC EMPOWERMENT
IMMERSIVE INCLUSION
COMMUNAL HARMONY
TRAILBLAZING CREATIVITY
LEGACY OF IMPACT
ACCESSIBLE ARTS FOR ALL
ECHOING VOICES

Become part of our story. Together, we can change the culture of arts education and impact the future of the arts industry. It starts with access, training, mentorship, and production experience for ALL students. It starts with you.

KEY PROGRAMS INCLUDE:

SUMMER STOCK AUSTIN

Summer Stock Austin (SSA) is a program for high school and college students, offering hands-on education, training, performance, and mentorship opportunities—at no cost to participants. Combining a professional level summer stock-style program with intensive skills-based education, it is the only program of its kind in the country.

In a crowded field full of pay-to-play programs, SSA levels the playing field for participation with a tuition-free experience for a diverse group of high school students who demonstrate excellence in performance and dedication to their craft. College students also participate in the program, either as mentors or apprentices, and receive stipends based on experience and leadership potential. The program’s designers and directors are professional artists, paid for their work. All ages work together to produce multiple professional-level musicals and an original movie musical in a fast-paced, highly collaborative learning environment.

Students learn how to produce and market shows for paying audiences, mastering time management, marketing, fundraising, administrative skills, professionalism, efficiency, adaptability, problem-solving, and leadership—in a supportive environment that celebrates the individual and values inclusion and belonging. SSA provides a stepping-stone to help both high school and college students succeed in their educations and their careers, in theatre or any other demanding field. It encourages them to become mentors themselves and to advocate for the arts in their current and future communities.

MUSICAL THEATRE IN-A-BOX

A unique digital curriculum combining 8 weeks of standards-based, interactive video lessons with exciting content inspired by the award-winning film, Scout.

We strive to make theatre and media arts opportunities available to underserved and underrepresented communities by removing many financial barriers that exist in our current educational system. “Musical Theater In-A-Box” addresses the lack of access to quality, multi-disciplinary arts learning experiences in 3rd-12th grade classrooms. Based on comments from arts leaders and administrators, we have concluded that students are missing the full range of artistic experiences in their curriculum.

Our learning series uniquely solves these challenges by incorporating multiple art forms in an easily scalable and distributable format. It is adaptable and segmented so educators can utilize it in a flexible manner that suits their teaching structure, ensuring that TEKS standards are taught in schools. With award-winning creators, certified educators, and Broadway stars, we ensure that the training and production are of the highest quality.

TEXAS ARTS PROJECT

Texas Arts Project is a two week summer intensive designed to develop student’s skills and confidence in vocal performance, dance, acting, auditioning, film and more through hands-on training by professional artists.

This program meets students wherever they are in their artistic and personal journey and gives them space to be exactly who they are in connection to other students who share their artistic passion. With a common pursuit to push past personal limitations, build a community of acceptance and encouragement, and strive to produce quality artistic work, the program culminates with a sense of personal and group success, impacting students for a lifetime.

Since 2003, this program has been a safe haven to thousands of students ages 9-18. To some degree, attending Texas Arts Project has helped students to decide to wake up every day and choose to live with a pursuit of excellence, comfortable in their own skin. All middle and high school students struggle to fit into an established group or niche or clique. Texas Arts Project has historically been a place where the only requirement is that you have a passion for the arts and a desire to learn and grow. It has provided a place where students can truly be exactly who they are without judgement, a place where they are embraced by their peers and their instructors.

Texas Arts Project is a place where students can go on an artistic and personal journey and become more confident, self-assured young people who can make decisions based on a personal sense of values and expectations. This is a place where young artists learn who they are and what kind of people they want to become, shaping their future with empathy, courage, tenacity, and passion towards their careers, families, friends, and colleagues.

End-Of-Year Giving

By Impact Arts Inc

End-Of-Year Giving

Celebrating the #IMPACTofIMPACT over the last 2 decades.

Team Members