Then and Now: Gateway Theatre
From a Classroom to a Production
Before there was a stage, lighting, or a full audience, theater at Gateway lived in a classroom.
Students worked with what they had. Scripts in hand, minimal props and a lot of trial and error.
One student started backstage, telling jokes into a microphone where no one could see him. Being on stage felt like too much.
Over time, that changed. He moved from backstage to performing in front of an audience, then to playing guitar in the variety show, and eventually into a lead role in a production. By his senior year, he was helping younger students manage their own anxiety and fears.
That kind of growth did not happen all at once. It was built the same way the program was.
“The theatre program started small,” recalls Catriona Hoster, Gateway’s first Theatre Director. “We had small classes, few props, and big imaginations. Our first variety show was in 2011, and by the next year we added a play. It was a reader’s theatre production where we borrowed platforms and set pieces from another school, and we added microphones just two days before the performance. Over time, we kept building. We added a stage, sound, and lights, and now we have half the school involved in some part of the production.”
It was simple. It was not polished. But it gave students a place to step in.
Building the Program
From there, the program grew the same way the students did. Gradually.
Each year brought something new. A stage. Sound. Lighting. More students willing to try.
What started as a small class now involves nearly half the school. Students take part as actors, crew, video editors, and in roles that keep the production moving.
Inside the classroom, that same step-by-step approach still drives everything.
“We start with facial expressions in front of a mirror, then group performances, then solo lip syncs, and eventually dialogue,” says Angela Sanson, Director of Theatre Arts. “It is all scaffolded so students can experience success along the way.”
Learn more about the early days of the Gateway Theatre Program through this 2018 podcast
For more early podcasts, visit: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/bsimmonsga/episodes/2018-01-23T11_26_04-08_00
Growth On and Off the Stage
For many students, theater does not begin with confidence.
“I’ve had students who could not sit in a room where people were clapping, let alone perform,” Sanson says.
So the work starts earlier than the performance.
“If a student does not enjoy being at school, I feel it is my job to get them having fun and being involved so they wake up and feel a purpose to go to school,” she says. “We will sneak in the academics if we can get the student just wanting to be here.”
That approach shows up in how rehearsals are structured and how students are supported when things feel difficult.
“The theatre rehearsal process is long and hard, but I want to show them that if they put in the work, they can do hard things,” Sanson says.
A Place to Belong
The growth is not just about performance.
“Theatre is hard, but it can also be fun. It can be a great place to create friendships,” Sanson says. “I got into theatre because I made friends within the department, and I want our students to have that same experience.”
That sense of belonging shows up during performances.
“Our performances are sometimes a place to showcase skills our students have that their peers may not know about,” she says. “I have seen students gain respect from their peers because they have a talent others did not know about.”
Then and Now
From a classroom with minimal resources to a full production involving half the school, Gateway theater has grown year by year.
The structure is stronger. The productions are bigger. The opportunities are broader.
What has stayed the same is the purpose behind it.
“Ultimately my number one goal is for students to gain self-confidence,” Sanson says.
That is where the growth shows up. Not just on stage, but in how students carry themselves long after the performance ends.
Angela Sanson, MFA - Director of Theatre Arts
Angela is the Theatre Director at Gateway Academy. She holds a BFA from Texas Christian University and an MFA specializing in Costume and Set Design from University of Houston. With four years of experience teaching public school, Angela has found her niche at Gateway Academy where she guides students in producing spectacular productions. Through her passion for theatre, she inspires personal growth, creativity and confidence in her students.
Outside of school Angela is a part time MLB employee and avid Baseball fan, specifically the Houston Astros.
Catriona Hoster, BA - Events & Student Activities Director
Cariona Hoster is the Events & Student Activities Director at Gateway Academy. With a passion for fostering a positive campus community, Catriona has been orchestrating all the fun and excitement that students experience on campus since she joined the staff in 2010. Her journey began at Texas A&M University, where she graduated in 2002, and after gaining valuable experience in event management and marketing in the advertising world, she found her true calling here.