About.Built in 2001, the Burdine Johnson Theatre holds approximately 250 audience members.
OUR MISSION: To provide a safe space for all students to create art for our community. We produce a FALL PLAY, FALL MUSICAL, ACTING SHOWCASE, BROADWAY IN BUDA REVUE, UIL ONE-ACT PLAY, STUDENT DIRECTED ONE-ACT PLAY COMPETITION, AND a SPRING CHILDREN'S MUSICAL. We also perform at local nursing and rehab centers for the elderly. We're excited about our newest program: ADAPTIVE MUSICAL REVIEW starring our students with special needs and their supportive peers. In the summer we host a KIDS CAMP for 25-50 children from Buda, Kyle & Austin. |
MEET THE DIRECTORS
Theatre Director - Lory "Stewy" StewartMrs. Stewart has a BFA in Theatre Studies from UT Austin and has been directing and teaching since 1993 (Theatre, Speech, Debate and Interpretation/Competitive Acting). She joined Hays Legacy Players in 2018. An author and public speaker since 2010, she has spoken to over 5,000 teens, parents & counselors about Teen Dating Violence and has been directing musicals with Special Needs Adults since 2004. The director of Actors Anonymous Theatre of Company since its 1997 inception, AATC has donated over $25,000 to various charities (www.TheDramaQueens.com). She created our new HHS Theatre class, Adaptive Musical Theatre with Supportive Peers, for ALL Hays HS students with Special Needs. Stewy is a Double Diamond Coach in the National Speech and Debate Association and has coached many State Champions, as well as State and National finalists. Hays High School Fine Arts Department Chair, she has been a Teacher of the Year finalist multiple times. She received the Texas UIL Sponsor of Excellence in 2021. In 2023 she received the Texas Thespian Golden Apple Award, established to honor those adults who have 10 or more years of service by dedicating themselves to promoting Texas educational theatre. 2025 Hays CISD Fine Arts Employee of the Year. Married to her college sweetheart, she also has two talented jazz musician/composer/actor/singer sons, Trevor & Tristan, in Chicago.
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Tech Theatre Director - Rachel CarnegieCarnegie has their BFA in Theatre + Teaching Certification from Texas State University. They started teaching in 2022, fostering the program at Simon Middle School into an award winning program recognized by UIL and Junior Texas Thespians. Carnegie chartered the first International Thespians Society troupe at the middle school in Hays CISD in 2025 and has had several students qualify and compete at the National level. They are currently serving on the committee for Junior Texas Thespians festival with the Texas Thespians board. UIL One-Act Play season is Carnegie's favorite time of year - they made their first appearance at the UIL One-Act Play State as a student in 2018, then as a director in 2022, and they are excited to compete in both middle school and high school levels this year! Carnegie was nominated for Teacher of the Year in the 2024-2025 school year and recieved the Superintendent's Coin of Excellence in May 2025. With the little bit of time they have outside of teaching and theatre, they love reading, running, and spending time outside on hikes or in the water.
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2026-2027 Hays Legacy Players - Thespian Officers
- President - Nora Jones SENIOR
- Vice-President - Dakota Wade SENIOR
- Secretary - Zoey Martinez SENIOR
- Historian - Luz Montemayor SENIOR
- Member-at-Large - Isabela "Izzy" Sheffield JUNIOR