Dear reader,
We are writing to you in June 2022. This is a chaotic time.
In front of you is a collection of marketing materials for theater performances. We created these with the hope that these plays would be produced sometime very soon. We believe in theater and its healing, community-building capacity. We hope that you will enjoy reading these essays.
Thank you for spending time with us!
Please take care,
Qianru Li, and the cohort of Drama 40C (03045), Spring 2022
The title “Beyond Barriers” is created by Dylan Darwish, Kayla Strand, Mika Fogacci, and Omar Gomez.
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Jacob Buzza: Jacob Buzza is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Irvine. He attended Monterey Peninsula College for one year before transferring to Irvine, and has been involved in theater since high school. He harbors a love of storytelling from which his passion for theater derives, and hopes to demonstrate this passion in all of his work. Jacob hopes to involve himself in as many aspects of theater as he can, including acting, directing, writing, stage management, and other facets. His favorite color is green.
Kayla Strand: Kayla is a third year undergraduate student at the University of California, Irvine. Prior to attending UCI, she attended Ohlone Community College, where she acted and directed in numerous mainstage productions, student films, and student run projects. She was the Vice President and Secretary for the Entertainment Arts Guild for three years, and helped raise over $5,000 for the department’s trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She is so grateful for her community college experience because it is where she was introduced to theatre and truly found her voice. Aside from the arts, she also has a huge passion for health, fitness, and the environment. She is currently majoring in Drama and Environmental Science and Policy at UCI, and is overjoyed to have the opportunity to collaborate with such an inspiring group of scholars.
Mika Fogacci: Mika (who uses she/they pronouns) is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Drama at the University of California, Irvine. Prior to coming to UCI, she graduated from Grossmont College with an Associate Degree in Musical Theatre. At Grossmont, she acted in multiple mainstage productions and touring shows, and they helped fundraise for the theatre department’s summer conservatory. She has also done voice acting for online projects with her friends. Mika’s favorite aspect of theatre is storytelling, and along with acting, they want to write for stage and film. She believes there are many stories that need to be told, and as an autistic person, they are an advocate for representation of neurodivergent people in the performing arts. Her other interests include makeup artistry, painting, fashion, and pop culture.
Dylan Darwish: Dylan is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Irvine. Before attending UCI, he attended Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, where he acted in numerous productions. He was the Publicist of his high school’s theater program for 2 years, where he helped the school have its first fully sold-out production in 2020. At UCI, Dylan is a member of Improv Revolution, where he performs every two weeks in an hour-long show. Aside from the arts, Dylan is also a member of UCI’s Mock Trial team. There he puts his acting skills to use and acts as one of the program’s key witnesses. He loves the art of storytelling and hopes he can continue to tell as many stories as possible.
Timothy Thu is a junior transfer student attending his first year at UC Irvine studying Drama. He’s ecstatic to be a part of this amazing community of scholartists and the chance to publish his work. He’s been studying theatre for only three years and got his AA degree in Theatre Arts at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. His theatre credits include The Phantom of the Opera and The Reluctant Vampire! and films The Last Ballad (Raven) and Parrhesia 2020 (Jason Mun).
Shannon Murphy:
Shannon Murphy is a junior transfer student at UC Irvine. Shannon is studying acting and is passionate about keeping intersectional feminism as the cornerstone of her career as an artist. As a performer in SoCal, Shannon has been seen in various roles and has even starred in the brand new musical Five at the LA Fringe Festival. She has been seen as Bonnie in Bonnie and Clyde as well as The Witch in Into the Woods. She has also been seen as St Jimmy in Green Day’s American Idiot, Veronica in Heathers, and Carrie White in the Inland premiere of Carrie! Shannon is an advocate for women in arts and performs in and produces various cabarets and events for empowerment and support of local female artists
Taylor Bauernfeind:
Taylor Bauernfeind is a Junior Transfer student at UCI. Taylor completed her Associates in Drama at Irvine Valley College. Taylor started her journey in High School as a Costume Designer and an Actor, She has been in A Wrinkle in Time, Poe’s Midnight Dreary, Drum taps and helped design and construct costumes for; To Kill a Mockingbird, Wind in the Willows, and She Stoops to Conquer. Taylor has worked on Various in person and Zoom productions at IVC like, She Kills Monsters as Assistant Stage Manager and other projects involving Costume production and Costume crew. Taylor continues to work as a Production assistant or Assistant Stage Manager at UCI. Taylor is an avid music enthusiast and advocates for individuality while connecting with other individuals and sharing experiences.
Sebastian Escalante:
Sebastian Escalante is a Junior Transfer student at UCI. Sebastian attended Santa Ana College from 2017-2020. He was a Film Major before and is now a Drama major at UCI with an interest in acting. Other interests include photography, film, biking and singing. He has an open mind and is always willing to learn from others.
Linyi Wen:
Linyi Wen is a second-year undergraduate student who double major in Film and Media Studies and Drama at the University of Califronia, Irvine. Linyi graduated from high school in China and was in charge of Department of Public Relations and Business in School Student Union, finding sponsorships for numerous school theater performances, such as The Flowers of War, The Good Person of Szechwan, Secret Love for the Peach Blossom Spring, ect. She was also the director assistance and the stage manager of the drama production, Yu Lian, the props charger in the English drama production, Harry Potter, and the director of dance Lala Land. At UCI, Linyi hopes to develop her skills in staging design and management, and directing. In the future, Linyi wants to develop her career in film producer and concert director.
Junyoung Kim:
Junyoung Kim is a second-year undergraduate student, who is trying to change a major into a major of Drama at UCI. He is from South Korea, but he has lived in the States for about 7 years. He graduated from high school in Irvine and has a huge interest in acting. His dream has just been set up these days, and he will further study acting and try to take numerous auditions to follow his dream. He also likes to sing, dance, and talk with people of the same interest as people in the Drama era. He is professional in playing guitar and drum and had the experience of performing in front of people. His final goal is to debut on a movie screen.
Dalton Nguyen: Dalton Nguyen is a third year undergraduate majoring in Drama at the University of California, Irvine. He has been involved with theatre ever since 7th grade, and has since been in numerous productions both in and out of school. Some of his most notable roles have been Gomez Addams in The Addams Family, Caliban in The Tempest, Bernardo in West Side Story, and William Barfee in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In addition to acting, Dalton has been helping direct and produce junior musicals with several IUSD elementary schools with the goal of providing theatre opportunities to children ranging from 1st graders to seniors in high school. Dalton looks forward to the rest of his time here at UCI and his future endeavors in the arts.
Ian Booth: Ian Booth is a first year at University of California Irvine Majoring in Drama and Psychology. They’ve been doing theatre since they were 8 years old. He has been is 46th shows overall and he would like to thank everyone who helped him through all his performances and busy schedule. He has a passion for bring out his own and others imagination. They express this through their love of Dungeons and Dragons, hikes through colorful scenery, fantasy tv and books, cooking and baking, and of course theatre. He has been a performer, choreographer, director, fight director, and hopes to expand into even more. They were trained and acted as a peer counselor at Conifer High School and were the president of the GSA(Gay Straight Alliance). They are excited to continue their career in theatre and at UCI.
Omar Gomez:
Omar Gomez is a third-year undergraduate transfer student majoring in Drama at University of California, Irvine. Before attending UCI, he attended Ohlone Community College in Fremont, CA, where he studied drama and dance. While focusing his studies on acting in and directing numerous plays and musical , he has also worked as a stage manager and sound designer for numerous productions. Some of his credits include ensemble for Phantom of the Opera, In the Heights, and The Addams Family Musical; Michael in Wendy and Peter Pan; director and stage manager for 10-minute musicals Finding the Words by Andy Roninson and More Precious Than Diamonds by Stephanie Hutchinson; and sound designer for Acute Exposure directed by Kenna Foote with Brick Theatre Company at UCI.