Making Photons Fun

When it comes to science, Dallas Akins ’16 doesn’t clown around … well, at least not with the facts. A theatre and physics double major, Dallas combines his passion for performance and comedy with his ambition to make science education fun and easy to understand.

As the artistic director and founder of the educational children’s theatre company WOW O’Clock, Dallas has directed and co-written five original shows that have toured across the United States and Europe. From a villainous virus in “Battle of the Body” to Carl the Coral in “Into the Deep,” Dallas brings a whole cast of characters to the stage in interactive performances that make important scientific concepts memorable long after the show has ended.

“One of the reasons I want to keep making shows is I just have so many ideas for characters,” Dallas explains. “I’ve been able to cast myself as a star, a black hole, a white blood cell, an angler fish—the list goes on. I literally get to make dream roles for myself in these shows and then perform them hundreds of times.”

Each show takes nine months to a year to create, involving research, scriptwriting, rehearsals, and costume design. This year alone, Dallas will perform more than 100 shows from Florida to Washington State for thousands of children.

“They’re humble shows. Everything is homegrown, from the sounds to the props, and it’s all designed to be packed up in a suitcase in 15 minutes because sometimes you need that quick turnaround,” Dallas says. “It’s a really well-oiled machine.”

Born and raised in San Antonio, Dallas grew up wanting to become an actor. He applied to around 14 colleges with top acting programs and was even accepted into one of his dream schools. His father supported his applications to Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) programs, but he encouraged him to apply for at least one Bachelor of Arts program.

Dallas was familiar with Trinity University, having attended several distinguished guest lectures in Laurie Auditorium with his father, but it wasn’t on his list until a fateful meeting during a college fair between Dallas’ father and Stacey Connelly, Ph.D. She pitched that Dallas could pursue acting without having to sacrifice his interest in physics, which intrigued Dallas.

After a successful audition, Dallas was awarded Trinity’s Baker Duncan Theatre Scholarship, a competitive, merit-based scholarship for incoming first-year students. However, he was still on the fence about attending Trinity. Connelly’s support and a “gut instinct” ultimately swayed him to choose Trinity at the last second. Connelly and Dallas are still friends to this day.

“I bless my theatre degree and the professors in that department for making me a good writer. I also got a lot of stage time, probably more than I would have received at any BFA program,” Dallas says. “I think it’s easier to explore yourself at Trinity than most other schools. You could be majoring in neuroscience and also be the lead actor in one of the theatre productions.”

Dallas acted in productions every semester except for one when he took a break, with his personal highlights being How I Learned to Drive and La Tempesta. As for his physics major, Dallas formed a strong connection with Dennis Ugolini, Ph.D.

“Dennis has made a huge impact on me and the way I think as a person. He took me under his intellectual wing. He was always someone I could just pop into his office and chat with,” Dallas reflects, adding that he still pops into his office whenever he visits campus.

The first couple of years after graduating from Trinity were challenging for Dallas.

“I was depressed and really imploded mentally in the sense that I think a lot of my purpose came from school,” he admits.

One night, however, he came across solo acting pieces on YouTube that impressed him. He researched the actors and learned they had all attended École Philippe Gaulier in France. From that moment on, he made it his goal to go there.

During this same time after graduation, Dallas was lucky enough to cross paths with Will Parker ’12, M’13, and they became best friends. “We did improv together, and he really encouraged me and supported my dreams,” Dallas says. Parker was touring every summer doing songs for kids and was instrumental in helping Dallas produce and sell his first tour years later. “He’s just one of those really special humans. I make it a point to see him every single summer when I tour,” Dallas adds. “Without Will, there would be no kids show tours.”

About nine months after his graduation, Dallas moved to Colorado to break free of the Texas bubble and leapfrog to France. He had to save up enough money for two years abroad and tuition. He worked three jobs, taught himself French as best he could, and created his first kids show, saving up enough for the first year. The second year came from his first tour he booked with Parker’s help, which he performed during the summer between the two years.

Having made it to France, he started taking classes with Philippe Gaulier, the legendary French master clown and founder of the school that bears his name. With a nickname of “The Tormentor,” Gaulier is far from the comical stereotype of a clown. Dallas likens him to Terence Fletcher, J.K. Simmons' character in Whiplash, with a caveat.

“At the end of the day, it all comes from love. Philippe never gave up on any student,” Dallas recalls. “He let anyone into his school. You don’t have to audition. Philipe asked, ‘What makes you a top theatre school if you only accept the top people?’”

After studying alongside people who had traveled from all over the world to train with Gaulier, Dallas relates clown performance to more of a spirit that he can tap into.

“It’s a special muscle to have as a performer in the same way that having an improvisation muscle is good. Some really famous actors don’t have it. The moment they’re off script, they can’t save the scene,” Dallas explains.

Dallas went on to complete the full two years of training under Gaulier, and then he completed the full two-year program at École internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq, a movement devising school that teaches actors how to make their own theatre.

Dallas is now a full-time artist living in France, creating and collaborating on original theatre pieces and touring the United States in the summer. This past year, he co-created a mask show that toured in the Alps, performed in The Breach by Naomi Wallace with the company Ouest of Center, and is now in charge of the theatre pedagogy for Union School, a private school in Paris. He hopes to bring this same pedagogy to public schools in disadvantaged districts in Paris. For his own original pieces, Dallas is currently creating a clown show that takes place underwater and recently conducted a test run for it in Lyon. He is also in the middle of writing The Gag Show, which he will debut next summer.

“As an artist, it’s questionable how rewarding this career is. This work is very isolating at times because I’m not supported by a big entity. There’s a lot of stuff you have to put up with, and yet there’s something that makes me get up in the morning and create,” he says. “I’m not making much money, but I just can’t shake this drive to create.”