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Alumni
Jacob Anderson
“The faculty were all fantastic and pushed me to be the best dancer I could be. It was a great time in my life with many great friends and memories.
“This amazing department introduced me to the world of dance.”
Jacob Anderson
“After graduating I spent a lot of time bouncing between jobs. Mainly in either the tech industry (tech support, retail sales) or coaching gymnastics and parkour. The last few years is when everything changed. In 2015 I met an amazing woman. In 2016 we moved to Oregon and in 2017 I had the incredible luck to marry her and officially become a step dad to her two fantastic kids. Now in 2018 she is the marketing director for a group of hotels and I'm attending the police academy to be a police officer for Cannon Beach, OR."
Holly (Mack) Cambern
"I went to Sac State from 1980 to 1982. I was a member of the Jazz Dance Company under the direction of DaleScholl. Since then I have been a member of several dance companies including the San Francisco Jazz Dance Company.
Along with dancing for over 30+ years, I have been a dance teacher, choreographer, and founder and Artistic Director of the Jazz Dance Collective under the unbrella of the non-profit Bend Dance Project, which I founded."
"Sac State started my dance career!"
Holly (Mack) Cambern
Nupeir Garret
Nupeir moved to Los Angeles in 2013 and signed with an agent for commercial, film and print work. Nupeir can be seen in an international Nike advertisement starring LeBron James as well as national commercials for Nisson, Trojan, and Adidas. Nupeir could be seen onstage in an Equity performance of To Kill a Mockingbird and has contracts with both Norwegian and Carnival Cruise Lines.
"Phenomennal experience. It gave me all the tools I needed to sustain a professional career in the entertainment industry."
Nupeir Garret
Kenya Hilliard
"The Theatre and Dance faculty are the reason i grew to believe in myself. I was timid and didn't feel like I could live up to the level of expertise I was surrounded by in my classes but everyone believed in me and encouraged me to excel! I applied to Grad school at Mills College AND I GOT ACCEPTED! I'll be receiving my MFA in Dance and Choreography May 2019. My thesis is on rehabilitation therapy through dance and I've spent my time researching and of course DANCING. I never thought I would make it this far in a world of dance, but here I am, all thanks to the Sac State Theatre and Dance Department."
"I never thought I would make it this far in a world of dance, but here I am, all thanks to the Sac State Theatre and Dance Department."
Kenya Hilliard
Michael Jackson
I transferred from the Western Stage Theatre Conservatory of Hartnell College to complete my BA at Sac State because I had met Dr. Larson and Dr. Waldo who were directing productions at Western Stage. Between 1989 and 1991 I was in productions of CARNIVAL, THE NORMAL HEART, MACHINALE, ON THE TOWN and GUYS AND DOLLS. I worked in the costume shop for two years and worked crew on several shows.
My original play, SEE YOU IN YOSEMITE was produced in the Studio Theater and I directed PRIVATE LIVES there as well. Prof. Bob Smart ushered me into employment with Music Circus where I continued to work in a variety of capacities for 10 years. During that time I returned to CSUS for my Masters in Theatre Arts between 1995 and 1997. During that time I directed INTO THE WOODS, THE NIGHT LARRY KRAMER KISSED ME (in the Studio) and JUMBO.
Between 1998 and 2000 I worked for the Sacramento Light Opera's Theatre Education Dept (now Broadway Sacramento). Between 1998 and 2000 I worked for the Sacramento Light Opera's Theatre Education Dept (now Broadway Sacramento).
Between 2000-2014 I lived and worked in New York City as director, playwright, theatre critic and agent for Music Theatre International. While working for MTI, I also authored the musical theatre chapters of the Spotlight on Music text book series and am the adaptor of "Pirates of Penzance Jr." which continues to receive productions in middle schools internationally. My play, "A Taste of Heaven" received the 2003 NYC Fringe Festival honor for "Excellence in Playwriting" and was subsequently picked up for professional productions in New York and San Francisco. In 2014 I returned to Sacramento and became the Artistic Director for the new performing arts center at Christian Brothers High School.
Prof. Bob Smart ushered me into employment with Music Circus where I continued to work in a variety of capacities for 10 years. During that time I returned to CSUS for my Masters in Theatre Arts.
Michael Jackson
Rajiv Laffey
“I felt the growth in my own abilities and channeled a new level of acting I didn’t know I had. I made great friendships, and wished I had done more while I was there. After Sac State, I got a job in the box office at Broadway Sacramento and continue to audition for professional companies in the area. I have not been cast in anything as yet, but keep hope alive that my time will come.”
“At Sac State, I learned the true meaning of sinking into a character.”
Rajiv Laffey
Laura Lothian
"The work I do now is very different from what I imagined myself doing when I was a student at Sac State- but I know the creativity, self reflection, and analytical skills I built have helped me immensely in getting to this point. I have a very unique perspective to connect with other people from all walks of life, which I attribute greatly to my theatre education."
"At the time I graduated from Sac State in 2010, I think I may have been the first or one of the first students to graduate with a Dance major, Theatre major, and also a Musical Theatre minor. I feel very grateful to have studied under some faculty members that I believe to be incredibly talented at their crafts, and nearly everyone I studied under came to class with passion and enthusiasm. As students, we were allowed and encouraged to take chances and push ourselves. Curriculum was varied and interesting, and the theatre spaces, scene shop, costume lab and technicians were fantastic -- some of the best memories I have are from the Sac State Department of Theatre and Dance.After graduation I moved to Los Angeles and then to San Diego and auditioned for some smaller, regional theatres. I landed a few paid roles, including a part in A Chorus Line with San Diego Musical Theatre, which was a blast. At the same time I worked as a marketing intern at the La Jolla Playhouse, also a fantastic experience, but unpaid and did not result in a job offer. I auditioned for PCPA (Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts) to continue advancing my skills and was thrilled to be accepted, but ultimately I decided against that path.
Instead, I decided to continue working in more administrative positions in the arts and non-profit sector, which was more fitting to my desired lifestyle and provided a steady salary with benefits while still allowing me to be immersed in the arts. I ended up working full time at The Old Globe in San Diego for a while, (incredible organization with wonderful people). After a couple of years, however, I desired more growth and decided to move into higher education, which as a first-generation college graduate I am very passionate about. For the past four years I've been working in communications and fundraising, helping to provide opportunities to students like I was, (that benefit so greatly from private support).
The work I do now is very different from what I imagined myself doing when I was a student at Sac State- but I know the creativity, self reflection, and analytical skills I built have helped me immensely in getting to this point. I have a very unique perspective to connect with other people from all walks of life, which I attribute greatly to my theatre education. I am currently working as the Director of Alumni and Community Engagement for Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego while simultaneously pursuing a Master's degree in Management and Business Development. Scripps is a world-renowned research institution that provides research and solutions for the greatest challenges that our planet faces, whether it is related to human health, or the health of our oceans, land, or atmosphere."
Margaret Morneau
"During my time at Sac State I got my bachelor's degree and my master's degree. I was vice president of the dramatist society for a bit. I was also the house manager for several years. I also directed A Summer production of Two Gentlemen of Verona as a scholarship fundraiser for the Dramatists Society. I was in Hay Fever, Fen and Medea as well as directing Burn This in the Playwright's. I have worked with local companies herein town and managed Beyond the Proscenium for a year. For the last 9 years, I've managed and run Resurrection Theatre. I continue my work with the Lenaea High School Theatre Festival."
"I continue my work with the Lenaea High School Theatre Festival."
Margaret Morneau
Sean Nill
"It was my time at Sac State which infused the work ethic and determination needed to excel in the small field of professional theatre. My success is Sac State's success, and I am eternally grateful to them."
"Sacramento State was the place where I learned I could be successful in professional theatre. Through the guidance of professors like Dr. Melinda Wilson, Michelle Felten, Ed Brazo, and Richard Bay, I was able to learn what it takes to succeed as an actor, director, and playwright in this wild field. It was Michelle Felten who first told me I could act professionally. It was Dr. Wilson who first encouraged me to write plays. It was my time at Sac State which infused the work ethic and determination needed to excel in the small field of professional theatre. My success is Sac State's success, and I am eternally grateful to them.
I am now a member of both Actor's Equity and Dramatist's Guild. After working as a freelance actor for five year, performing with over 10 professional companies, I now am an Artistic Associate at the B Street Theatre in Sacramento. As a playwright, my plays have been produced all over the country including the Sacramento Theatre Company, the Manhattan Repertory Theatre, the Watermelon Play Festival (Best Script), and just recently in Canada where my play Brynlee & the Bull won the People's Choice Award in the InsprioTO Play Festival in Toronto. At B Street, I direct, act, and write, while also running the B Street Internship."
Danielle Moné Truitt
"More than 10 years after she stepped onto the stage for the first time as a Sacramento State student, Truitt’s moment has come. She recently starred as Rebecca “Rebel” Knight, an Oakland police officer who becomes a private investigator after her brother is killed at the hands of a fellow officer, in the BET police drama series Rebel, her first major role. That performance has opened up even more opportunities for the multitalented, multifaceted actress."
