USC Callboard 2022-23

Preparing Students for Success

USC Callboard magazine is an annual publication of the USC School of Dramatic Arts for its alumni, parents, students and friends.

dean

Emily Roxworthy

vice dean

Lori Ray Fisher

associate dean of communications

Delphine Vasko

graphic designer

Christopher Komuro

content marketing manager

Geoffrey Waring

communications assistant

Faith Flippen

writers

Allison Engel

Lynne Heffley

Celine Kiner

Steven Vargas

photographers

Capture Imaging

Craig Schwartz Photography

Gus Ruelas

Dylan J. Locke

©2023 USC School of Dramatic Arts

We’d like to hear from you, keep you informed and/or share your news in an upcoming issue of USC Callboard Please send correspondences to the SDA Communications Office at sdacomm@usc.edu or mail to:

USC School of Dramatic Arts

Attn: Communications Office 1029 Childs Way Los Angeles, CA 90089

A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

I am delighted to welcome you to our latest edition of Callboard.

In these pages you’ll learn more about the added commitment the School has to professional development and the exciting addition of our new multihyphenate masterclass series

Since becoming dean, I have been so fortunate to connect with many of our extraordinary alumni, including the undeniable talent that is Alma Martinez, featured in these pages. Please consider following me on Instagram (@deanroxworthy) where I connect with and uplift our alumni community.

Emily Roxworthy DEAN

BRAND NEW THEATRE

is one of the oldest ISP companies on campus, producing original student work since 1996.

This year we are highlighting some of the incredible student groups and independent student production companies that add to the fabric of SDA. Visit dramaticarts.usc.edu/isp to read more.

4 Preparing Students for Success

The newly-renamed Professional Development Center has expanded its mission to expose students to the full spectrum of career possibilities for which a dramatic arts degree will prepare them. Plus, a look at the impactful alumni mentorship program on Page 9 & highlights on the thriving internship program on Page 10

11

Construction has begun on the School of Dramatic Arts’ exciting new Drama Center. Great care is being made to substantially reduce the embodied carbon footprint of the construction project and several innovative sustainable strategies are being utilized on this historic building, which was originally built in 1931. The School is excited to welcome alumni, friends and the next generation of artists to this new space, set to open in the ’23-’24 academic year.

Education is Power

Shining a spotlight on actress, educator and changemaker Alma Martinez MFA ’95.

13 There’s no ‘no’

Mindy Kaling accepts SDA’s inaugural Multihyphenate Award at an event led by SDA faculty member Colman Domingo, which also featured Franklin Leonard, Paula Wagner and Sean San José.

16 BOARD OF COUNCILORS

18 ALUMNI MARQUEE

22 SUPPORTERS OF DRAMATIC ARTS

PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT Construction

Preparing Students for Success

BY ALLISON ENGEL

There are big changes afoot at the School of Dramatic Arts Career Center this year; two new employees have come on board, the Center has expanded its focus and it has a new name. The office, on the second floor of the Jefferson Building, now is called the Professional Development Center. Its expanded mission is to expose students to the full spectrum of career possibilities for which their dramatic arts degree has prepared them.

SDA Dean Emily Roxworthy explains: “The name change signals that that SDA is going beyond preparing students for a singular career. We are intent on diverse professional development because sustaining a career in today’s entertainment industry entails being a multihyphenated artist rather than pursuing a single, linear career.”

To that end, veteran casting director and Center Director Dan Shaner and his assistant Jennifer Arias have been joined by two new hires working remotely in other parts of the country. Noted casting directors Daryl Eisenberg and Ally Beans have joined the staff as the new Theatre Industry Liaisons. Responsible for targeted territories (West Coast/Chicago and East Coast), they work with students who are looking for opportunities to align their academic interests with individual career and professional pathways through exploration and engagement in extracurricular opportunities in the professional theatre. During the hiring process, the School emphasized attracting industry insiders in order to keep current with employment trends.

“We cover film and TV pretty well, and we are excited to expand to employment opportunities with theatre companies, apprenticeships, internships and partnerships across the country in the regional theatre space,” says Shaner. The new liaisons will

expand SDA’s footprint in musical theatre, assisting with the spring showcase in New York City. Eisenberg and Beans will travel to campus a few times each year for events, in-person meetings with students and team-building with SDA faculty members.

First of its Kind

The Professional Development Center, which was the first dedicated career center at a drama school when it launched in 2017, continues to offer its wide range of supportive services to students and recent alums, such as a free self-taping facility, free headshots and industry mentors (more on those later.)

But it has also been involved with two new initiatives developed by the dean’s office for this academic year: a series of multihyphenate intensives and a passport that “gamifies” SDA students’ participation in professional development activities outside the training for their particular craft. By stamping different areas of their professional development passport, students earn prizes such as SDA swag.

This year, the School is holding 10 multihyphenate masterclasses—five in the fall and five in the spring. In addition to current students, many of the events are open to SDA alumni.

Guest artists, including well-known actors, directors, artistic directors, writers, designers, studio heads and others, have visited campus. They examine subjects such as artistic entrepreneurship, straddling stage and screen, and what it means to be an artistic director in today’s entertainment industry.

In the past, says Dean Roxworthy, career training at drama schools was primarily focused on acting.

The USC School of Dramatic Arts Multihyphenate Artistic Entrepreneurship Masterclass featuring (l to r) Tony Taccone, Susan Dalian, Snehal Desai, Gregg T. Daniel and Kate Burton.

PHOTO BY Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging

Directing A MASTERCLASS Debbie Allen

PHOTO BY Dylan J. Locke

“We want to support all of our students, not just those who want to be professional actors,” she notes. “We want to open the Center and career development up to support students moving into other industries.”

She sees the expansion of the Center’s focus in personal terms. When Dean Roxworthy approached her own college graduation, she realized that being a professional actor was not her dream anymore—but didn’t know what else to do with her performance studies degree. Her alma mater’s central career center simply told her to go into marketing, leading to an unhappy job in advertising. “I wish I had understood when I was finishing my degree what else I could do with it that would be fulfilling,” she said.

She also sees the mission of the Center as an ethical imperative. “If you’re going to commit four years of your life or three years of an MFA to get a world-class education, you should be as prepared as you can be to sustain a career as a working artist.”

So in addition to the intensive masterclasses, where students hear from multihyphenates, SDA’s new passport program acquaints students with resources on campus that can broaden their career outlook. For example, the USC Gould School of Law offers a legal studies minor that could be useful to an SDA student thinking about entertainment law or management. Attending an information session about that minor would earn them a passport stamp.

The idea is that the passport maps topics the students can add to their career toolkit, a visual representation of various services and opportunities and how they fit into the students’ SDA curriculum.

Dean Roxworthy says it can be hard to get SDA students to explore career development because they are so focused on working on productions, even though they know they could gain useful information for the future. She observes: “They just want to make art. Which is great, but we also want them to be professionally prepared.”

Such preparation is what Dan Shaner and the Professional Development Center are all about. The Center is most involved with students in their final semester at SDA when, Shaner says, many feel a pervading sense of dread about what they are going to do after graduation. First, he helps students get their resumes, reels and headshots in order before they present them to a prospective agent or manager. “We spend time making sure those things are as polished as possible.”

The School offers a free headshot service, giving students edited images of two different looks taken by a professional photographer. An online acting coaching service is available to help with self-tapes and auditions. Students and recent alums can book the self-tape studio located in the Professional Development Center which boasts a blue screen, a good lighting setup, an excellent camera and technician, and a reader if necessary.

Shaner also helps students map out realistic next steps on an individual basis.

“Some students are design and production students, and some are just interested in finding jobs that will sustain them,” he notes, so twice a month he sends out an email blast listing opportunites for those populations.

One of the most significant benefits the Professional Development Center offers is to arrange industry mentorships for those close to graduation.

Cameron Murphy, a 2022 MFA Acting graduate, says he was amazed and appreciative that Shaner found him a mentor who is doing exactly what he wants to do in the industry— act, write and direct. “The fact that he’s doing what I want to do helps me see the path is there,” says Murphy. His mentor is David Fickas BFA ’96, a founding member of the SDA Alumni Leadership Council.

He first met with Fickas at the end of his final year. Fickas came to his showcase, and now checks in with him every few weeks. Fickas first suggested that Murphy film his scene from the showcase, and then suggested that

One of the most significant benefits the Professional Development Center offers is to arrange industry mentorships for those close to graduation.

Murphy write an original scene to film. That suggestion turned into the two of them writing a short film together.

“Meeting David was a huge influence on me wanting to stay in Los Angeles,” says Murphy. Since graduating, he has been writing and auditioning, and has directed a play in North Hollywood. He expanded a 10-minute play he wrote for an SDA class during his second year into an entire oneman show tentatively titled Bad Actor. Murphy has used the SDA free headshot service, and plans to make use of the self-tape facility.

“I’m very grateful to have benefitted from the Center when I was transitioning to the real world,” says Murphy.

His MFA Acting 2022 classmate Stephen Humes continues to benefit from the Professional Development Center with a mentor and ongoing use of the selftape studio. Shaner connected Humes with mentor Rachel Saltzman ’11, a talent manager at Schachter Entertainment. “She was a great resource for me all through the showcase as I was able to bounce ideas off of her,” says Humes. He says the fact that she wasn’t looking at him as a prospective client was freeing, and allowed them to focus on the material he was considering for the showcase. “All through the showcase prep, we would meet for coffee,” he recalls. “She’s a friend to this day.”

In addition to evaluating dramatic material, Saltzman answered his questions on working with his representatives, the importance of social media and other issues.

Humes, who has both commercial and theatrical agents, as well as a manager (and is the co-host of a long-running podcast about craft beers), auditions several times a week, and uses the self-tape studio regularly. “You show up with your lines memorized and you’ll be out in 30 minutes. They email the tape to me before I even make it home. The camera is great, the sound is great, there’s a good three-point lighting setup. Having all that logistical stuff handled has been a godsend. I can’t say enough about it.”

Humes, who was an actor in New York for four years before getting his MFA, says he is also pleased that SDA has added regional industry liaisons. “In L.A., we’re kind of isolated from the regional theatre circuit,” he observes. “They do a lot of stage summer stock auditions, but they do them in New York. So reaching out to the regional theatres is 100 percent a good idea.”

The Center provides important benefits for SDA students who take advantage of them, Humes says. Even with representation, the industry increasingly requires you to act as your own agent and chart your own course. At the Professional Development Center, the resources are there to help you do just that. 

PHOTO BY Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging

Mentors help SDA graduates navigate their careers

BY LYNNE HEFFLEY

Knowing what steps to take to pursue a professional career right out of college can be a daunting prospect. Alumni mentors help students find firm footing after graduation, through a mentorship program that matches graduates with entertainment industry professionals for one-on-one expert guidance.

John Coffey, a talent agent representing a select group of actors at the noted Kohner Agency, and a founding member of the SDA Alumni Leadership Council, is one of more than 50 mentors in this evolving program.

“I jumped at the opportunity to be able to help,” Coffey said. “If there was a ‘me’ I could have talked to upon graduation, ” he said, referring to his own experiences as an SDA student, “I think the early-on navigation of the industry would have been a lot less stressful.”

Although there is no immediate path to a career in the entertainment industry—“It’s not 1, 2, 3, and you’re a working actor on television,” he said, “or you do a, b, c, and you’ll be the next Marvel movie star, or a studio executive”—if Coffey can help “a little bit in demystifying and navigating the business, help someone secure their first representation, or help them at least click into a groove where they can feel more self-sufficient, the mentorship will succeed.”

“Everything we learn in school is helpful,” said Katie Hoffmeister BA ’21, one of Coffey’s recent mentees, “but as a student, you’re still protected by that safety net.” Coffey’s perspective on “what I should do differently, what I should do better, and how to get a foot in the door” is invaluable, she noted.

Within the framework of the program and depending on schedules (and on recent pandemic restrictions), mentees meet with their mentors monthly, to ask questions, discuss

concerns and talk about action plans. “Whether it’s getting new pictures, dusting off the resume, editing together some self-tapes, or putting smart lists together of potential representatives, managers or agencies,” Coffey said, “let’s set some goals. And the next time we chat, let’s see where we’re at. Are those goals the same or have they changed?”

Tessa O’Bryan BA ’21, currently an assistant at Cartel Entertainment, noted that having monthly check-ins is “a great way to give yourself a healthy amount of pressure to go and do things to tell about.” O’Bryan, pursuing both acting and screenwriting, applied for the program in December of her senior year. Coffey “helped me think critically about what I really wanted to do,” she said.

“I don’t think a lot of actors get this kind of hands-on support, especially right out of school,” said Miles Fowler BA ’19, who recently wrapped up a series regular role on the Fox medical drama The Resident and starred in the Los Angeles premiere of Sanctuary City by Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok at the Pasadena Playhouse. “You’re in this tremendous program for four years where you’ve had all the support in the world and validation at every turn,” and leaving “can be very lonely.”

Fowler credits Coffey with helping his transition from student to working actor “in the most positive way. He gave me a launching pad. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Giving back is important to Coffey, who has two young children of his own. “I think it’s important to be able to, hopefully, make a genuine difference in people’s lives. If I can set up a few meetings, find a manager, maybe find an agent for someone, and get their career going off to the races, that’s one way to help,” he said. “If others, over the course of discussions, decide they’re gravitating towards a different part of the business, as an agent sort of touching every facet of the business, it’s nice I am able to help there, too.”

Miles Fowler BA ’19 and Ana Nicolle Chavez in the Los Angeles premiere of Sanctuary City at the Pasadena Playhouse. PHOTO BY Jeff Lorch, courtesy of Pasadena Playhouse

Internships: the art of making yourself indispensable

Internships can provide invaluable work experience and networking opportunities, sometimes leading to prospective careers or clearer professional paths. At the USC School of Dramatic Arts, the Professional Development Center’s internship program has been a vital support for both.

For Lauren Cole BA ’20, Isabella Dake BA ’20 and Anastasia Zavodnick BA ’21, their college internships led to permanent positions at the same companies; now, they oversee their own intern populations.

“In the way that my classes at SDA and [the USC School of Cinematic Arts] prepared me for the creative side of the industry, my internships prepared me for the business side,” says Zavodnick, who is a creative executive at Intuition Productions.

what you like and what you don’t like about the responsibilities of certain roles in this business,” says Thomas Winter BA ’22.

The alumnus interned with Legendary Pictures as a student, intentionally gaining as much experience as possible to make an informed decision about his postgraduation pursuits. He learned about the Legendary opportunity through the School’s internship program and decided to apply after hearing about a fellow SDA student’s positive experience.

“We look for students that have outstanding academic credentials, who have challenged themselves with courses that are diverse and demonstrate intellectual curiosity.”

Staying close to their roots, the three alumnae also often look to the School to hire fellow Trojans because they know firsthand about the caliber of students that come from USC.

“The Trojan Family is real! I want USC students to succeed and I trust that they are smart, driven and hardworking,” says Dake, who is chief of staff at Invisible Narratives. She shares that her USC degree helps her in her work every day— including the confidence she has in her own voice and ability to present ideas.

In her role as a coordinator at Ace Entertainment, Cole relies on both the schools of Dramatic Arts and Cinematic Arts networks “as so much of the industry is ‘the hands you shake not the grades you make,’” she says.

At SDA, internships are vetted by a fulltime director who also provides resources and connections to prospective positions in the entertainment industry.

“Working an internship in any department and at any company helps you feel out

“At the beginning of the internship, all of the interns had a meeting with Legendary’s CEO. Something he said in that meeting stuck with me. He said that interns at the company would often tell him about their ‘aspirations’ to work in the entertainment industry. In response to this, he said, ‘Stop seeing yourselves as just interns. You are working in the industry now. You’ve made it. Think of yourselves as junior executives and make yourselves indispensable,’” Winters recalls.

Legendary Pictures CEO Joshua B. Grode, who is also chair of the SDA Board of Councilors, explains that “supporting young creative talent is part of the fabric of Legendary. Whether that creative talent is a director, writer, cinematographer or an actor. We consider it an obligation to the arts to give these young voices the experience of working in a professional environment.”

He adds, sharing what sets interns from SDA apart from the rest: “We look for students that have outstanding academic credentials, who have challenged themselves with courses that are diverse and demonstrate intellectual curiosity. We try and read between the lines of a resume to find students that are passionate about the arts and have a voice that is distinctive.” 

Education is power:

Alma Martinez on making and restoring Chicano theatre history

BY STEVEN VARGAS

Dr. Alma Martinez was part of Los Angeles history without realizing it. The first professional play she performed in was Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez. The 1978-79 production at the Mark Taper Forum was the first Chicano play to be performed at a large theatre company in Los Angeles.

“People [Latinos] were hungry to see theatre in Los Angeles about their stories,” Martinez said. “It was phenomenal.”

Martinez recalled seeing Latino audience members come to see the play multiple times. Performances quickly became parties as people gathered in the parking lot with food and music after each show.

“It was my first professional job—union job—so I just thought this is what professional theatre was like,” she said. “I didn’t know until later that this was quite a unique experience...it rocked all of Southern California.”

Zoot Suit cemented Martinez’s understanding of what it means to be a person of color in theatre. “Luis Valdez is what made me discover I was a Chicana,” she said. “That changed everything for me.”

Martinez, who will soon be featured in SDA Professor Luis Alfaro’s Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles at Yale Repertory Theatre, and was recently seen in Bosch: Legacy, Undone and Gentefied, has taken an unconventional career path to

get to where she is today, receiving hundreds of stage and screen credits. Though supported by the Trojan Family (she is represented by fellow SDA alumnus Avi Simon MFA ’88), her time in the industry and as a professor brought her to realize what it means to be a Latina in the industry and share her life lessons with future generations of artists.

When Martinez wasn’t on stage, she was in the classroom. She received her BA from Whittier College, her MFA from the University of Southern California and her PhD from Stanford University. She also studied under Lee Strasberg, Jerzy Grotowski and Ariane Mnouchkine. While she strived to be scholarly, it wasn’t always easy.

While studying, Martinez explained that she struggled in educational institutions because of her Mexican identity, saying, “I was raised in a white educational system, like a lot of us were, but I was born in Mexico, so from a very young age I’ve had to balance, negotiate and code-switch.”

What resulted was a constant blend of identities to fit in as “the education system told me I was white,” explaining she then had to hold on tightly to her Mexican identity— something she said she could never lose. While studying acting, her “emotional core” was at odds with how acting was taught, especially since acting is a personal and vulnerable art form.

PHOTO BY Emily Sandifer

She started her undergraduate studies at USC in 1971, where what was taught often clashed with what she felt internally, leaving to study at the University of Guadalajara. She returned to USC in 1985 to pursue a Master’s degree and didn’t complete it until a decade later in 1995, as she balanced her career with her coursework. The environments weren’t always welcoming, but that was ultimately how she learned.

“Now, I’m able to reconcile my identity as a person of color in the U.S. and I’ve learned that through the training—my traveling plays—I’ve done the kinds of projects that I strive to do,” she said.

Martinez turned to the words of Dr. Jose Zapata Calderón, who she remembered saying, “Don’t let the university get in the way of your education.”

“I go where I can get the training, because I found that just in the U.S.—as a woman of color—teachers and programs knew little about the psychological effects of racism and discrimination experienced by these students,” she said. “Experiences that impacted their life and acting.”

Martinez took her theatre studies further and entered a PhD program at Stanford in 1995, focusing her research on Chicanx and Latin American popularpolitical theatre. With her research, she dug into restoring the history of Latin American and Chicano theatre, questioning what constitutes Latinx acting.

From the history of the rich Chicano and Mexican theatre festivals at the border in 1848 to the exclusion of Mexican artists from programs like the Federal Theatre Project in the 1930s, Martinez has been able to track Chicano theatre bit by bit.

“I’m interested in changing American theatre and the canon by filling the voids, recognizing what’s been excluded,” Martinez said. “Chicano history and presence is fundamental in American society so there’s much work to be done.”

Martinez is working to change the exclusion that still persists in the industry. While shooting one of her first films, she experienced sexual harassment from a producer. Later, the #MeToo movement would help her understand the scope of industry power dynamics.

“I realized how vulnerable we are, especially women of color,” she said. “These mostly white men think that we are easy targets. I learned to trust my gut and that’s helped me avert bad actors and situations on a set. I learned the hard way, and this has never happened again. Ever.”

Martinez—who works as a professor at another institution —found that exclusion and discrimination continued as some more senior faculty did not always value their faculty of color, especially in theatre departments where Stanislavski and psychological realism were considered the foundation of American theatre training.

“I love being a professor, but academia’s embedded institutional structure is not conducive to people like myself who have a Mexican American Chicano point of view,” she said. “So, like my acting training, I have chosen an unorthodox path in my professorial career, which was the absolute right choice for me.”

Martinez has taken back her power by educating the next generation of actors. She teaches to the quiet student in the back of the class, encouraging them to find confidence in their voice.

“Those are the people that remind me of me when I was young like I was [at USC],” she said.

Martinez advises students of color to demand more from their education and question aspects of the classroom that uphold colonized learning. She also advises students of color to learn more about the finances of being an artist and seek out spaces where their work will be respected.

“As actors and professors of color, much of the time we have to defend our work,” she explained. “We have to butt up against people who see us as too ethnic.”

Martinez persists in the industry because she said it is “the space for me. That’s the place where I feel most centered with myself and the universe.”

She tells her students who ask if they should pursue acting: “If there’s anything else you think you might want to do—do that. If there is nothing else you want to do then pursuing a life as an artist will be the best decision you’ve ever made.”

PHOTO BY Daniel Reichert

Designed to unleash the next generation of storytellers as media-agile, multihyphenate dramatic artists, the USC School of Dramatic Arts launched a new series of co-curricular weekend intensives in tremendous style on September 17 with the presentation of the inaugural Multihyphenate Award to Tonywinning producer, Emmy-nominated writer, actor, and NYT best-selling author Mindy Kaling.

There’s no ‘no’

Mindy Kaling accepts inaugural Multihyphenate Award

BY CELINE KINER

“The Inclusion Playbook,” the first of the Multiyphentate Masterclass series, also marked the beginning of a partnership with USC’s internationally renowned Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. The afternoon was led by SDA Professor Colman Domingo, an Emmy Award-winning actor-director-playwright-producer who epitomizes the multihyphenate profile and its power to make the entertainment industry more inclusive. Domingo described his own journey and fielded questions from an audience of students and alumni before moderating a panel of entertainment giants and then sitting down with Kaling to discuss her career.

PHOTOS BY Brian Feinzimer/Capture Imaging

Navigating the industry with resilience

Dean Emily Roxworthy presented the Multihyphenate Award to roaring applause from the audience, who cheered for each of Kaling’s impressive achievements. Kaling accepted the award with her signature hilarious charm, sitting down with Domingo for a conversation on her outstanding career and future trajectory. She attributed her perspective to growing up an outsider, constantly having to prove herself.

“I really come from a place of always thinking of myself as the underdog,” she shared. “But I was so overlooked that all I could do was surprise people.”

Kaling discussed her eight years at The Office, for which she wrote 26 episodes (more than any other writer). The subject matter for the show, she said, was not necessarily her passion. But being forced to work outside her comfort zone prepared her to write the stories she wanted to tell: stories centered on women of color.

Domingo observed Kaling’s ability to navigate the industry and make space for herself, asking about the origin of her unique resilience.

“I think the reason I am so resilient is because I have faced failure and rejection so much in my life,” she said. “There’s no ‘no.’ Everyone’s going to keep telling you that, so you have to find your way around it.”

The sentiment resonated with BA Theatre student Natasha Nutkiewicz. “The multihyphenate looks different ways, and their path is very different from others,” she said. “You’ve just got to carve and build your own.”

The story at the center

An impressive panel of multihyphenates joined Domingo to discuss their storied careers, including Franklin Leonard, Paula Wagner and artistic director of the Magic Theatre Sean San José. Topics ranged from the ethics of public influence to practical advice for project pitching and funding. Leonard and Wagner—who both recently joined SDA’s Board of Councilors—brought combined decades of business expertise: Leonard as a film executive and the founder of the Black List, and Wagner as a legendary film executive and producer of stage and screen hits.

“I think actors make great directors, excellent producers, writers—to me, I always see the world from an actor’s point of view,” Wagner shared, contextualizing her career with a strong acting background. She and Leonard dissected how their careers shifted across mediums, as well as stressing the importance of meaningful working relationships.

“Sometimes you find people who share your worldview and share your enthusiasm about advocating for talent, and you find yourself in a slipstream that allows you to do things you wouldn’t otherwise be capable of,” Leonard explained, crediting mentor and friend Rowena Arguelles for his entry into entertainment after working in several other fields.

San José, who is also Domingo’s longtime friend and collaborator, shared his perspective on reframing leadership and on oppressive systems in the performing arts space. The audience questions that followed focused on wielding the responsibilities of the multihyphenate, and how to balance passion and vision with the business of it all.

“I think the reason I am so resilient is because I have faced failure and rejection so much in my life.”

Mindy

Kaling and Colman Domingo►

San José noted afterward that conversations like these with the students were vital—that the student body “is who you want to reach, because that’s who’s forming the real conversation.”

He also emphasized placing the story at the center, and allowing it to be the compass no matter what your role. He and the other panelists agreed that centering the story would keep ego in check.

“It really does come back to the zeroing place where you get in the room or on the stage…you put the story in the center of the table, and anyone bigger than the story…man, you need to walk. Because we’re trying to figure out something new,” he said.

On risk and taking leaps of faith

Throughout the afternoon, Domingo continuously attributed his prolific career to a combination of honesty and fearlessness, in which he was willing to “interrogate the script” no matter his assigned role on set.

“The thing I know for sure is that when someone hires me, they want all of me,” he said, encouraging the students to bring their entire self to the work in their acting, writing, producing, directing and beyond. Telling their stories could lead to many different expressions of their talent, but their pursuits would remain driven and united by honesty.

Domingo prompted the audience to change the system when they found it limiting. Whether it be starting a company or finding the resources for their script, he advised taking risks and being willing to fail, all in service of the work.

“Go for something that scares you a little bit, because you’re going to have to learn some superhuman skills to achieve that,” he challenged. “Start from the beginning, and break it down bit by bit.”

He took time to answer inquiries on maintaining professional relationships, navigating impostor syndrome and more. A few students asked about approaching projects that might be out of their comfort zones.

“I think that’s an exciting place to be,” Domingo offered. “I think there should be tremendous leaps of faith, and trial and error, and falling down with anything you want to create.”

Recent alum Gulet Isse BA ’21 said they would take Domingo’s fearlessness away from the session and into their career: “If there’s a story that needs to be told, it doesn’t matter if you’re afraid. You need to fly past that and make something of what you have. And you know, eventually you’ll come into community with people who get what you’re doing, and get behind you. But don’t settle for any less than that,” they shared.

“I hope students take away from this that their place in the industry is of their own making,” Dean Roxworthy said as the masterclass wrapped. “You’ve all got a vision of what needs to be told, and you can make that happen.”

Earlier in the day, Domingo had passed on a similar piece of wisdom from his mother, something she used to tell him when he was a young actor complaining about auditions. He extended the challenge to the students: “Don’t complain about it. Write about it. Change it.” 

Domingo advised taking risks and being willing to fail, all in service of the work.

◄ l to r: Sean San José, Colman Domingo, Paula Wagner and Franklin Leonard.

Over the last two years, the USC School of Dramatic Arts has been thrilled to welcome the following esteemed new Board members whose range of expertise and background help advance the mission of SDA. These members offer vital advice and support for the next generation of multihyphenate dramatic storytellers setting out to change the face of the entertainment industry.

Lauren Booth

Booth is a contemporary artist exploring ideas through sculpture. She is currently working on several commissions which vary in scale, concept and materials. Booth works regularly with a wide range of media including bronze, neon, resin and LED. Booth’s solo show, Happy, opened at the Wilson Museum in 2019 and included site-specific outdoor sculptures at the Southern Vermont Art Center. In 2017, Booth created Electric Menagerie for the gorgeous grounds of Waddesdon Manor in the UK. For this show, Booth dreamt up 17 illuminated sculptures that took the viewer on a journey through the historic and enchanted grounds. In 2015, The Illumination Show premiered at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, Conn. Booth’s work is featured in the Rothschild Collection at Windmill Hill, the Norman Foster Foundation Headquarters in Madrid and the Mattatuck Museum. It has been seen in Architectural Digest and is in distinguished collections around the world. Booth earned her BA in Theatre from the USC School of Dramatic Arts in 1991.

Grant Heslov

Heslov has been recognized as a producer, writer, director and actor. Together with George Clooney, he is a partner in Smokehouse Pictures. The company’s most recent projects are The Tender Bar, Midnight Sky and the documentary series Trial by Media. His recent work also includes the TV series Catch-22, On Becoming a God in Central Florida, and the films Suburbicon, Money Monster and Our Brand Is Crisis. A four-time Oscar® nominee, Heslov received his latest Academy Award nod and a Best Picture win for producing the historical drama and thriller ARGO. He has also been awarded a Golden Globe, BAFTA Award and Producers Guild of America (PGA) Award, among many others. Heslov previously earned an Oscar® nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for the 2011 political drama The Ides of March. Among other credits, he served

as co-creator and executive producer on HBO’s Unscripted, for which he directed half of the episodes, and a co-executive producer on HBO’s K Street. Heslov is also known for his acting work in both film and television. Heslov received his BFA from SDA in 1986.

Franklin Leonard

Leonard is a film and television producer, cultural commentator and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of the Black List, the company that celebrates and supports great screenwriting and the writers who do it. More than 400 scripts from the annual Black List survey have been produced as feature films, earning more than 250 Academy Award nominations and 50 wins including four of the last thirteen Best Pictures and eleven of the last twenty-four screenwriting Oscars® He has been a juror at the Sundance, Toronto and Mumbai Film Festivals, one of Hollywood Reporter’s 35 Under 35, Black Enterprise magazine’s “40 Emerging Leaders for Our Future” and Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business.” The recipient of the 2019 Writers Guild of America, East (WGAe) Evelyn Burkey Award for elevating the honor and dignity of screenwriters, he is also a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, and a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Executives branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Cathy Sandrich

Gelfond

Sandrich Gelfond

is an independent casting director who (along with her partner Amanda Mackey) has cast over one hundred and fifty feature films and television shows including The Fugitive, United 93, The Good Shepherd, The Proposal, The Adjustment Bureau, Non-Stop, Bad Moms, Hands of Stone and Those Who Wish Me Dead, along with Mayor of Kingstown, A Million Little Things, Claws and Hell on Wheels. She has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2000, where she has served on the Casting Directors

Branch Executive Committee. During her time as a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, she was nominated for an Emmy for her work on The Normal Heart, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie. She is a member of the Casting Society of America where she has been nominated for 17 Artios awards for excellence in casting, and won for Smokin’ Aces. She is also a member of the Casting Directors union steering committee.

Anthony Sparks Sparks has worked in television over the last 19 seasons and professionally in the performing arts for 30 years. A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in television, theatre and film, Sparks served as the longtime Showrunner, Head Writer, and Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed OWN/Warner Bros. television drama Queen Sugar. He served as an Executive Producer and writer on the 2022 Hulu series Iron Mike. He is developing several new series with Blumhouse Television, and is also working with Endeavor Content and Legendary Studios on new television and streaming dramas. Sparks holds a BFA degree in Theatre, and MA and PhD degrees in American Studies & Ethnicity, all from the University of Southern California. Dr. Sparks is also a cutting-edge scholar of media, performance studies and African American politics and culture. He has consulted and written for Disney Imagineering and, when time allows, he has mentored and taught screenwriting, ethnic and cultural studies at Cal State Fullerton, Occidental College and USC.

Tracy Tutor

With over 22 years of experience, Tracy Tutor is one of the top agents at Douglas Elliman Beverly Hills and is an integral part of their Sports & Entertainment division. She has an undeniably strong presence and a confidence that has propelled her into the rooms of some of the most powerful people in L.A., representing noteworthy brands in real estate, as well as iconic architects such as Frank Gehry, John Lautner and Pierre Koenig. Tutor

has consulted for the luxury five-star hotel and resort Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah on the sales of over 400 million dollars in branded real estate. She is also a representative of one of the most exciting new developments to come to Los Angeles, the West Hollywood EDITION Hotel and Residences, designed by British architect John Pawson and created by visionary hotelier Ian Schrager. She is the U.S. Ambassador for the Royal Atlantis Resort and Residences in Dubai, and an Ambassador for Costa Palmas, on the East Cape of Los Cabos. Tutor is a graduate of the USC School of Dramatic Arts.

Paula Wagner

Paula Wagner has worked in the top ranks of the entertainment industry as a film producer, talent agent and studio executive. Currently, she is developing films, theatre and television through her production company Chestnut Ridge Productions (CRP). Wagner began her career at Creative Artists Agency and in 1993, she launched Cruise/Wagner Productions (C/W) with her former CAA client Tom Cruise. She and Cruise produced a wide range of pictures that earned numerous awards, widespread critical praise and global box office success. Wagner was co-owner and CEO of United Artists Entertainment, LLC from 2006 to 2008. Currently, Wagner is developing a feature on Sylvia Robinson, the mother of hiphop, and developing TV series, as well as a Broadway adaptation of Stanley Kramer’s High Noon. Broadway producing credits include the new hit Pretty Woman: The Musical, The Heiress starring Jessica Chastain and David Strathairn, Grace starring Paul Rudd and Michael Shannon and Terrence McNally’s Tony-nominated play Mothers and Sons. Wagner is a member of AMPAS, PGA, Broadway League and an ambassador of ReFrame for Women in Film, a formal action plan to further gender parity in the media industry.

BOARD OF COUNCILORS

Michele Dedeaux Engemann

Founding Chair

Joshua B. Grode

Chair

Chris Andrews

Lorrie Bartlett

Todd Black

Lauren Booth

Connie Britton

Michael Chiklis

Michael Felix

Brad Fuller

Lori Furie

Kourosh Gohar

Grant Heslov

Gary Lask

Franklin Leonard

Alexander LoCasale

Dr. Steven Nagelberg

Byron Pollitt

Rik Reppe

Dean Emily Roxworthy

Linda Bernstein Rubin

Cathy Sandrich Gelfond

Anthony Sparks

Rik Toulon

Tracy Tutor

Blair Underwood

Paula Wagner

Noelle L. Wolf

ALUMNI LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

Tomm Polos

Chair

Adrienne Visnic

Vice Chair

Taylor Allen

Adam Blumenthal

Kate Cannova

John Coffey

David Fickas

Lorena Estefania Gonzalez

Kendall Johnson

Jaclyn Kalkhurst

JP Karliak

Sean Lask

Alex LoCasale

Elizabeth O’Connell

Mona Raffle

Michael Schwartz

Pranav Shah

John Villacorta

Alumni Marquee

CLASSES OF 1960S & 1970S

Swoosie Kurtz ’68 was most recently seen on the FOX series Call Me Kat alongside fellow SDA alum, Michael Sturgis BA ’16.

Cinda Lucas BA ’70 appeared as Ginny in Love, Loss, and What I Wore at the Patio Playhouse in Escondido, California.

LeVar Burton ’76 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at their new Children’s and Family Emmy Awards this Fall. LeVar served as the Grand Marshall for the 2022 Rose Parade.

Andy Tennant BA ’77 will direct the upcoming thriller Unit 234

Steve Cuden BA ’78 produces and hosts StoryBeat with Steve Cuden, a weekly podcast that explores the creative processes of artists. Guests have included Bryan Cranston, fellow SDA alum Andy Tennant, Karen Ziemba and more.

CLASS OF 1980S

Michael Michetti BFA ’80 directed Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov at the Pasadena Playhouse. The production featured fellow SDA alum Sabina Zuniga Varela MFA ’11, and Meredith O’Gwynn BFA ’16 served as the stage manager.

Elizabeth Wong BA ’80 wrote the eco-comedy Space Nunz of the Rescue Mainframe which premiered October 28 in New York, and was commissioned & produced by Hook & Eye Theater.

Daryl Hannah ’81 directed the film BARN, which documented the recording process of the Neil Young album of the same title.

Forest Whitaker ’82 starred as August Bolowill in Extrapolations and is set to star in the upcoming animated adaptation of Gossamer. He reprised his role as Saw Gerrera in the series Andor on Disney+. Additionally, Whitaker was awarded the honorary Palme d’Or at the 75th Festival de Cannes.

Tate Donovan BFA ’85 was seen as John Hammond in the 2021 biographical drama film Respect about the life of Aretha Franklin.

Frank Ferrante BA ’85 starred in the full-length television special Frank Ferrante’s Groucho, which appeared on public television stations across the nation.

Kyra Sedgwick ’85 directed the film Space Oddity (her directorial debut), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Edward Haynes, Jr. BFA ’86 was named as a member of the USITT’s newly formed Distinguished Scenic Designers Forum. The forum is a group of prominent, late-career scenic designers who are dedicated to the improvement of the field through volunteer mentoring and other services.

Mark Spatny BFA ’87 served as the VFX Producer for Amazon’s The Peripheral and in 2021 served as VFX Supervisor for Paramount Picture’s Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins and HBO’s In Treatment.

Edgar Landa BA ’92 directed an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Off Square Theatre/Thin Air Shakespeare in Jackson Hole, WY. The show included MFA ’23 candidates Emily Arrancio (Hermia) and Alexander Prout (Lysander). He staged fights, gags and stunts for The Play That Goes Wrong for The Theatre Group and choreographed physical action/fights for 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Ahmanson.

Anthony Sparks BFA ’94 has joined the second season of Bel-Air as Executive Producer. Sparks is a 2022 Humanitas Prize Nominee for drama teleplay writing for penning the episode “May 27, 2020.” Sparks is the recipient of the 2022 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama alongside fellow producers Oprah Winfrey & Ava DuVernay for the fifth and sixth seasons of Queen Sugar

Patrick T. Gorman BA ’95 is the writer of the critically-acclaimed comedy play Star Wars in 30 Minutes which performed a one-week run in the Garry Marshall Theatre.

Mykle McCoslin BA ’96 was re-elected as the SAG-AFTRA Houston-Austin Local President. She also starred in Paramount Pictures’ actionthriller Little Dixie with Frank Grillo and Eric Dane.

CLASS OF 1990S

Timothy Omundson BFA ’91 played Lassiter in the television film Psych 3: This is Gus

Tess Thompson BFA ’91 is a USA Today bestselling author who recently released her forty-seventh work of fiction, The Wordsmith.

Danny Strong BA ’96 received the Peabody Award, USC Scripter Award and others for his work as a writer and executive producer of the Hulu series Dopesick. Additionally, Danny was nominated for two Emmy Awards for his work on Dopesick, including directing for limited anthology series or movie and writing for limited anthology series or movie.

T.J. Thyne BFA ’97 starred in the role of Gordy Willis in the Paramount Plus original biographical drama miniseries The Offer

Body of Faith. PHOTO BY Craig Schwartz

Penelope Lowder BA ’99 and Pia Shah MFA ’13 debuted works at the Center Theatre Group’s L.A. Writers’ Workshop Festival in September as a part of a historic all-women cohort of writers.

CLASS OF 2000 s

Eric Ladin BA ’01 had featured roles in Season 4 of Ozark on Netflix, the feature film Where the Crawdads Sing and in the series, We Own the Night.

Stark Sands BFA ’01 stars as Shakespeare in the Broadway production of & Juliet. Stark also starred in the Berkeley Rep world premiere of Swept Away by John Logan. Fellow SDA alum Alice Pollitt BFA ’15 served as the stage manager.

JP Karliak BA ’03 is a voice actor who recently voiced characters in Spidey and His Amazing Friends, The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib and Madagascar: A Little Wild

Patrick J. Adams BFA ’04 starred with Jesse Williams and Jesse Tyler Ferguson in the Broadway revival of Take Me Out, which won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

Jennifer Wheeler Kahn BFA ’04 founded Scenery Bags, a sustainable company that takes theatre leftovers and turns them into accessories. In her company’s first collegiate collaboration, Wheeler-Kahn created envelope clutches from the blue velour curtain that hung in USC’s Bing Theatre from 2005 to 2018.

Adam Ray BFA ’05 portrayed Jay Leno in Hulu’s Pam and Tommy and stars as Vince McMahon in NBC’s Young Rock. Adam recently joined the cast of Kumail Nanjiani’s Hulu drama Welcome to Chippendales.

Ryan Eggold BFA ’06 who starred as Dr. Max Goodwin in NBC’s New Amsterdam, will be seen with fellow SDA alum Sophia Bush (’03) in the upcoming feature film, Junction.

Shiloh Goodin BA ’06 performed in the ensemble of the critically acclaimed Broadway musical, Paradise Square.

Michael Schwartz BFA ’06 wrote the film short Bite Size for Hulu, produced by Digital Studio/ Disney.

Boni B. Alvarez MFA ’07 wrote the play Apartment Living, which recieved its premiere with the Playwrights’ Arena and Skylight Theatre Company.

Deborah Ann Woll BFA ’07 appeared as Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew at The Old Globe.

Erica Dasher BA ’08 is an understudy on Broadway in Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt

Jimmie Fowlie BFA ’08 is a writer on Season 48 of Saturday Night Live

Griffin Behm BFA ’09 was the lighting director for the 2022 Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium. Griffin’s team designed the experiences for the tunnel, field elements for the player introductions as well as programming for the stadium’s lighting system throughout the game.

Stephen Edlund BA ’09 served as the associate director for Broadway’s Mrs. Doubtfire

Briga Heelan BA ’09 starred as Cinderella in the Britney Spears Jukebox Musical Once Upon a One More Time which premiered at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Jonathan Langley BA ’09 wrote and directed the play, Still Awake, for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. The play also featured SDA alumnae Elizabeth Pye BA ’11 and Natalie Hurt BA ’21 and received a Hollywood Encore Producers’ Award.

Mary Kate Wiles BA ’09 voices Vicky in the liveaction reboot of The Fairly Oddparents: Fairly Odder on Paramount+.

McKinley Belcher III MFA ’10 starred in the sixepisode HBO miniseries We Own the City, and also appeared as Happy Loman in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman.

Casey Dolkas BA ’10 serves as NeueHouse’s Executive Director of Business Development and assisted in launching the artist series Sunset Sounds.

Jesse Einstein BA ’10 was seen in the television mini-series Pam and Tommy on Hulu.

Ellen Haun BA ’10 joined fellow SDA alumni Brie Carter BA ‘10 and Julia Mania BFA ‘13 in IAMA Theatre Company’s Untitled Baby Play

Mark Jacobson BA ’11 appeared in the Lifetime Movie The 12 Days of Christmas Eve.

Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx BA ’11 was named the Artistic Director of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center.

Karan Soni BA ’11 stars in the film Four Samosas by Ravi Kapoor.

Erin Anderson BFA ’12 was nominated for two 2022 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Series and Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Special.

Larkin Bell BA ’12 starred in a national State Farm commercial.

Alanna Darby BA ’12 recently completed a run as Drusilla in Kate Hamill’s Dracula at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. She was also seen in an all TGNC production of As You Like It at the La Jolla Playhouse.

Giselle Gilbert BA ’12 served as a producer on Give Me An A, a feature-length anthology inspired by the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Pete Ploszek MFA ’12 starred as Abraham Lincoln in the new play Lavender Men, a queer reimagining of the life of Lincoln.

Manuel Prieto BFA ’12 was named Director of Education for the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Jon Rudnitsky BFA ’12 appeared in the American musical comedy-drama television show The Big Leap on Fox.

D.J. Blickenstaff BFA ’13 was cast as an understudy for four roles in the Geffen Playhouse production of the West Coast premiere of The Inheritence: Part 1 & Part 2

Katie Porter BA ’14 appeared as Armelia in the California Center for the Arts Escondido production of Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Pia Shah MFA ’14 performed as Mercedes in the play A Seam at the Geffen Playhouse as part of The Writers’ Room Reading Series.

Jinwoo Jung MFA ’16 joined the cast of KPOP on Broadway at Circle in the Square. The production also featured Trojans Kate Mina Lin (SDA student), Sasha Bartol BM ’18, Sarah Hahm BA ’19 and Karlie Teruya BA ’21

Colin Woodell BFA ’14 starred in the series The Continental now available on Peacock.

Tonatiuh BA ’14 is set to star in the Netflix original thriller Carry On

Grace Anaclerio BA ’15 was part of the writing team that won Outstanding Writing Team For Daytime Non-Fiction Series for their work on Ellen

Miles Fowler BA ’15 starred in the Los Angeles premiere of Sanctuary City at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Shane Paul McGhie BFA ’16 appeared as a lead in the Suretone Pictures-Lionsgate horror film Creepers. Additionally, McGhie joined the cast of the upcoming mystery drama series Poker Face on Peacock.

Ashley Morton BFA ’16 played Paulette Bonafonté in the 2022-23 national tour of Legally Blonde: The Musical.

Julia Manis BFA ’13 starred in The Road Theatre Company production of According to the Chorus

Madhuri Shekar MFA ’13 is the playwright of the critically-acclaimed production Queen, which was produced as a part of a partnership between the National Asian American Theatre Company and the Long Wharf Theatre.

Mick Torres BA ’13 has been cast in the role of Officer Miller in the Jordan K. Paul film Animals.

Kendall Johnson MFA ’14 was a recurring guest star on the Amazon Prime series A League of Their Own

David Mandell BA ’14 saw his short film BOYS earn Best Picture Short at the Mammoth Film Festival.

James Morosini BA ’14 wrote and starred in the feature film I Love My Dad. The film took home the Top Narrative Prize at 2022 SXSW.

Jay Lee BA ’15 is a series regular on Season 2 of CSI Las Vegas

Veronica Long BFA ’15 was seen in the recurring role of Manuela on the EPIX television series Billy the Kid.

Vance Lovett BFA ’15 received Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Universe Multicultural Film Festival for the film The Argument

Daniel Rashid BA ’15 appeared in the Artists at Play/A Noise Within production of Marabella alongside fellow SDA alum Danny Breslin BFA ’21. Additionally, Rashid played Benny on Season 4, Episode 3 of Atlanta on Fox/Hulu.

Madigan Stehly BFA ’15 received two nominations for the 2022 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Special.

Cicely Breaux BFA ’16 wrote and starred in the short film The Bathtub. The film was directed by fellow SDA alum Gabriela Ortega BFA ’17

Bella Hicks BA ’16 is an ensemble member for the national tour of Waitress, as well as the understudy for the character Dawn.

Victoria Pearlman BA ’16 directed the Pacific Resident Theatre production of Women in Jeopardy, which starred fellow SDA graduate Parker Huseby BFA ’18.

Tiffany Kim Stevens BA ’16 released a short film concept Discontent, which made its rounds in the festival circuit, including the 2022 Apex Film Awards and the 2022 San Francisco Indie Short Film Festival. The feature film version titled The Doctrine of Discontent is set to shoot in May.

Michael Sturgis BA ’16 received an LA Drama Critics Circle award for his work in The Echo Theatre Company’s Poor Clare

Lamar Usher BA ’16 starred in the short film, On the Line, which premiered at the Dave Brown Indie Night Film Festival.

Inda Craig-Galván MFA ’17 premiered the original work A Hit Dog Will Holler at the Skylight Theatre Company.

Taubert Nadalini BA ’17 directed eight performances of the play Cock at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Davidson/Valentini Theatre. The play also featured SDA alumna Annika Chavez BA ’18.

Gabriela Ortega BFA ’17 was selected as one of the ten writers/directors of the 2021 Rising Voices fellowship created in partnership with Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Indeed. Her short film Huella was an official selection of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and is being turned into a feature film. Ortega was recently named one of Disney+ Launchpad’s short film directors and is taking great care to tell inclusive stories on screen.

Zachary Roozen BFA ’17 stars in the Tubi original Romeo and Juliet Killers.

Jonathan von Mering BFA ’17 joined the Broadway tour of Fiddler on the Roof for two years, going on to play principal roles on four television shows (Julia, Law & Order, The Flight Attendant, FBI) and two feature films since. He also had roles in the major video game franchises Final Fantasy and Call of Duty

Simon Chau BFA ’18 stage managed a day/ nighttime atmospheric show in Qatar as part of the 2022 World Cup. He also served in a show caller position for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter FISU World University Games in Lake Placid.

Justin Chien BFA ’18 was cast as the lead role of Charles Sun on The Brothers Sun for Netflix alongside Michelle Yeoh.

Aneesha Madhock BA ’18 starred in the 2022 film Bully High directed by Bill McAdams Jr.

Eric Yamil Cruz MFA ’18 performed as Phil in the Bella Artes de Santurce production of the musical On Your Feet

Gabriel Leyva MFA ’19 starred in the film of Without Prescription, which premiered at SXSW.

Manny Spero BFA ’19 appeared in the summer blockbuster, Thor: Love and Thunder

Amanda L. Andrei MFA ’20 was awarded the 2022 Jane Chambers Award for Feminist Playwrighting for her play Mama, I Wish I Were Silver. It had a staged reading directed by Christine Young at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education 45th Conference and featured Eden Sabolboro, Jasmine Rivera, and Heather Raffo.

Brianna Devons BA ’20 directed, wrote and co-produced the screenplay of On the Line, the short film which premiered at the Dave Brown Indie Night Film Festival held at The Chinese Theatre.

Brent Grimes MFA ’20 starred in Echo Theater Company’s production of Hooded, Or Being Black For Dummies. Directed by SDA faculty member Ahmed Best, the production also included the talents of many SDA alumni including Jalen K. Stewart MFA ’21, Charrell Mack MFA ’21, Alysha Grace Bermudez BFA ’19 and Danielle Jaramillo BA ’21, among others.

Jacob KJ Dawson BA ’20 served as the show creative lead for Signals, a Sci-Fi Immersive Experience at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

Ben Hirschhorn BFA ’20 starred in the West Coast premiere of Trayf at the Geffen Playhouse. Additionally, Hirschhorn directed the short film, Goggles

Nona Parker Johnson MFA ’20 appears as Carmen “Nova” Riley in Law & Order: Organized Crime.

Jamie Salinger BFA ’20 served as the sub-ASM on Broadway’s The Lion King, a rehearsal SM on MJ. She also worked as PA on the musical, Kimberly Akimbo

Steven Vargas BA ’20 is an arts reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Prior to joining the staff, he served as Entertainment and Arts intern for the publication.

Maria Zhang BA ’20 will appear as Suki in the upcoming live-action Netflix remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender

SDA

Adi Dixit BFA ’21 starred as “Pi” in the Boston A.R.T. Adaptation of Life of Pi

Kristian Flores BFA ’21 inked a deal with Innovative after sparking a bidding war between agencies. He currently stars in the Paramount+ drama series School Spirits

Lorena Gonzalez MFA ’21 starred in the world premiere of the docu-play Mother Sisters, which performed at Echo Theater Company.

Rickey Orr BA ’21 is currently enrolled in the MFA in Theatre Management and Producing program at Columbia University and was also accepted into the joint JD/MFA program. He is the former Operations Fellow for the Black Theatre Coalition/Broadway Across America Fellowship and interned at Daryl Roth Productions/DR Theatrical Management.

Dylan J. Locke BA ’21 performed in the lead role for the English dubbed version of the Netflix film Seoul Vibe

Charrell Mack MFA ’21 was cast in Blues for an Alabama Sky at the Mark Taper Forum, directed by Phylicia Rashad.

Karlie Teruya BA ’21 worked as PA on Broadway’s Into the Woods and KPOP

Galen Williams MFA ’21 starred in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival performance of Once on this Island

Damaris Eddy BFA ’22 worked as a stage manager for Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Arturo Fernandez, Jr. BFA ’22 works as a stage manager for LA Opera. Arturo has a passion for opera and after graduation worked with Long Beach Opera, Sarasota Opera, Miami Music Festival and now full-time at LA Opera.

Isabella Gomez BFA ’22 worked as a PA on America’s Got Talent.

Alexandra Punch BA ’22 wrote, co-produced and starred in the solo show, In the Tides of Love at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. The piece was co-produced by fellow SDA alum Olivia Gill BFA ’20 and directed by SDA faculty member, Debra De Liso

Supporters of Dramatic Arts

The USC School of Dramatic Arts would like to recognize the generosity of the following individuals and organizations who have supported the School over the past year towards core programs such as production, professional development, scholarship, Dean’s Strategic Fund and our new Drama Center. Their extraordinary commitment has built the foundation for our continued ascent and future achievements.

VISIONARY CIRCLE

Anonymous* (4)

Dr. & Mrs. Peter Bing and the Anna H. Bing Living Trust

Lauren & Mark Booth*

Victoire & Owsley Brown III*

George N. Burns Trust

Roger & Michele

Dedeaux Engemann*

The Lawrence & Megan Foley Family Foundation, Inc.*

Katherine B. Loker

Martin Massman Trust

Robert & Elizabeth Plumleigh

In Memory of

Karen Plumleigh Cortney*

Alice, Teresa & Byron Pollitt

DEAN’S CIRCLE

Anonymous* (2)

The Auen Foundation

Rama Backer*

The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation

Steve & Jerri Nagelberg*

Richard & Diane Weinberg*

Noelle L. Wolf*

PATRONS OF TRIBUTE

Anonymous*

Albert and Bessie Warner Fund

Joan Beber Grant Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation*

The Ella Fitzgerald

Charitable Foundation

Michael & Debbie Felix*

Vida & Kourosh Gohar*

Linda Bernstein Rubin & Tony Rubin*

SEASON SPONSORS

Anonymous

Connie Britton

DeAnna & Michael Colglazier*

Christine & Gabriel Dassa*

Robin & Justin Doran*

Lori & Simon Furie

Kristin & Warren Geller*

Perry C. Hoffmeister & Hilary C. Hoffmeister*

Pamela & Mark Litvack*

LoCasale Consulting, Inc.*

Michael & Melissa Meyers*

The Polos Family

Karyn & Paul Staubi*

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Adam Blumenthal*

Alexander & Megan LoCasale*

R. Sally Watt Oxley & Howard Oxley

The Port Family

Danny Strong

Adrienne Visnic*

PRODUCERS

Anonymous (3)

The Bryan Family

Rory & Michael Byrne

Kate Cannova

Brad & Ally Fuller

Melvin & Doris Hughes

Jan & Mike MacDougal

Jennifer & Jonas Pate

Kam & Joe Patton, —In Honor of Theresa

Patton, Class of 2024

Carla & Bill Pelster*

The Phil Allen Mentorship

Scholarship

Rik Reppe

The Sunflower Pictures

Paula Wagner & Rick Nicita

DIRECTORS

Chris & Jennifer Andrews

Lorrie A. Bartlett

Randolph & Ellen Beatty

Todd S. Black & Ruth Graham Black

John D. & Leslie Henner Burns

Family Foundation

Sumner & Angela Erdman

Louise Firestone & Joseph Pizzurro, —In Honor of the SDA Faculty

Kristin Fontes

Eugene & Wendy Garcia

Cathy Sandrich Gelfond

The Heslov Family

Gary & Karen Lask

Ioannis & Evelina Skaribas Foundation

Anthony Sparks, Ph.D. & Professor Anita Dashiell-Sparks

Rik Toulon

John Villacorta

James & Leslie Visnic

Dr. Stephen L. Wheeler & Lynne Dunahoo Wheeler

PATRONS

Clara Y. Bingham & Joe G. Finnerty III

Lorena Estefania Gonzalez

Lynn Hunt-Gray & Robert O. Gray Sr.

Elizabeth & Steve Jeffords

Priya Kapoor & James Darnborough

Laurie & Todd Okum

ANGELS

Jonathan & Adrienne Anderle

—In Memory of David & Sherril Anderle

Theodore V. Arevalo

Emanuel Bachmann Foundation

—In Memory of Emanuel O. Bachmann, B.S. 1932

Yvonne M. Bogdanovich

Parvesh Cheena

Scot & Wendy Claus

Els Collins

Dr. David Emmes & Ms. Paula Tomei

Regina K. Eremia Trust

Linda E. Ewing

Freddie & Andrea Fenster

Lorraine J. Gildred-Conlan

Jenifer Glagowski

Ken Hardin

JP Karliak & Scott Barnhardt

Amy Landecker & Bradley Whitford

Jeanne McDonald-Powers & Travis Powers

John C. McGinley

Scott S. Mullet & Jenelle Anne Marsh-Mullet

Dr. Willa Olsen

Mary Reveles Pallares

Madeline Puzo

—In Honor of Lori Fisher

Deirdre O’Connor Quinn & Patrick Quinn

Brian Sacca

Pranav Shah

Susan Shetter

Abe & Annika Somer

Marissa Stahl

Jeff & Cathie Thermond

Drs. Kellie Yoon & Stephen Treiman

BENEFACTORS

Andy & Sheri Ball

Raymond Bates & Virginia Eiko Sato

Jacob Beitle

Julie & M. David Beitle

Helen Chhea

Drs. Rebecca L. Crane & Edward J. Crane

Leia Crawford

Professor Timothy Dang

Suzanne Durrell and Ian McIsaac

Stella Gilbertson

Rose Marie Glazer

Matthew & Kim Guerrise

Alex Hargis

Catherine & Robert Hastings

Dr. Stacey M. Hein & Darryl W. Hein

Kevin & Susan Kushman

Michael & Kimberley Labertew

Christine & Stephen Liscinsky

Karen Meyer & Richard Michelman

The Michael S. Engl Family Foundation

Pamela Monroe

Deborah & Pieter Naude

Russell Negrin

Dr. John Probst

Patti & Michael Reed

The Roxworthy Family

Susan & Bradley Schaaf

Michael Charles Solomon

Pary Simpson Trust

Brent H. Sudduth

Jared & Amy Tardy

Nancy & Peter Tuz

Presley Wexelman

Yingping Zou & Hok Yau

CHAMPIONS

Kirsten & David Abdo

Adam Bart

Paula Forrest

—In Memory of

Evan Hershey Helmuth

David & Pamela Patch

In Honor of

Kimberly Anne Patch

Jeff Perry

Rick & Jeanne Silverman

Joan Sontag

James J. Wen & Laurie Hom Wen

Erin Yeaman

FRIENDS

Babtope & Morolake Adedara

Hugo Alvarado

Brenda Kadrie Anderson & Brian Anderson

Jennifer & Donald Apy

Vy Au

Michael Avila

Paul Belloni

Briana Nicole Billups

Lisanne Brandt

Dr. Julie R. Brannan

Matthew & Margaret Breslin

Aaron W. Briggs

Charles Busch

David & Dina Calderon

Michael Cantor

John & Eva Coffey

Jenifer Cole

Andrea Coleman

Thomas Dangora

J. Claude Deering

John Doebler

Kevin Dolan

Elena Dole

Ann Dowie

Patrick Doyle

Deidra Edwards

Anna Webb Egerton

Anthony Ennis

Patrick Erwin

Ronald Evans

Dr. Joyce Falk

—In Honor of Dr. Heinrich R. Falk

Jonathan & Cheryl Feinstein

Donald B. Fields & Myla Lichtman-Fields

Sara Fousekis & Greg Derelian

Jennifer Gantwerker

Philip Gibbs

Marie & Johnny Gillespie

Jason Ginsburg

Maryellen Gleason & Kim Ohlemeyer

Catherine Goldinger

Ana Gonzalez

John Gordon

Kathryn Hahn & Ethan Sandler

Steven Hall

Esther Han

Jessica Hanna

Mark & Glenda Hilliard

Professor Caroline M. Hohensee & Peter Hohensee

Professor Bonnie Oda Homsey & Philip R. Homsey

FRIENDS

Charles & Connie Hood

Melanie Hutsell

Megan James

Jennifer Kahn

Tomoko Kaya

Julie Kennard

Morgan Kolb

Patrick & Elizabeth

Ledwell

Mary Lewis

Cinda Lucas

Alfred Magallanes

Babette Marcus

Dr. Alma Martinez

Eric McCool

Jasmine Marie Mencias

Jennifer & Christopher Miller

Jaime Miranda

David & Jennifer Mitchell

—In Honor of Matthew Mitchell

Claudette Moody

Lisa Moucheron

Jeff Muhlestein

Daniel Murphy

Natsuko Ohama

Elizabeth Owen

Jeffrey Parker

Timothy Pauer

Nancy L. Pierandozzi

Rowena Pingol

Leslie Ann Pittman

Yelena Podkolzina

Jeffrey Polsky

Michael Premsrirat

Melanie Pruitt

William Purves & Donald Schmidt

Kimberley & William Rhoades

Verika Robinson

Dr. Kimberly J. Rodman Aronson & Zvi Aronson

Philip & Christina Ronstadt

Daniel Russell

Andrew Sacher

Adam Sanderson

Ben Sands

Talia Saraceno

Scott Schofield

Cheryl Scholl

Megan Sheehan

Cassandra Sidanycz

Avi Simon

Paramjeet & Amrinder Singh

Beth Spencer

Kat Starkey

Alicia Stone

Margaret & Robert Stratford

Charles L. Swick & Linda M. Reilly-Swick

—In Honor of Sara Fousekis

Nicole Troxell

USC Trojan League of Los Angeles

Eleanor E. Vade Bon Coeur

Delphine & Matt Vasko

Mary Walker

Brooke Weeks

Grace E. Wright & Jeremy Novick

IN KIND GIFTS

Rodric David

*Represents multi-year pledge

WE HOPE YOU WILL CONSIDER BECOMING A MEMBER. For more information about giving to the School of Dramatic Arts, please contact Sara Fousekis at 213-821-4047 or fousekis@usc.edu.

Play your role in helping to build an SDA legacy

Generous contributions are truly the lifeblood of the USC School of Dramatic Arts. They reflect our mission in providing an accessible, rigorous, multihyphenate dramatic arts training experience and are one of the reasons we are ranked as one of the top dramatic arts schools in the world! By making a gift today, you will provide vital scholarship support, enhance professional development opportunities for both students and alumni and help us to create the necessary change in our communities through our many inspiring theatre and social changes initiatives.

To make your gift, text the keyword SDA to 71777 or by visiting iginte.usc.edu/drama

The Wolves.

PHOTO BY Craig Schwartz

Your gift will make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students.

SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS

Los Angeles, CA 90089-0791

dramaticarts.usc.edu

Building. Your Legacy.

We invite you to Leave your Legacy with an engraved paver at your new USC School of Dramatic Arts Drama Center.

You can reserve your personalized pavers now to be displayed in the new Drama Center courtyard upon completion of construction in early 2024.

WITH YOUR PERSONALIZED PAVER, YOU CAN:

■ Commemorate a graduation, reunion, cast, show and other SDA milestones

■ Memorialize a treasured alumnus, faculty or staff member

■ Include a quote from your favorite play, movie or artist

■ Etch your name into the history of the School of Dramatic Arts

Three styles of pavers are available.

To learn more and to reserve your paver today, visit https://bit.ly/3zrwOIW