Take the Stage is a brand-new Houston-based performing-arts TV show for kids debuting on Saturday, May 30—and a student from HISD’s very own Twain Elementary School holds one of the lead roles.

Payne Houck (left) in character on the show

Payne Houck, a second-grader, plays “Sawyer,” a high-spirited student with big dreams in an afterschool performing-arts class. In the show’s first episode, viewers take a ride inside Sawyer’s colorful imagination, where they see his fantasy of becoming an on-air talk-show host/comedian.

“Payne had such a good time working with the other actors on the show,” said his mother Chastiti Horne. “This was his first true role, and the cast and crew were so welcoming to him.”

The show, which follows nine children in an afterschool program as they confront personal challenges and comical situations, is scheduled to air at 9:30 a.m. on Houston Public Media TV 8.2.

“Not only do the kids on this television show experience the performing arts, but the viewers at home learn right alongside them,” said producer and HISD alumnus Dan Gordon. “With step-by-step instruction and the appearance of celebrity artists, each show takes them on a new and exciting adventure into the world of the performing arts.”