AIS Theater Program
Acting is one of the greatest tools for understanding the world around us.
Austin International School is excited to launch its first theater program!
This program is open to all CE2/3rd - 4e/8th graders at AIS and will be led by Ms. Bridget O’Neill.
The skills that are learned through theatre training have the ability to transform how live your life. Confidence, risk-taking skills, and above all communication are at the root of theatre training and I believe everyone can benefit from stepping into the spotlight. Community building and fun are the foundation of my work. My classroom is a laboratory for self-expression and the door is open to all.
The only way to learn acting is by performing and so that is what you will be doing every day in my classroom. We will constantly be in conversation about the work, discovering your strengths, and highlighting the unique attributes that set you apart from the rest. Acting is reacting and we will focus greatly on listening, hearing, and then taking action based on scene partners and the text. I tailor my approach to the actor and honor the differences that define an individual’s creativity.
Classes are offered twice a week from 3:45-5:45 pm
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Fridays
$440 per semester (10 weeks)*
Sept 12th - Dec 5th
No experience necessary
Meet Bridget O’Neill:
Bridget is an actor, theatre educator, world traveler, and public speaking professor who hails from a village in Wisconsin that’s so small it doesn’t have a stoplight. She has been acting since the age of 8 and hasn’t stopped seeking the spotlight since. After receiving her BFA in Acting from Boston University she moved to LA to work in film 
and stand-up comedy for 6 years. In 2018 Bridget was offered to start an acting program in Tainan, Taiwan. While there she developed new methods of English language teaching based on theatre training techniques. She received her MA in Educational Theatre In Colleges and Communities from New York University in 2021. There she conducted research on the benefits of Documentary Theatre and Verbatim Performance methods in English as a Foreign
Language classroom. Since then she has taught acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse and public speaking at Marymount Manhattan College and Manhattan College. Her passion and dedication to her own art have only grown through the practice of teaching.
*All proceeds go towards supporting the AIS Fine Arts Program.