Graduates from the UMBC theatre department win awards for film performances, work with Cirque du Soleil, become program directors for satellite radio, serve as wardrobe assistant for a reality television show, run their own theatre companies, become award winning high school teachers. Their careers reflect the wide range of skills that one learns as a theatre student. We've featured just some of them below.

If you are a UMBC theatre alumnus and would like to send us an update, please use our Alumni Update form.

Alumni Spotlight

Kara Lee Corthron, 1999 Kara Corthron is a playwriting fellow and playwright-in-residence at the Juilliard School under the direction of Marsha Norman and Christopher Durang. She is the recipient of the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award. She won the 2007 Theodore Ward Prize for African-American playwrights for her play Like a Cow or an Elephant, the 2006 New Professional Theatre Writer's Award, a Rodgers-Guettel grant, and twice received the Lecomte du Nouy prize. Kara's plays have been developed at HERE Arts Center, Voice & Vision, the Juilliard School, and the New 42nd Street Studios. She was recently chosen by Washington D.C.’s African Continuum Theatre to be part of their 2007-2008 Fresh Flavas New Works Program. She received the 2008 Princess Grace Award for Playwriting. Here's the foundation website: http://www.pgfusa.org/. She is a staff writer for the new NBC hour-long drama, KINGS set to premiere in February, 2009.

Chas Argent, 1988
Technical Director at Center Stage. Formerly, Technical Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Alan Aymie, 1993
Teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District.
His play, RAP, was produced at the Zephyr Theatre, L.A. 2003.

Kristen Bishel, 2003
Has worked between MD/DC/VA as a freelance stage manager at Studio Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre Company-ACA, Ford's Theatre, the DC Fringe Festival, and 3 seasons at the MD Renaissance Festival. Received her Equity card and is currently the resident AEA Stage Manager at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD, a leading professional theatre focusing on shows for children/families.

Natalie Blank, 2008
Natalie is currently teaching dance at Quince Orchard High School. In fall of 2008 she interned at Rep Stage for the production Intelligence and performed in The Butterfingers Angel.

James Brown-Orleans, 2005
Professional actor currently in the touring production of The Lion King.

Vanessa Buono, 2001
Received MFA in Acting from Purdue University. Formerly a ember of the Berubians, a successful improv troupe in LA. Roles on ER, American Dreams, All of Us. Currently School Programs Manager at The Shakespeare Company in Washington, DC.

Jillian Byrnes, 2005
Currently working as an early childhood educator for Frederick County Even Start as well as co-worship arts leader for FaithPoint United Methodist Church.

Donnie Canetti, 2003
Drama/theatre arts teacher of Pre-K through 6th grade at Montebello Jr. Academy in Baltimore City.

Erick Chavarria, 2005
graduated from UMBC in 2005 with a BFA in acting, and currently lives in LA. TV credits include: ER, Jimmy Kimmel Live, a guest star on the Spanish language series Detective Privado, and six episodes on the daytime drama General Hospital. He has worked on commercials for AM/PM and Cricket Wireless. He is currently appearing on a promo with Jay Leno for The Jay Leno Show, and on a promo for the 2009 football season with Tony Gonzalez, Machete Star and Danny Trejo. Erick is very proud to be a UMBC Theatre graduate.

Gedalya Chinn , 2006
Was recently granted admission by Northwestern University into the MFA in Writing for the Stage and Screen program, which he will begin in fall 2009. Has devoted himself primarily to playwriting, first in Baltimore, and then in Chicago since his move there. Has a number of originial pieces circulating at festivals in Chicago and New York, and is currently being considered for a spot in this year's Sundance Theatre Lab in Utah.

Gary Corbin, 1982
AFter graduation, I was able to tour the country performing theater designed to educate people on the plight of persons with disabilities and special needs. I also became the first Director of Performing Arts Programs at The Maryland State Arts Council. I formed my own production company in New York called The Arts Den New York. As a result, I wrote, starred in and produced my one-man play, FOUR ONE-LEGGED MEN. FOUR ONE-LEGGED MEN received The Gregory Millard Fellowship from The New York Foundation For The Arts, a Theater Commission from The New York State Council on the Arts, and Individual Artist Award in Playwriting from both the Maryland and New York State Council's on the Arts, The Performance Art Fund from The Franklin Furnace Foundation administered by Jerome Foundation, two Community Arts Grants from The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and was recently nominated for the prestigious Lambent Fellowship administered by the Tides Foundation.

Kara Lee Corthron, 1999
is a playwriting fellow and playwright-in-residence at the Juilliard School under the direction of Marsha Norman and Christopher Durang. She is the recipient of the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award, 2006 New Professional Theatre Writer's Award, a Rodgers-Guettel grant, and twice received the Lecomte du Nouy prize. Kara's plays have been developed at HERE Arts Center, Voice & Vision, the Juilliard School, and the New 42nd Street Studios. She received the 2008 Princess Grace Award for Playwriting. Here's the foundation website: http://www.pgfusa.org/. She is a staff writer for the new NBC hour-long drama, KINGS set to premiere in February, 2009.

Kenny Curtis (former theatre student)
Program Director of XM Kids, Senior Director of Speciality Programming, XM Satellite Radio. http://www.xmradio.com/programming

Tammy Dygert, 1993
Dramaturg, Hippodrome State Theatre, Gainesville, Florida.

Steven Fleming, 2007
I was just hired as the Theatre Arts teacher for Oakland Mills High School in Howard County. I will be teaching three drama classes and two English classes.

Katie Fraser, 2004
Received a Master's degree in Contemporary Approaches to English Studies from Goldsmiths University in London. Is now a high school English teacher at an all girls school in Newark, NJ that is dedicated to providing outstanding opportunities to young women from one of New Jersey's most challenged cities.

Carl Freundel, 1985
Head of Acting, Howard Community College.

Celeste Gilbert, 2008
Administrative Manager and Theatre Relations Assistant for The Hellen Hayes Awards in Washington DC.

Deborah Green, 2000
Working actress, most recently seen on N.Y. stage in the premiere of Kia
Corthron's play, Dual, at Sanctuary Playwrights Theatre. Deborah also
performs in film and has had roles in Sex and the City.

Laurel Haac, 2008
After graduation, Laurel interned with Nana Projects, a Baltimore based puppet company specializing in large parade puppets. In September 2009, Laurel began her studies as a M.F.A. candidate in the Design for Stage and Film program at New York University.

Marianne Hayden, 2002 and
Jennifer Servary, 2003
While Linehan Artist Scholar Marianne Hayden is completing her graduate studies at California Institute of the Arts, she has had time to win the Best Actress Award at the 2000 Screamfest Horror Film Festival in Los Angeles for her performance in the new film, Ghost Watcher. Two other stars of this film are recent graduates Jennifer Servary and UMBC Linehan Artist Scholar, Jillian Byrnes. GhostWatcher also won the Best Film Award at the 2003 Maryland Fantastique Film Festival. For more information and a short view of the film, go to: http://www.ghostwatchermovie.com/.

Alli Houseworth , 2003
Since graduating in 2003, Alli has worked in the Media Relations Department at CENTERSTAGE, as the Assistant to Artistic Director Roger Rees at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, as the Executive Assistant to the Partners at Broadway's largest press agency, Boneau/Bryan-Brown, for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and as the Special Projects Manager at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Producing and Theatre Management at Columbia University, where she is a Shubert Presidential Scholar. NYC Producing credits include: Blueprint (2007 Summer Play Festival), As You Like It (HERE– 2007 NYIT Winner), Ibsen/Fosse: 2006 (59E59). PR: Columbia Stages, Juvenilia (West Coast Premiere), The Spectator (World Premiere), The Possibilities (NYC premiere), As You Like It.

Jan P. Hughes, 1981
For years, Jan owned his own production company in Chicago which won over a dozen National and International Awards for Video and Satellite Production on five continents, including an International Television Association Gold Award for Special Effects. He was awarded the "Top 100 Producer of the Year" in 2000 by AV Producer Magazine. He was recently hired by the governor of Illinois as Division Manager of Illinois Information Services and produces the governor's press events, public service announcements, video news releases, web, radio, digital photo and print communications.

Meryl Katz, 2006
Meryl Katz is completing her Juris Doctor degree at Drexel University, Earle Mack School of Law in Philadelphia, PA. She will graduate in May 2009 as a member of Drexel Law's Inaugural Law Review, and with honors for completing over 125 hours of pro bono service. During her time at Drexel, she helped the Director of the Trial Advocacy program develop "Improv for Lawyers" - a class which teaches improvisational skills to law students. Since August 2007, she has worked with the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, providing free legal services to people with HIV/AIDS.

Paul Kelm, 2003
Assistant Technical Director, Round House Theatre, Maryland.

Kay Kostopoulos, 1972
Kay Kostopoulos has a BA from UMBC, and an MFA from A.C.T, San Francisco. She acts and sings professionally, and has been instrumental in the creation of many new theatrical works. Her website is www.blackolivejazz.com

She has performed at Stanford University Summer theatre for four seasons, and at the San Francisco and California Shakespeare Festivals, where she also served as Director of Education. Kay conducts private independent workshops, master classes for theatre educators, and individual coaching sessions for both the professional actor and the public speaker.

Kay directed and taught in ACT’s Advanced Training Program for six years, where she also served on the M.F.A. committee. Kay currently directs and teaches undergraduate Acting, Acting Pedagogy for graduate students, and Voice and Speech at Stanford University, where she has taught for 10 years. She participated in an educational alliance between Stanford, Princeton and Yale and was directly involved in the conception, planning, and voice performances featured on their educational web site. She also teaches adult students in Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program. Kay has also taught at City College of San Francisco, Santa Rosa Jr. College, the American Musical Theatre of San Jose, Dominican University, De Anza College; coached for the National Association of Speakers, and served as language coach for many independent theatre companies.

Nancy Krebs, 1972
Nancy has forged a career of professional acting, singing, teaching, song-writing and recording. She has released 6 full length CDs of original spiritual inspirational music since 1998, has served as a voice instructor at the Baltimore School for the Arts Theatre department since 1981; and has a solid reputation as a dialect/vocal coach for numerous professional theatre companies in the region. She is a Master Teacher in the Lessac Kinesensic Voice and Body Training, and just recently completed teaching a One Week Lessac Introductory Workshop at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA; the One Week Teacher Training Workshop and the Four Week Lessac Summer Intensive at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. You can reach her at www.nancykrebs.com

Sarah Landbeck, 1999
After graduating with her MFA in wigs and makeup from North Carolina School for the Arts she worked two years at Arena Stage. Sara is now living in NY, working a permanent swing position on "Beauty and the Beast" and working weekends on Saturday Night Live.

Keith Levy, 1986
Appeared on Project Runday on the Bravo channel in his persona, Sherry Vine.

Sheila Lopez, 1992
Sheila Lopez graduated from UMBC in 1992 and earned an MFA from the Yale School of Drama in 2002. She is the Founder and Executive Director for Antecesores, a New York-based non-profit theatrical organization that offers educational programs and projects to study history, literature and performing arts of América latina; performance programs to reaffirm the Latino culture and people; and theatrical productions to provide a unique exposition of cultural and linguistic experiences in Spanish for everyone.

Antecesores was conceived as a pro–active response to an important challenge faced by the communities in Erie County, New York, where Latino youth lacked resources to ensure the continuation of their ancestral histories and cultural heritage, and where the community at large lacked mediums to learn about the contributions and embrace the richness of the diverse Latino cultures in this area.
http://www.antecesores.org/

Dennis Marsico, 1984
Actor at Walt Disney World at MGM studios in Orlando, Florida.

Jessica Mateluvich, 1996
Jessica is directing the theater program at Reservoir High School in Howard County, MD. She received an award for directing the Outstanding Comedy from the Maryland State High School Theatre Association 2003. Recently(2007) accepted into UMCP's Ph.D. program for speech and theater

Dolores McBride, 1991
Attorney in the office of the Public Defender in Denton, Caroline County, Maryland.

Matt McGloin, 2005
Stage credits following graduation from UMBC include: The Tempest (Virginia Shakespeare Festival), The Complete Works of Shakespeare [abridged] (Virginia Shakespeare Festival), Huck Finn's Story (Imagination Stage),Faust (Synetic Theatre - 2006 Helen Hayes nomination, Best Ensemble), The True Tragedy of the Mortician (Odyssey Productions, Capital Fringe Festival '06), Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major (Kennedy Center), Cinderella (Olney Theatre Center), Kiss Me, Kate (Washington Savoyards), The Lathe of Heaven (Spooky Action Theatre), The Blue Lagoon (Capital Fringe Festival '07),
As You Like It (Folger Theatre), Teddy Roosevelt... National Tour (Kennedy Center)

Erica McLaughlin, 2006
Has continued performing throughout DC, Baltimore, and New York City since leaving UMBC. She was most recently featured in Roundheads and Peakheads presented by the Catalyst Theatre Company. NY credits include: Amerissiah (Amoralists Theatre Company), Cold April (Winner, Best Play & Nominated for Best Actress; Strawberry One Act Festival), Emergency Use Only (Emerging Artists Theater), Basura! (New York Int’l Fringe Festival), and Avant Garde A'Rama (PS 122). DC/MD credits include: The Oracle and "Fresh Flavas" reading of UMBC alum Kara Corthon's Holly down in Heaven (African Continuum Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Liberty Showcase Theatre), OM (Puppeteers of America Festival), and more. An ACT-SO gold medal winning playwright, Erica's play Love and Wood premiered in the inaugural DC Fringe Festival. As an advocate for young people and civil rights, Erica served for four years as a member of the National Board of Directors for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She made national news when she delivered the historic obituary for the "n-word" at the organization’s national convention in Detroit, MI. She now resides in Brooklyn, NY. www.ericamclaughlin.com

Eric Messner, 2001
Is a working actor in the Baltimore Washington area.

Eric Millman , 1994
Graduated with an M.S. in Pastoral Counseling in 2005. Currently works at Jewish Addiction Services in Baltimore, MD.

Brigitte Pribnow Moore, 2005
Is the Development and Production Manager at Young Playwrights' Theater, the only professional theater in Washington, DC, dedicated entirely to arts education. Founded in 1995 by award-winning playwright Karen Zacarias, Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT) teaches students throughout the DC metro area to express themselves clearly and creatively through the art of playwriting. Through interactive in-school and after-school programs, YPT activates student learning and inspires students to understand the power of language in realizing their potential. By publicly presenting and discussing student-written work, YPT promotes community dialogue and respect for young artists. www.yptdc.org

Steve Moore, 1988
Director of Legal Affairs at Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Aaron Moss, 2007
Currently an M.F.A. Acting student at the Yale School of Drama. Regional work at Yale Rep, Illinois Shakespeare; Artistic Associate for Yale Cabaret. Upcoming projects: Death of A Salesman at Yale Rep starring Charles S. Dutton.

Karen Murphy (Foltz), 2001
Costume Assistant with Baltimore Opera Company.

Matthew Myer, 2004
I am now the Director of Central Maryland for a program called Drama Kids International. It is a wonderful program for youth between the ages of 5 and 17. We are a developmental drama program whose purpose is to develop confidence, acting abilities and skill in verbal communications. It has been a wonderful and rewarding experience working with the students to help them become more confident and skilled young people.

Susan Ostrinsky (Aaron), 1989
Has worked at The Source Theatre Co. in DC, The Patuxent Theatre Co. in Columbia, MD, and The National Theatre in Washington, DC. After a 5-year hiatus being a happy stay-at-home mom, she has once again rejoined the theatre community with the role of Sheila in The Boys Next Door, and some extra work in film (along with her son, Ben).

Jennifer Rade, 1990
Costume Designer/Wardrobe Stylist, who has worked with Marilyn Manson, Eminen, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre, the Dave Matthews Band, and Will Smith. She's just been nominated for a costume Designer's Guild Award for the Best Comercial Design for the Ipod campaign. And she's hosted 18 episodes of the reality show, "Live Like a Star" for Fox TV.

Deborah Randall, 1994
Founder and executive director of a thriving company, Venus Theatre, Washington, D.C. Her recent production of Ugly Ducklings was nominated for the American Theatre Critics Award. With that show, Deb produced and directed a cast of 13 women, 8 under the age of 18. Recent graduate Paul Kelm designed and built the production, also receiving critical acclaim.

June Reich, 1988
General Managing Editor, Women and Performance, A Journal of Feminist Performance.

Trevor Rick, 2001
Actor in Spiderman II.

Kyle Riley, 1999
Kyle is currently living London and is a member of British Equity. Originally pursuing an MA Acting at East 15 Acting School, he left the program in December to tour Ireland with The Lyric Theatre Belfast in Brian Friels The Home Place, playing to nearly 17,000 people the show was both a critical and commercial success.

Brian Rudell, 2006
In his second season as the Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audience on Tour's Sound Supervisor and Assistant Technical Director.

Carolyn Spedden, 1983
Artistic Director of the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Freelanced at Maryland Public TV as an associate producer and writer. Has written several plays, most notable a multi-media production called QUEST, which premiered in London, UK at Christmas 2004. Currently at work on a new play and writing an actors' handbook. North American agent for the UK band, The Mediaeval Baebes.

Vanessa Strickland, 2006
Performing with Classika Theatre, Arlington, VA.

Stacy Teague, 2002
Head of Wardrobe, touring with Cirque du Soleil's Varekai.

Rob Taylor
Had 2 plays accepted and produced (both of which were written in Dr. Susan McCully's class) at the New American Playwright's Festival in Columbus, OH--Honeymoon and americanroyalty. His play Playthings--which was originally conceived at the UMBC 24 Hour Play Festival--opens the theme night "Children and (Other) Sharp Objects" at the International Cringe Festival in New York this summer (2009), performing at the Producer's Club  and competing for the Golden Pineapple Award. He will also play Snug in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival.

Tanya Turgeon, 2001
For the past three years has appeared on television shows, films, and commercials in New York. Acting includes character improv and circus skills. Currently teaches circus skills to at-risk youth in the Bronx and Harlem for the Big Apple Circus as part of their "Circus After School" program. Entertains at events such as stiltwalking for the Macy's Day Parade and clowning for an International Festival in China.

Les Williams, 1991
After graduating UMBC I continued studies with Sanford Meisner and Martin Barter in Los Angeles. Then I was invited to be a member of the Sanford Meisner Theatre Company. Here I was able to hone my craft and created several roles in original plays. One of the most notable performances was in Lynn Mamet's "The Walking Wounded".

I have worked on several television shows and film. The most recent "Play the Game" where I shared the screen with Andy Griffith. I am currently in production with "The Ghastly Love of Johnny X" www.JohnnyXMovie.com.

I am also the Executive Producer of "Kiss the Bride", www.KissTheBrideMovie.com. Starring Tori Spelling, JoAnna Cassidy, Robert Foxworth, Tess Harper. Opening in theatres April 18, 2008.

In 2007 I created my own production company Silver Lake Pictures. I am currently in pre-production on the film "ReleVance" based on a story I wrote and am the screenplay co-writer.