Coy Branscum (Musical Theatre, BFA - Millikin University '15) is thrilled to kick off his second year at DSHS. Never satisfied chasing just one passion, Branscum has chosen to embrace a career as a multi-hyphenate. He has spent his career in a multitude of roles, previously serving as a producer, artistic director, director, music director, choreographer, educator, actor, and more. His passion for the arts has proven strong as Branscum finds joy filling any role, but he feels most at home as a director/choreographer and actor. When he isn’t working, Mr. Branscum enjoys spending time outdoors with his dog, Billie.

Ms. Phillips is a native Austinite and attended the McCallum Fine Arts Academy as a musical theater major during high school. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in history and a minor in education. While in college, she gained hands-on experience working as a voice teacher, choreographer, and director with kidsActing. Fun fact: kidsActing is actually where she got her start in theater! When she's not teaching and directing, she loves performing. Over the summer, she was cast in the Magnolia Musical Theatre production of Beauty and the Beast. She loves being involved in all things theater whether it's on the tech or performance side. Ms. Phillips also loves sleeping and playing with her 5-month-old golden doodle puppies, Captain and Jolene. Theater has taught her that it's ok to make mistakes and helped her come out of her shell. She loves seeing that journey happen for her students! It's always been her safe space and Ms. Phillips strives to create a welcoming environment for all to be themselves and grow. Ms. Phillips has had the privilege of working at both Dripping Springs middle schools and is forever thankful for the support theater continues to receive throughout the community. She loves this community and looks forward to a great year ahead.

Meg Steiner is excited to begin her 11th year of teaching Theatre in Dripping Springs! She started at Dripping Springs Middle School in 2014 under the mentorship of Larin Hinson and James Orozco. There, she taught Technical Theatre, Introduction to Theatre, and directed and choreographed many productions, including Aladdin Jr., High School Musical Jr., Seussical Jr., and Zink: The Legend, The Myth, The Mystery. In 2017, she created the Sycamore Springs Middle School Theatre Arts program alongside Mr. Chris Young. Her time at Sycamore has been rich with extraordinary talent, amazing families, inspiring colleagues, and phenomenal art. Some of her most memorable experiences include the technical direction and design of an Andy Warhol Pop Art Gallery-themed production of Alice in Wonderland, producing The Jungle Book online via Zoom in the spring of 2020, CATS with a trampoline built into the set, a Beyoncé-themed production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with spectacular young singers, and last spring’s student-written original musical workshop City Lights and Country Roads: A Taylor Swift Musical. In addition to teaching at SSMS, Meg is co-owner and creative director of On Stage Ready, where she teaches private lessons, directs and choreographs productions, and hosts Musical Theatre summer camps. Before becoming a dedicated educator, she performed in regional and community theatre productions in Austin and Wimberley. She’s an Austin native who earned a BFA in Musical Theatre from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has taught internationally at The Leysin American School in Switzerland. She is excited for a wonderful new year!

Antonio Romero is a fun-loving Libra, from the heart of San Antonio, Texas. He is a graduate of Texas State University, and entering his 2nd year of teaching, but his first year teaching in Dripping Springs. Prior to Sycamore Springs Middle School, Antonio taught Theatre/Tech Theatre at St. Andrew’s Middle School in Austin. So far in his career, Antonio has co-directed productions of These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich, Matilda Jr., The Lion King Jr., and Curtains. Antonio is very excited to be a part of the Theatre team at Sycamore Springs MS, and the Dripping Springs ISD family. He’s ready to have an awesome year, and contribute to the rich tradition of Theatre that Dripping Springs is known for.

Daniel Baxter (Theatre Design and Technology, BFA - University of Evansville '11) returns for another great year at Dripping Springs. Baxter trained as a theatrical designer before working as a lighting technician, designer, and project manager for live events and televised sports nationwide. Believing in the tremendous impact of performance art on the young mind, he left the traveling life to train and inspire the next generation of technicians and artists.

Joe Lombardo is incredibly excited to be back for year 4 at Sycamore Spring Middle School. He is a graduate of Texas State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Performance & Production. Though he is the Technical Director SSMS, he has enjoyed directing shows for the Spring Showcase. Directing credits for SSMS include Check Please, Queens, & Moriarty’s Daughters. As Technical Director his credits include Matilda Jr., Moana Jr., Xanadu, Legally Blonde Jr., Cut!. This is Joe’s 5th year teaching as a whole and is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be an educator for DSISD. He is excited to work with the students of SSMS on this season’s shows. “Each year seems to get better and better here, and I am proud to say that I teach for this district.”