Kelly Jean Conard (MFA 2012)

Will Klundt (MFA 2012)

 Recently at the College of Southern Nevada he played Emil in Jeffery Hatcher’s Three Viewings, Mike Talman in Wait Until Dark and co-directed Reefer Madness. He just finished his fifth year teaching theatre to high school and Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (herself) and Dracula (Mrs. Westenra) at Acalanes High School.

Jeremy Oase (MFA 2012)

Afi Ayanna Shepard-Staley (MFA 2012)

Michael Davison (MFA 2011)

founder/artistic director of San Francisco StageWorks. He is an actor/director/educator foremost, but has also had success as a playwright and composer. With theatrical roots in Washington D.C. and Dallas, he has called the SF Bay Area his home for the last ten years or more and has been on stage or behind the scenes in productions with A.C.T., CalShakes, Theatre Rhinoceros, SF StageWorks, SFLyric Opera, and others. More info at michaeldavison.com.

Kara Lynn Branch (MFA 2011)

Glen Fox (MFA 2011)

When I was 15, my friends and I spotted a holiday cheese log in a mail order catalog. Intrigued, we jested, “Who would order a cheese log through the mail?” Curiosity got the better of us and the log was ordered. The six weeks gave us time to anticipate and get excited for our little friend. We decided that when it arrived we would have aparty to celebrate. Thus, Cheese Fest was born. Since then, the burden of Cheese Fest has fallen primarily on me, the Commissioner of Cheese. I couldn’t stop hosting this event if I wanted to (and I have a few times) because it is so beloved by many. My devotion to this dairy product is part of my identity. I love cheese. “Every boy needs his cheese, just like every janitor’s got a lot of keys, just like every pirate sails the deep blue seas. Every boy needs his cheese” (sung to the tune of Every Rose).

Karl Frost (MFA 2011)

 has been practicing, performing, and teaching contact improvisation and interdisciplinary, dance-based performance since the mid 80’s. His work is very somatic-psychological in nature and he frequently experiments with direct audience/performer interaction and performers as facilitators of experience. www.bodyresearch.org

Brian Matthew Livingston (2011)

Avila Reese (MFA 2011)

A bay area native, Avila has been involved in theatre in Northern California since childhood. Favorite roles include Prudence (Beyond Therapy), Viola (Twelfth Night), Lady M. in the adapted “Rolling Stones†version of the Scottish Play, and Rosie Pye (Humble Boy). Avila attended School of the Arts San Francisco and graduated Cum Laude from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in English Literature and minor in Theatre Arts. Avila is thrilled to have the chance to pursue her dreams and benefit from the auspicious and unique opportunities afforded MFA students in the UC Davis Department of Theatre & Dance.

Gian Christian Scarabino (MFA 2011)

Some Things Are Private (2010) is Gian’s first scenic design for the UC Davis Department of Theatre & Dance. He would like to thank his collaborators, recent and not-so-recent, particularly Joshua and Margaret, without whom he would never have seen hay falling from the sky.

Barry Scott Hubbard (MFA 2011)

The voices in his head all agree that Barry Scott Hubbard is a marvelous actor. Barry has received some validation for this belief by being hired to work at various theatres; although his hiring has almost always been the result of a casting mistake made by the director. Even though he has often been the unintentional benefactor of some other actor’s misfortune, Barry has nonetheless enjoyed doing classical, contemporary, and some improv theatre at Southern Repertory Theatre, Teatro Wego, and the Shakespeare Festival at Tulane in New Orleans, and at the Sacramento Theatre Company and the Marin Shakespeare Company in northern Calfornia. Barry has a BFA in Acting from UC Santa Barbara.

Amy Louise Cole (MFA 2010)

has been performing professionally in the Bay Area for the past decade. She is Co-founder and Executive Director of El Gato Theatre in San Francisco (www. elgatotheatre.org) and for the past two years has brought her love of theatre to classrooms throughout the Bay Area as a professional teaching artist. Amy is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, and Theatre Bay Area.

Jess Alan Curtis (MFA 2010)

living and working in San Francisco and Berlin, has created a body of work ranging from the underground extremes of Mission District Warehouses with Contraband (1985-1994) to the formal refinement of European State Theaters with Jess Curtis/Gravity (2000-present). Along the way he has co-created ground breaking circus works with the Franco-American Circus project Cie Cahin Caha, Cirque Batard; and has been commissioned to create works for companies such as FabrikCompanie in Germany, the English Blue Eyed Soul Dance Company, ContactArt in Italy, and Croi Glan Integrated Dance Company in Ireland. He founded Jess Curtis/Gravity in 2000 as a research and development vehicle for very live performance. At Gravity, he has created four full-evening performance works: No Place Like Home (2000), fallen (2001), Touched: Symptoms of Being Human (2005), Under the Radar (2007), and a variety of smaller repertory works and site specific installations. Mr. Curtis’ work has received awards and support from (among others) the NEA, Germany’s Hauptstadtkulturfonds, the San Francisco Arts Commission, SF’s Grants for the Arts, and the Creative Work Fund (2007). Gravity’s work has received six Izzies (Isadora Duncan Dance Awards). In 2002 he received a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for “fallen.†He is currently working toward an MFA in Choreography at UC Davis and has taught as a guest lecturer at UC Berkeley and the University of the Arts in Berlin. More information: www.jesscurtisgravity.org.

Brett Arthur Duggan (MFA 2010)

is an actor, musician, stand-up comedian/performance artist. He did his undergraduate work at Emerson College. He has been on stage in New York, Boston, San Francisco and many points in between. See him also in UCD’s Oklahoma! this spring. Find out more at Brettduggan.com.

Nina Galin (MFA 2010)

has been developing works that integrate theatre, dance, and both classical and contemporary music, since 1987. From alternative venues in New York City to the converted warehouses of San Francisco’s Mission District, to the formica tabletops of southern California Starbucks stores, Galin blurs boundaries between audience and performer, and incorporates explicit awareness of place into each performance. As an artist, educator and citizen, she explores connection and complexity on somatic, aesthetic, social, political, and economic levels of experience. A broad concept of musicality underlies Nina Galin’s approach to performance. She is currently pursuing her MFA at UC Davis Department of Theatre & Dance.

Candice M. Ingold (MFA 2010)

is permanent resident director for OpenStage, the largest theatre company in Fort Collins, CO.She holds a double BA degree in Theatre/Speech Communication from Colorado State University and has worked as a traveling drama director and speech and drama teacher.In 2003 Andrews received a grant to teach in 13 countries.These included the poorest neighborhoods in India, Cuba & Africa, as well as futuristic institutes and theatres in Japan and Hong Kong.Andrews introduced drama curriculum into many schools while touring and researching the infrastructure of theatres that had moved from rags to riches. Andrews has directed at the Rialto Theater for C.A.S.T. (Creative Arts for Students of Theatre) and the Roberta Price Civic Auditorium in Loveland, Colorado. She has worked at Colorado State University’s Summer Theatre and Lincoln Center. Andrews hopes to continue her travels and research as a professional director and professor in speech and drama. 

Jamie Erin Kumpf (MFA 2010)

previously designed The Angry Red Drum at UC Davis. Her other scenic design credits include The Emperor’s New Clothes at B-Street Theater and The Trial of One Short Sighted Woman vs. Mammy Louise and Safreeta Mae for the San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild. She has also acted as the scenic charge artist for the last three years at the Sacramento Music Circus.

James Franklin Marchbanks (MFA 2010)

Previous feature film work includes Damaged by Default at Sonoma State’s Communications Department under Professor M. Litle

Jacob William Nelson (MFA 2010)

designs include: The Winter’s Tale at UC Davis, 3 More Sleepless Nights and Al Takes a Bride at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. He has served as Master Electrician and Lighting Designer on various other Muhlenberg College productions along with recently designing the lights for Oklahoma! for the Pennsylvania Playhouse in Bethlehem, PA.

Anne Reeder (MFA 2010)

Anne received her B.A. in Theater Studies with concentrations in Acting and Dance from Emerson College in 2004. After graduating she moved to Los Angeles where she pursued a professional career in Acting and Production. Some credits include: Brotherhood (Showtime), The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS), and The Art of Being Straight (Great Graffiti Films). Most recently Anne was seen in Granada-Artist-In-Residence John Jasperse’s work Beyond Belief and in Private Eyes at UC Davis last season. Anne is thankful to be working and studying with the talented people at UC Davis.

Joshua Steadman (MFA 2010)

Previous to grad school he worked as a freelance illustrator and theme park designer. Past clients include: Thinkwell Design, Kirk Design, Jared Gold and The Black Chandelier, SLUG Magazine, and Mozaic Media. He is planning to continue his career after grad school in T.V. and film.