STATE OF THE ART

With her passion for arts as activism and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Nena Oshita (ACT, '22) and her fellow OCSA students and alumni created a video titled "Enough is Enough."

To view the full video, please visit https://bit.ly/3fRkU2v

The Musical Theatre Conservatory’s fall production of the musical Quilters was featured in a story by Dramatics magazine that covers the production and how it became one of the 11 shows to receive main stage recognition at the 2020 International Thespian Festival (ITF). The show, originally selected for main stage presentation at ITF in Indiana, was live streamed to registered participants of the virtual festival. To read the full article, please visit https://bit.ly/3fRrjeb

The following students and alumni were featured in the interview:

Juliette Boland (MT, '20)
Peyton Kirkner (MT, '23)
Grace Osier (MT, '22)
Makenna Olsen (MT, '22)
Charlee Rubino (MT, '21)
Zoe Seare (MT, '21)

Sophia Madrigal (ACT, '22) founded the Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Nonprofit in honor of her father, Luke Madrigal, who spent his life promoting works that revitalized Indigenous culture, brought youth together with adults, and involved sharing the arts together. In an article, Sophia, her sister, Isabella Madrigal (ACT, '20), and their mother, Renda, shared their journey of bringing awareness to the healing powers of traditional storytelling.

To read the article, please visit https://bit.ly/3vRBhBG

Alexander Perazzo (MT, '21) was selected as a delegate for the 2020 American Legion California Boys State.

Ashlye Gambill (MT, '23) was cast in the Walt Disney Pictures film "Artemis Fowl," directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Emma Madison Lakes Kay (ACT, '23) was accepted to the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music's 2020 Summer Songwriting Intensive.

McKayla Frances Mercado (BF, '22) was promoted to company dancer with LA’s premier folk ballet company Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company. McKayla was also selected to be part of the Dia de Muertos: Al Chile Tour with Grammy Award winner Lila Downs.

Aaron Padilla (IM, '21) recently released his EP titled "Stargazing."

Zach Willis (MT, '25) booked a guest starring role on Disney Channel's "Bunk'd."

Zach Hoffman (ACT, '22) was cast in the lead role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in an outdoor, COVID-19 friendly production of Jekyll & Hyde with Braver Players Musical Theater Foundation.

Genesis Maciel (MT, '23) was cast in a commercial for an Orange County Health Department public service announcement regarding Orange County youth opioid awareness.

Savannah Tweedt (IM, '24) was awarded the School of Rock Scholarship at the 2020 Hit Like A Girl drumming contest.

Over the summer, the following students were honored by the Orange County Register as winners and finalists for the 2020 Artist of the Year.

Computer-Assisted Visual Arts
Mira Hirabayashi (VA, '20): Computer Drawing and Painting Finalist

Dance
Lilah Dee Horton (CMD, '21): Dance Artist of the Year & Commercial Dance Finalist
Kaprice Janae Glen (CCD, '20): Concert Dance Finalist
Maya Alvarez Coyne (CMD, '21): World/Cultural Dance Finalist

Film/Animation
Maggie McKelvey (FTV, '20): Animation and Visual Effects Finalist

Theater
Christina Tinde Jesenski (ACT, '20): Theater Artist of the Year & Acting Finalist

Vocal Music
Catherine Johnston (CV, '21): Classical Voice Finalist

Isabella Madrigal (ACT, '20) received the 2020 Marion Mitchell-Wilson Heart of Inlandia Award for her outstanding literary and cultural contribution to the Inland Empire.

To read more about this award, please visit https://bit.ly/34P3Xzu

Natasha Mynhier (CMD, '11) released a film titled "In A Beat." The film features the underrepresented lens of a Black autistic boy on his first night home alone.

To watch the trailer, please visit https://bit.ly/3wV4YSA

Kaitlyn Chu (VA, '17) wrote a children's book titled Smiling from "Ear to Ear," which explains mask wearing to children. She was featured in this article by CBS LA.

Golden Bachelder (ACT, '19) and Noah Connor (ACT, '19) produced an online film festival called Razzmatazz, featuring original sketches, short films, one-acts, music, magic, and more. With assistance from other current OCSA students and alumni, as well as Acting Conservatory instructors Bodie Newcomb and Tess Lina, Razzmatazz combined talents from New York University, UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, and OCSA.

The following current students and alumni were involved with the festival:

Nick Charles Currie (ACT, '19)
Chris Drake (ACT, '19)
Elliott Dynes (FTV, '19)
Reese Gonzalez (ACT, '18)
Julia Jachetta (ACT, '22)
Ryan Jachetta (FTV, '19)
Logan Langevin (ACT, '23)
Alexandra Levine (ACT, '19)
Krish Marwah (ACT, '23)
Jack Robertson (ACT, '21)
Noah Strattan (ACT, '20)
James Slaybaugh (ACT, '21)

Joe DiFiore (IM, '11) released his debut jazz saxophone album, "Out of the Woods," which is available on iTunes, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Classical Voice Conservatory faculty members Dr. Ryan Reithmeier, Heather Reithmeier, and Robert Norman were featured on a new world-premiere recording of Walter Jurmann's "Windy City," released by the Operetta Foundation in their “Musicals Lost & Found” series.