Hay Fever

Christa Helms (Sorel) was born and raised in Portland Oregon. Christa has a B.A. in psychology from Reed College and a PhD in behavioral neuroscience from Oregon Health and Science University. Her experience in improvisation at the Brody theater was the bridge to her joining Portland Actors Conservatory. Her most memorable experiences on the stage include Catharina in Taming of the Shrew and Linda and Shanley’s Savage in Limbo, as well as performing stand-up comedy and improv at multiple Portland venues. She will also be stage managing In the Blood and playing Claire in This Random World.

Aries Annitya (Simon) would like to welcome you to this experience. Aries believes we have all been given a gift of creativity and through this creativity we have the power to inspire, imagine, and enlighten. We have reached a point in our existence where personal connection is determined through the palm of our hands and the swipe of a finger. We’ve lost our core truth, we’ve lost our interpersonal roots. Aries believes through his creative gifts he can share his and humanities core truths, and in turn, help stitch together the quilt of the cosmos. Aries wishes you much love and peace, and welcomes your energy back for In the Blood where he will play The Doctor/Trouble. 

Caren Graham (Clara) resides in Portland, OR and has spent over 25 years as a professional actor and teaching artist. She has worked for regional theatres around the country. Caren was last on the boards in Spokane, joining Interplayers Theatre as their guest artist playing Beverly in Adam Bock’s dark comedy The Receptionist. In Portland, Caren has enjoyed performing at Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland Repertory Theatre, and Northwest Children’s Theatre. Caren has performed lead roles with Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland and Portland, Asolo State Theatre in Sarasota, Florida, and several seasons with Virginia and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals, Seattle Children’s Theatre, among others. Favorite roles include Maria in Twelfth Night, Paulina in The Winter’s Tale, Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit, Mrs. Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer. Caren received a Drammy for Best Actress for her work in Amazing Grace at Artists Repertory Theatre. She would like to thank her family for their support. 

Tyharra Cozier (Judith) is very excited to be in this season of plays at Portland Actors Conservatory. From Coral Springs, Florida, Cozier graduated from Florida State Univeristy with a Bachelors of Arts in Theatre. Her recent credits include Aunt Sponge in Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach and Narrator from Eve Engsler’s The Vagina Monologues, both at Florida State University. She is currently playing the role of Nikki in the seasonal tour of HANDS UP! (August Wilson’s Red Door Project). She will also be playing The Welfare Lady/Bully in In the Blood and Rhonda in This Random World. Many thanks to her family and friends for all their support! www.TyharraCozier.com 

Jacob Beaver (David) is more than thrilled to be sharing the stage with this amazingly talented group of actors with this year and season opener at Portland Actors Conservatory: Hay Fever! Prior theater credits include Songs for a New World at Beaverton civic theater, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at HART theater, Into the Woods at Beaverton Civic Theatre. Jacob will also be playing Reverend D/Baby in In the Blood and Tim in This Random World. “The best audience is intelligent, well educated, and a little drunk.” Jacob hopes you are all three of those; enjoy the show!

Bjorn Anderson (Sandy) is excited to be back at the conservatory as a guest artist! Bjorn has performed on numerous stages throughout the Northwest since graduating from the conservatory in 2012, including: Northwest Classical Theatre Company, Post5, as well as Defunkt Theatre where he starred in their critically acclaimed production of Boys in the Band. Bjorn has just finished his first feature film, More Than Only, which will be coming out in spring 2017. Bjorn is a proud graduate of St. Cloud State University, Minnesota. 

Monica Fleetwood (Jackie) is from Little Rock, Arkansas where she received a BA in . She is currently playing the role of Nikki in the seasonal tour of HANDS UP! (August Wilson’s Red Door Project) and will be playing the role of Hester in In the Blood and assistant stage managing This Random World.

John D’Aversa (Richard) is originally from Chicagoland, Illinois. After graduating with a BA in Theatre Arts and Asian Studies from Augustana College-Rock Island, IL, he drove across the United States to attend Portland Actors Conservatory. Through the conservatory, he has made many friends and gotten work as a techie at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, Echo Theatre, and at the conservatory. Overjoyed to finally perform on the Firehouse stage, this is John’s Portland debut. John will also play Chili/Jabber in In the Blood and Gary in This Random World.

Melissa Buchta (Jackie) moved from Fairbanks Alaska to pursue her acting education in Portland. She returned to Fairbanks last summer to play Titus Andronicus in the Fairbanks Shakespeare theater’s production of Titus Andronicus. Melissa is a graduate of the University of Alaska Fairbanks theater department with a bachelor of arts and theater. She is elated to be working on her first show here at the Portland Actors Conservatory and looks forward to playing Bernadette in This Random World later this season.

Creative Team

Brenda Hubbard (Director) has directed, acted in, written or produced over 150 productions during her distinguished career as a theatre artist. Her work has taken her around the country working with such notable companies as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Rep, Portland Rep, A Contemporary Theatre, San Jose Rep and Artists Rep, to name only several of the many theatres with whom she has created.  For PAC, she previously directed The Glass Menagerie and Sense and Sensibility.   Brenda served as the Artistic Director for Portland Rep (the city’s first AEA company) from 1986 to 1991 where she directed 15 shows, leaving the theatre with a 95% subscription base upon her departure. She also served as Artistic Director for Laughing Horse Summer Theatre in central Washington. She is a Professor Emeritus from Central Washington University where for 23 years she variously served as Professor, Chair, Head of Performance, Artistic Director and Graduate Coordinator. While at Central she received awards as a “Woman of Achievement” and the first faculty award for fostering “Diversity and Inclusion.” She is currently writing a historical biography about a formerly enslaved African American turned philanthropist, Wheeling Gaunt and a fictional coming of age story about a young girl called Ohio Girl. Her next project will be directing the Latina play, Real Women Have Curves for Humboldt State University, in the spring. 

More information about Brenda can be found at http://www.cwu.edu/theatre/performance-and-musical-theatre#Brenda

Kristin Barrett (Stage Manager) is a Portland native who trained at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and with Scott Rogers of Scott Rogers Studios in Portland. Recent film credits include a lead in Collapse, Jordan in Zompocalypse: Dead End, Anatolya in Last Flight of the Cosmonaut”. Favorite past roles include Chick in Crimes of the Heart at Lakewood Theater, Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and Cassandra in Trojan Women. Kristin has been privileged to work with Beth Henley (Pulitzer winning author of Crimes of the Heart), and tap dancing instructor Hiroshi Hamanashi (Riverdance). Kristin will be playing Amiga Gringa/Beauty in In the Blood and Beth in This Random World.

Jessica Bobillot (Resid
ent Costume Designer) is an apparel artist who has worked on dozens of theatrical productions. Some of her fondest memories are:  One Flea Spare (Shaking the Tree), Eyes for Consuela (Profile Theatre), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Resident Designer at PAC), Seven Guitars (ART), La Rondine (PSU Music Dept), As You Like It (Portland Shakespeare Project) and Dracula(Northwest Classic Theater Company).  She has a B.S.A. in painting and printmaking and a second B.S.A. in apparel design. She is delighted to collaborate all the talent at The Conservatory: students, teachers and creative folks.

Christina Barrigan (Resident Lighting Designer) is a freelance lighting designer and teaching artist who has worked in opera, dance, theatre, independent film, performance art, theme parks and cruise ships.  Her work has been seen nationally in Washington, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Texas and internationally in Costa Rica and Mexico.  When she is not designing, she is teaching at Central Washington University. Christina is delighted to be sharing her talents with Portland Actor’s Conservatory this fall.

Hal Logan (Sound Designer) is a composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist who operates a music production facility in Portland Oregon.  Recent collaborations with Portland Actors Conservatory include The Amish Project, Reckless, Six Characters in Search of an Author and Romeo & Juliet.  His compositions, performances, musical direction and sound designs have been featured at Artist Theatre, Broadway Rose, Vertigo, Milagro, Stumptown, and others.  Hal also teaches Music Technology and Sound Design at the University of Portland. 

Chris Mikolavich (Technical Director) has been with the Conservatory since 1985. He has acted, directed, and stage-managed both locally and nationally. He is a scenic designer, a lighting designer and an award winning sound designer.  Chris is the Conservatory’s Technical Director and Instructor for Theatre Management, Practicum and Technical Theatre. In addition to working for many Portland theatre companies, he has been the Technical Director, Shop Foreman, Instructor and Facilities Manager for Lewis & Clark College Theatre Department. He has been a casting director for feature films, TV movies and national commercials, and has toured internationally as Lighting Director for major recording artists.

Max Ward (Scenic Designer) is a Portland-based scenic designer whose past work has included collaborations with a diverse set of theater makers and companies from London to New York City, including the English Touring Opera and The Ontological-Hysteric Theater. His most recent works include 1776 at Lakewood Theatre; The Udmurts, Blasted, and Cock at Defunkt Theatre; and Parade with Staged! at the Brunish Theater. Max holds an MA in Scenography from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

PORTLAND ACTORS CONSERVATORY ADMINISTRATIVE AND EDUCATIONAL STAFF

Producing Artistic Director Beth Harper, Office Manager/Registrar Samson Syharath, Business Manager Loren Johnson, Financial Aid and Compliance Officer Manazza Kayani, Technical Director/Stage Coach Chris Mikolavich, Graphic Designer Matt Livengood, Faculty: Michael Griggs, Chris Harder, Beth Harper, Conner Kerns, Matthew Kerrigan, Val Landrum, Shelly Lipkin, Victor Mack, Chris Mikolavich, Ben Newman, Elizabeth Rothan, and Samson Syharath. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chair, Bruce Chaser, Milt Dennison, Jeff Gorham, Beth Harper, Scott Moore, Jane Robinson, Scott Oen
Advisory Board:  Bob Conklin, Joe Gillie, Kevin Jones, Jed Petersen, Damaso Rodriguez, George Thorn, Julie Vigeland

PORTLAND ACTORS CONSERVATORY STUDENTS: 2016-2017

1st YEAR:
Alex Albrecht, James Bowen II, Enrique Dominguez, Megan Haynes, Rickey Junior, Jessica Kohl, Trishelle Longhurst, Amethyst Mortimer, Bianca Murillo, Yolanda Porter, Melissa Reeves, Colleen Socha, and Steven Stanford

2nd YEAR:
Kristin Barrett, Jacob Beaver, Melissa Buchta, Tyharra Cozier, John D’Aversa, Monica Fleetwood, Christa Helms, Alonso Law