Austin Savage was the recipient of the 2009 Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival Meritorious Achievement Award for Directing for his region. He has worked at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as an Assistant Director for their MFA Playwriting Workshop in which he helped develop Norway, an original work by Obie Award winning and Macarthur Genius Grant recipient Samuel Hunter. In 2010 he was named an Observership Fellow by the Society of Directors & Choreographers. As part of his fellowship he Assistant Directed The Good Negro by Tracy Scott Wilson at Chicago's legendary Goodman Theatre under the direction of acclaimed director Chuck Smith. In 2010 he founded The Border Theatre, a performance ensemble dedicated to developing and performing original and world premier works as well as educating the El Paso community in the artistry of theatre. His body of work over the last 6 years in both theatre and film led to a nomination for the 2015 Texas Medal of Arts Award.