MARCH 2024

Welcome to the March edition of the El-Erian Family Acting Conservatory ALUMNI NEWS!

This March, we are feeling lucky to have West Mulholland ‘23 as our Alumni Spotlight.  Mulholland shares his experience balancing academics and acting, as he navigates freshman year at Stanford University and the release of three feature films back-to-back.  We are fortunate to have Elora Sparnicht (CW ‘23) as our “Day in the Life” vlog this month, sharing a typical day at Yale University.  We are blessed to have news updates from Pedro Pascal '93, Sophia Madrigal ‘22, Isabella Madrigal ‘20, Daria Good ‘20, Izzie Stoddart ‘20, Sadie Braverman ‘23, Jack Robertson ‘21, and Noah Strattan ‘20. 

We are thankful because so many East Coast alumni showed their support for retiring conservatory assistant director Stephanie Dorian at a cocktail hour meet and greet on February 16 in New York .  Dorian met with Jordan Maldonado ‘22, Leila Stark ‘22, Sadie Braverman ‘23, Tasha Zentil ‘21, Grace Wilcox ‘22 and Dash Kaur ‘23. 

This month’s production, Dearly Departed, really kills it, and we know this dark comedy directed by Jay Wallace will leave you laughing and counting your blessings.  

As luck would have it, this month’s “Blast from the Past” reminds us of a family that wasn’t so fortunate.  Enjoy cast photos from OCSA’s 2021 production of The Seagull.  

Remember, you are our lucky charms!  We are so fortunate to have so many alumni share their stories, employment news, business ventures, performance information and more!  If you have some news to share, please let us know!  The Alumni News doesn’t exist without you!  CLICK HERE to email the Alumni News.

Lastly, don't forget -- “We are always in this together.”

West Mulholland Balances Acting and Academics

West Mulholland ‘23 is an emerging talent in Los Angeles, grabbing the attention of top horror directors such as David Slade and Steven Soderbergh. In 2023, Mulholland appeared in MGM’s Dark Harvest, a fantasy/horror film, which promises to be a cult classic. Presence, his latest horror feature film, in which he stars with Lucy Liu and Julia Fox, opened the Sundance Film Festival this January. Presence, a psychological thriller about a family that moves into a house inhabited by a mysterious entity, was recently purchased by Neon. Mulholland can be seen in the drama, A Great Divide, which won the Best Feature and the Jury & Audience Award at the Silicon Valley Asian Film Festival in 2023. He also appeared in the recurring role as surfer Axel on TNT’s crime drama Animal Kingdom. Mulholland is currently a freshman at Stanford University studying Film Studies and Creative Writing. He took time out to talk to the Alumni News about his latest projects.  

Q: Tell us about your experience at the Sundance Film Festival premiering your new film Presence.  

A: Being in a film directed by Steven Soderbergh was a masterclass in filmmaking and directing. I am so grateful to have worked with him, as well as my cast mates, Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, & Julia Fox. Experiencing the Sundance Film Festival, where Presence premiered, was also an unforgettable experience. Honestly, one of the best weeks of my life!

Q: What are your goals for this year?  

A: I'd like to keep the momentum going on both my academic journey and my acting career. I’m in my second quarter in Stanford, and I’ve had three movies premier in the past 12 months.

Q: How did you get involved in the film Dark Harvest? 

A: I auditioned for Dark Harvest almost a year before I actually booked it.  Due to Covid, filming and casting was postponed. When we finally did film, we were in a “Covid-Bubble,” and my mom and I moved to Winnipeg, Canada, for almost four months. It was really cool, because I got to see the film from start to finish, which rarely happens. Usually, they just fly you up for your part. But because the Canadian/ US border closed while we were up there, we got to experience the entire process. 

Q: What was the audition process like?

A: Usually, my agent or manager sends me a script or sides, and if I think I can work with the character, I'll submit a self-tape.  If I am lucky, I'll get a call back to read with the casting director and/or the director of the film, and then we'll go from there.

Q: What do you love/hate about your character in Dark Harvest?  

A: I love Mitch Crenshaw's loyalty to his friends and his ambition for a better life. 

Q: Tell us about your film The Great Divide.  

A: It's about a family experiencing loss, adapting to a new environment, and working through the current and generational challenges of immigrants.  

Q: Describe your character in that film.  How are you like him/unlike him?

A: My character is torn between things that he does not quite understand and wanting to do the right thing.  I think teenagers are faced with this situation more often than we'd like to admit.  Also, I have a scene in the film where you can tell how much I love my Mom – I have a wonderful source to draw from there.   

Q: What challenges did you face in performing in these films?

A: My biggest challenge has been trying to balance my academic pursuits and my acting career simultaneously. It's difficult to keep up with a rigorous academic load while filming.  

Q: How did you get involved in acting?

A: I had a teacher in elementary school who suggested to my parents that they find a stage for me. I think she was tired of me disrupting the class. It worked. I love the stage/set.  

Q: What roadblocks have you faced? 

A: I have had a decent amount of success in my young career, but I've had a decent amount of rejection.

Q: You were involved in the Identity Project at OCSA. Can you describe that experience?

A: I had the honor of being in Anna Deavere Smith's Identity Project master class, where I wrote, produced, and performed "Mochi," a segment on my Filipino & Japanese ethnicity. Ms. Stephanie Dorian was also an amazing mentor and inspiration. 

Q: How did being an OCSA student prepare you for college and/or work?  

A: One of the best parts of my OCSA experience was my classmates and having an open space to explore this craft with other students who shared this enthusiasm.

Q: What advice can you give aspiring actors?  

A: Grind! Take advantage of any opportunity that you can get. Audition for everything. Be grateful for your classmates, teachers, cast mates, and directors who are spending time with you and providing you with criticism and direction. Believe in yourself; you will face a ton of rejections.

CLICK HERE to read more about Mulholland’s new film, Presence.

Elora Sparnicht Sends Greetings from Yale

Our Day in the Life video this month comes from Elora Sparnicht (CW ‘23), who is a close friend of the El-Erian Family Acting Conservatory and was a 2023 semifinalist for the Orange County Artist of the Year in the theater category. Sparnicht was the assistant director to Acting Conservatory Director John Walcutt during the conservatory’s production of Hamlet in 2023. She also served as the head writer for OCSA Unleashed, a collaborative Saturday Night Live-style sketch-comedy show that involved students of Creative Writing, Acting, Film & Television and Production & Design. Sparnicht currently attends Yale University, and her younger sister, Kaya ‘25, is currently in the OCSA acting conservatory.

Stephanie Dorian and OCSA Acting alumni got together in NYC on Friday, February 16, 2024, at the Starbucks Reserve in Chelsea. Stephanie was in the city for the holiday weekend and loved getting to catch up with her former students. After 16 years at OCSA, Dorian is leaving at the end of the school year to return to the profession and produce her play, Above Water. CLICK HERE for more information about Dorian’s departure.

Alumni meet with Stephanie Dorian in New York (L to R):  Jordan Maldonado ‘22, Lila Bausch ‘25, Leila Stark ‘22, Sadie Braverman ‘23, Stephanie Dorian, Tasha Zentil ‘21 and Grace Wilcox ‘22. 

Dash Kaur ‘23 also attended the East Coast alumni get together. Kaur attends the New School.

Pedro Pascal Says Attending OCSA Saved His Life

Everyone is buzzing about Pedro Pascal ‘93. Pascal recently won the SAG Award for Best Male Actor in a Drama Series for his role in HBO’s The Last of Us. People Magazine listed Pascal as one of the top 100 reasons to love America in 2023. He appeared in Time Magazine’s list of the top 100 most influential people of 2023. 

Pascal shared some of the credit for his success with OCSA in an interview with KTLA immediately after he received the SAG Award on February 25. Pascal told KTLA that attending OCSA “saved his life” and he credits his “spiritual survival” to his days at OCSA. 

CLICK HERE to see the entire interview.

Pascal is best known for his roles in The Last of Us, for which he received SAG, Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations, the  Mandalorian and Game of Thrones. Pascal was also nominated for a 2024 Critics Choice Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us. Pascal stars in the upcoming movie Gladiator II with Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, which is in post-production. 

Sophia Madrigal Selected As

Youth Native Collective Ambassador

Sophia Madrigal ‘22 was selected for the 2024 California Native Youth Collective Cohort. The ambassadors will join a network of Native youth leaders from across California to hone their leadership skills, amplify their voice and advocate for their communities at the local, state and national level. The cohort kicked off in January with a visit to Sacramento. The Center for Native American Youth is a national organization that works alongside Native youth on reservations, in rural villages and urban spaces across the country to improve their health, safety and overall well-being, according to their website. Madrigal is currently a sophomore at Harvard. 

CLICK HERE to read more about the Center for Native American Youth.

Isabella Madrigal ‘20 appeared in Echo, a miniseries streaming on Disney+. Madrigal played Young Chula and appears in four episodes. The show is based on the Marvel Comics character, Echo, who returns to her hometown and reconnects with her Native American roots. The show is a spin-off of the series Hawkeye. Madrigal is currently a senior at Harvard.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for Echo.

Daria Good Takes the Stage in Re-Imagined

Henry 4 and 5 Production

Daria Good ‘20 returns to the stage in Muse of Fire beginning February 29, 2024. Muse of Fire is an abridged version of Shakespeare’s plays Henry 4 and Henry 5. The play is explored through a “freshly Foolish lens challenging our ideas of nationalism and leadership,” according to producer Foolish Production Co.’s website. “Muse is an abridged version of the Henriad, mostly centering on Hal’s progression of a man of the people into a military power and leader. We’re doing it in the style of a trunk show, so everyone plays multiple parts, the costumes are a little anachronistic, and the props are sometimes very silly and quirky. Despite this Mikey Mulhearn, our director, still instills the seriousness of war, nationalism, and loss into the strong emotional core of the play,” said Good. “I play the Archbishop, Feeble, and the Constable, which has challenged my range as an actor with the switch of three very rustic accents and having the agility to literally jump into a battle scene with a broadsword before quickly changing into a totally new disposition.” The play is being performed at the Studio/Stage in Los Angeles. Foolish Production Company’s goal is to offer inclusive and accessible programming to everyone.  Muse of Fire runs through March 9, 2024. 

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets.

CLICK HERE to read more about the play Muse of Fire.

Good has also joined Force of Nature Productions, a not-for-profit theater company located in North Hollywood. Force of Nature is a theater and film-based production company focused on developing and producing original works, while nurturing artists from diverse backgrounds and various levels of experience. “I’m helping out as a producer/auction director for the Lip Sync Battle 6 fundraiser in May,” Good said. 

CLICK HERE to learn more about Force of Nature Productions.  

Also, don’t miss the second season of Good’s podcast Ramen and Rose where Good and co-star Tabitha Thomas eat ramen, drink rose and talk about movies. 

CLICK HERE to view the latest Ramen and Rose podcast.

Izzie Stoddart Interns for District Attorney’s Office

Izzie Stoddart ‘20 graduated from Chapman University in the fall of 2023 with Greek honors.  Stoddart studied abroad in Northern Ireland and Paris, France, before graduation.  She was awarded her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Sociology.  With plans to attend law school in the upcoming years, Stoddart began an internship with the District Attorney’s office in the Homicide Unit in January, 2024.  She looks forward to staying connected with OCSA and sharing all of her upcoming plans.

Sadie Braverman Steps Back into the Classroom

Sadie Braverman ‘23 returned to OCSA on January 17, 2024, to talk to juniors in the Acting Conservatory about her experience at New York University.  Braverman did a Q & A with students, talking about life in New York.  Braverman also met with Dorian in New York at the East Coast alumni meet up on February 16.  She is a freshman at NYU.

Sadie Braverman ‘23 and Stephanie Dorian meet in New York.

Jack Robertson Spotted with Noah Strattan in Las Vegas

Jack Robertson ‘21, a current student at AMDA DTLA, caught up with Noah Strattan ‘20, OCSA’s favorite magician, in Las Vegas.  Strattan performs at corporate events in Las Vegas and also performs at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach as one of their resident performers. 

OCSA ACTING SHOWS

Dearly Departed Promises to Be Drop-Dead Funny

You can’t spell “funeral” without fun, and the El-Erian Family Acting Conservatory’s latest production, Dearly Departed, promises to deliver some morbid laughs in this dark comedy about a family squabbling over the planning of their patriarch’s funeral.  

Dearly Departed is “set in the late 80s/early 90s about a dysfunctional family in the South, dealing with their daily struggles and quirks, as we lead up to a small town funeral,” said the play’s director Jay Wallace. The play, written by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones, includes themes of family, struggles of married life, love, death, dysfunction, and the struggle for purpose and life in a small southern town. 

“I wanted to direct a character-driven ensemble comedy,” Wallace said. “This play has hilarious and quirky characters. It’s a dark comedy, so it includes circumstances that are a bit absurd, yet not too far from the truth, that we may recognize in our own lives. And it provides really great opportunities for the actors to exercise their comedic muscles while developing three dimensional characters.”

“It’s important to the cast and I that we really ground these characters and circumstances in reality,” Wallace said. “On the surface, the characters on the page can seem bitter, sad or disconnected from life and their circumstances at times. However, when you dig a little deeper, we believe these characters are full of heart, passion, ambition and love for one another. It’s a tight community that can feel complicated as they face personal struggles and the challenges that sometimes come along with ‘family.’ It’s our challenge to bring charm and a sense of humor, amidst the dark in the play’s comedic circumstances. The play is also set in the South, so this allows for the actors to develop southern dialects for their characters, while being led by dialect coach Mr. Wyn Moreno.”

(L to R): Harlo Cozzens '25 and Levi Sternshein '24 rehearsing for Dearly Departed.

"This ensemble will navigate a terrific balance of humor and depth. Their investment in character and exploring this genre of dark comedy is inspiring. And, the cast is a great mixture of all high school grade levels. Seniors are appearing in one of their final OCSA productions and freshmen are appearing in their first OCSA production. All demonstrated wonderful potential in auditions and are meshing together as a wonderful ensemble,” Wallace said.  “When the Acting Conservatory was founded,10 years ago, I directed a hilarious, diverse and talented cast in a production of Neil Simon’s Rumors. On the 10th Anniversary of our conservatory, I’m hoping that some of those cast members may return to see this show,” Wallace said. “This production truly focuses on character and showcases the actors. Minimal on production aspects, I expect these actors to shine. Working on another comedy has caused me to reminisce about the fun rehearsal and performance periods with past OCSA Acting comedies that I’ve directed, including Rumors and Charlie’s Aunt. Though I love dramatic plays, there’s something unique, light and joyful about embarking on a comedy.  

“I would love [to have alumni] show up with a sense of humor and enjoy this Southern experience alongside this quirky family. Amidst all the chaos in the world right now, dark comedies can be a way to just laugh at ourselves for a while,” Wallace said. 

You can’t take life too seriously, so come laugh with us from March 14-16 and 21-23, 2024, at the Scott & Charlotte Egan Studio Theatre (the Black Box). Performances are at 7:00 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, with additional Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets at the OCSA Box Office.

NEWS FROM OCSA CAMPUS

OCSA Opens Serenity Center

The OCSA Leadership, Administrative and Student Services teams held the opening ceremony for the new Serenity Center located in the Humanities Tower.  The center will be a dedicated wellness space accessible to all students.  It officially began its operation on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.  

The center is a tranquil space that promotes mindfulness and social-emotional learning by utilizing various techniques of alleviating stress, including individual and group activities.  “Creating a space like this requires the support of our community, and we would like to acknowledge two partners whose support is going to be transformational as we launch and grow the Serenity Center’s programming,” said the administrative team.  “Samueli Foundation has been a longtime supporter of OCSA, and we are incredibly grateful for its generous investment in this space.  Additionally, Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) has been instrumental in ensuring that this space is most effective for our students, lending us their expertise on programming, services and design.”

OCSA Connects Community Arts Festival was a Hit!

On Saturday, January 13, OCSA hosted its very first free Community Arts Festival. Over 2000 people registered for this day of live performances from our student artists and partner organizations, enjoying a variety of unique arts experiences and play areas. The festival was geared towards our youngest artists ages 5-11 and their families with many interactive areas of interest to choose from like the Culinary Arts, Wild Kingdom, and Animation Studio Experience, and so much more! Keep an eye out for next year when it returns!

Save the Date for GALA 2024: New York State of Mind!

Be sure to join us in the City that Never Sleeps for an unforgettable evening under the twinkling Manhattan skyline on Saturday, April 27 at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa. Table Sponsorships are now available and individual tickets will be available later in March. If you can’t attend, please consider donating an item on behalf of all the current talented student artists. We would love to see you there!

CLICK HERE to purchase a ticket by sponsoring a table.

CLICK HERE to donate an item.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Do You Remember When You Were the Seagull? 

In October, 2021, OCSA produced The Seagull, by Anton Chekhov.  The play features a cast of characters dissatisfied with their lives at the end of the 19th century.  The play relied upon an ensemble cast of juniors and seniors.  The performance was challenging because Chekhov’s writing relies on subtext, and much of the action takes place offstage.  The play was performed in the DMS Courtyard in front of audiences perched on blankets under the starry night sky. 

The cast of The Seagull performs in the DMS Courtyard.

Hannah Kotkin ‘22 and Colin Daniels ‘22 share a touching moment.

Hannah Kotkin ‘22 reacts to the characters’ bohemian antics.

Bridget Phillips (MT ‘22) and Dylan Barton ‘22 show conflicting emotions as they watch a play within a play.

Natalie Seckington ‘22 and Scott Becker ‘22 portray a moment when young love took wing.

Mya Gonzales ‘23 portrays the disturbed character, Masha.

Natalie Seckington ‘22 as Nina is attracted to the estate where the play takes place as if she “were a seagull.” 

Dylan Barton ‘22 and Natalie Seckington ‘22 share a relationship that leads to ruin.

SOCIAL MEDIA - CONNECT WITH ALUMNI

THE ACTING CONSERVATORY'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

We are actively searching for our acting alumni and their parents. Please help us by forwarding this email to classmates or posting on social media to get them in the loop. If you know of acting conservatory alumni who would like to receive this newsletter, CLICK HERE to email us!

OSCA has an alumni directory that provides a dedicated space for the larger OCSA alumni community to connect, network, and communicate. You can sign up in less than two minutes when you register with your LinkedIn or Facebook profile. You can also join with your email address.

Once you are registered, use the filters in the directory to:

• Connect: Find and connect with your classmates and fellow graduates. See what they have been up to, reminisce, gather together, and stay in touch.
• Expand: Leverage the shared history you have with thousands of alumni to expand your professional networks. Meet new people and open new doors – for yourself and others!
• Influence: Introduce, employ, and act as a mentor to our graduating students.

CLICK HERE to register and join the network!