the directors
Kelly GrovesKelly Groves has been the director of Theatre Arts at Martin for the past seven years, where he has directed over 30 plays and musicals. A graduate of Emerson College in Boston, he earned a Master’s in Theatre Education and was awarded the prestigious Dean’s Fellowship in Theatre. He also holds a BFA in Acting from Boston University School of Theatre.
As a teacher, Mr. Groves has previously taught at South Garland High School, Richland High School and musical theatre at Emerson College. He has served as the Manager of Education and School Programs for the Tony Award-winning Dallas Theater Center where he also served as a teaching artist and a director for the Summerstage Program. He has coached countless students from ages 8 to 18 in acting, audition preparation, musical theatre, and Shakespeare. Many of his students have gone on to admission at some of the top theatre programs in the country. As an actor, Mr. Groves has appeared at regional theatres across the country, including the Huntington Theatre, Hangar Theatre, Hackmatack Playhouse, InterLakes Theatre, EgoPo Classic Theatre, and the Philadelphia Opera Company. Recently he has been seen starring as Tick in Uptown Players’ Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Kalita Humphreys Theatre, as Robin/Lady Capulet in Shakespeare in Love at Shakespeare Dallas and will return to the stage in 2021 in the world premiere of Del Shores’ A Very Sordid Wedding at Uptown Players. Mr. Groves is also the award-winning author and director of Beat (Playscripts Inc.) about the life of Allen Ginsberg. jgroves1@aisd.net |
Jordan ChambersJordan Chambers is in his seventh year as Theatre Director at Martin High School and seventh year with AISD. He is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatics Academy in Los Angeles and University of Texas at Arlington where he earned his BFA in Theatre Performance. While in Los Angeles, Mr. Chambers acted for Disney, ABC, Universal Studios, among others. At Martin, Mr. Chambers and Mr. Groves were 6A UIL One Act Play State Finalist in 2019 with their play Dancing at Lughnasa and have won seven Betty Buckley awards including Best Play in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Mr. Groves and Mr. Chambers’ productions have been awarded numerous honors, including seven Betty Buckley Awards for Excellence in High School Theatre, winning the Best Play Award three years in a row for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018), Lord of the Flies (2019) and Hamlet (2021). He has coached his students to success in the Dallas Summer Musical High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Texas State Thespian Festival, earned dozens of qualifications for the National Thespian Festival, and numerous Best Actor/Actress medals in the UIL One Act Play competition. His and Mr. Chambers’ 2019 production of Dancing at Lughnasa was a UIL 6A State Finalist in One Act Play jchambe2@aisd.net Room 360-A (682) 867-8666 |
