Vicky is an actor and producing artist currently working in the Baltimore area. They were seen most recently in Romeo and Juliet at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company and a staged reading of An Enemy to the People by Nigel Semaj at Johns Hopkins University. Vicky has performed at Baltimore Center Stage (Our Town, Young Playwrights Festival), The Voxel (Call Me By Any Other Name… Just As Sweet, Salty, I Will Eat You Alive), The National Aquarium (Voyages: Chapter 7), and The Strand (The Long Christmas Ride Home). Vicky has also directed staged readings of Selkie at Red Emma’s Bookstore and THE SUPREMEZ: LIVE AT ROOKIES at the Voxel for the T4T4T Festival. Vicky works regularly with Submersive Productions and is currently on the producing team for their next project, The Pansy Hour.

Vicky graduated in Spring 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, having a career in theatre looked nearly impossible. Afraid of losing valuable skills learned from professors like Lynn Watson, Eve Muson, and Chelsea Pace, Vicky was able to do Zoom readings with friends and performed in two staged readings with the Black Classical Acting Ensemble at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company led by Gerrad Taylor. Alongside many fellow UMBC alumni, Vicky saw auditions slowly begin to emerge, and more opportunities began to arise.

“If I could tell a UMBC theater student anything, it would be to never give up on yourself. There were many times during college when I was struggling in multiple different areas, from financial instability to depression. My friends and classmates have become such a valuable support system. We tell each other about opportunities, go to each other’s shows, and help each other develop new work. It’s always a relief to see familiar faces in the audition room. With their encouragement, I feel like I can do anything. Even when the future feels completely unpredictable, believing in yourself and your ability to achieve your goals will help you succeed.” 

Lloyd is an actor, musician and teaching artist working in the DMV. He is currently a Company member at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (CSC) and a member of their Black Classical Acting Ensemble (BCAE).

After graduating, Lloyd initially found some work on camera in a few student films - theater was greatly affected by Covid-19 so he turned his attention to commercials and short films. He would eventually star in F^¢k 'Em R!ght B@¢k by Harris Doran which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was nominated for Best Short Film 2022 Grand Jury Prize and won several film festival awards. He was cast as Joseph Asagai in CSC’s 2021 production of A Raisin in the Sun, which led to a Helen Hayes recommended production of Keith Powell’s Sophisticated New Ones. His relationship at CSC would blossom to starring in the BCAE’s all Black production of Macbeth (matinee and a “remount” at Ellicott City), The Oresteia, Romeo & Juliet 1975, and the upcoming Mary Stuart (Spring 2025).

“UMBC was instrumental in getting me to where I am now in my career. I fondly remember Eve Muson’s words to me 'slow down-stand up straight'. I also reminisce about the roles I got to play at UMBC; they were usually against my “type” and I know now that the challenge was to expand my skillset. I am most grateful to Gerrad Alex Taylor, Eric Abele, Temple Crocker, Lynn Watson, Chelsea Pace and the faculty who genuinely saw me and encouraged me on this journey.”

The UMBC theater department is all over the DMV…seriously! And that is thanks in part to the individual artist's ingenuity, talent and skill but also to the professors who began fostering connections with industry professionals early. I remember auditioning for Noah Himmelstein (Associate Artistic Director of Everyman Theater), and attending a seminar by Vincent Lancisi (Founding Artistic Director of Everyman Theater) for Eric's Capstone class.

I felt very taken care of at UMBC and I fondly recommend our Theatre program to anyone who asks."

Sanjana Taskar ('19) is currently in her last year of her MFA in Acting program at UNC Chapel Hill and will graduate in May. For the past three years, she has been a Resident Company Member with PlayMakers Repertory, one of North Carolina's premier and professional theatre companies on the East Coast.

Sanjana credits the UMBC Theatre department and its outstanding faculty as a cornerstone of why she wanted to continue her education in honing the craft of acting. Her cumulative experience at UMBC gave her the skills in approaching her graduate classwork with a sense of play and curiousity - and she lovingly carries the words of advice of all her undergrad professors as she embarks on each project.

Sanjana's last show in grad school was the world premiere of Bekah Brunstetter's (NBC's This Is Us; Broadway's The Notebook) The Game - a comedy about a woman's journey in navigating her misgivings about marriage, friendships, and video games. Sanjana plans to move to New York City - but hopes to return to the DMV often to continue to work in its vibrant theatre scene.

Learn more about Sanjana's work on her website: www.sanjana-taskar.com

Katie Kopajtic (she/her) is a writer, actor, and producer, having brought about a series of works in the past decade with her production company Tres Brujas Productions, which she runs with her wife, Monica. Recently Katie has been touring her solo show Modern Witches, described as “like Fleabag and Sylvia Federici got really into [Virginia] Woolf” which had a successful run at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is slated for a three week run this spring in New York City. Both audiences and reviewers have lauded Modern Witches, calling it “wildly imaginative” and “thoroughly and lovingly researched,” among other praise.

In addition to continuing work on Modern Witches, Katie is in post production with her feature documentary Heritage Fantasy, which tackles themes of identity, self-doubt, and the struggle to find self-worth as an artist outside the success metrics determined by a capitalist market.

Her fiction and nonfiction stories and essays have been published by Variant Literature, Cream City Review, Catapult, Electric Literature and more. She is currently employed as a narrative designer for a web3 science fantasy gaming project, in addition to teaching youth improv and working as a freelance editor.

“My UMBC theatre degree gave me the tools to be a great actor, but beyond that a deeper understanding of how to tell a great story using any medium. This has to do with how UMBC teaches theatre; no matter the specific role you are studying, you are first and foremost a storyteller, and you have a responsibility to bring your best work to the table. Holding myself to that standard has been an asset through the many variations in my artistic career, both as an individual artist and as a collaborator. 

My advice to anyone graduating is: *~marry rich~* - be patient with yourself. The feeling of success is not constant. Sometimes you are coasting on a strong current, but most of the time you are treading water. Learn to embrace every element of the artistic process: the bitter taste of rejection, the euphoria of a rehearsal breakthrough. Follow curiosity. Be a good theatre citizen: see shows, read new plays, cheer on your peers. It sucks to feel alone but you are never alone. It will all be okay!"

To check out Katie’s work, visit her website: www.katiekopajtic.com

Anderson Wells has been working as a performer, producer, teacher, and administrator in the DC theatre scene since 2013. They have worked with Arena Stage, Arts on the Horizon, Brave Spirits Theatre, Encore Stage and Studio, The Hub, The Klunch, Pinky Swear Productions, Rep Stage, Silver Spring Stage, Solas Nua, Studio Acting Conservatory, Studio Theatre, Treehouse for Creative Kids, and The Welders. Currently, they are the Managing Director for Constellation Theatre Company, and Founding Artistic Director of Highball Productions. Anderson also performs across the country as their drag persona, Vagenesis and has won multiple titles including becoming the first ever National Bearded Empress.

"I always knew I wanted to be a performer. My time at UMBC gave me the space, tools, instructors, and community to focus and strengthen my skills as a performer. Along the way I was surprised to find that I had picked up skills that gave me a kind of theatre business savvy. I learned how to market the performance skills I’d gained and make myself desirable as an artistic collaborator. As I worked my way through the DC theatre scene, I was exposed to new and exciting forms of art and started to find new skills like teaching, directing, poetry, and drag.

Vagenesis and all of her success are absolutely a product of the acting training I received at UMBC. I infuse my understanding of character, beats, structure, and storytelling with every lipsync performance. I’ve even built my own theatre company centered around combining acting and drag. I never expected this to be the path I would take, but I am so grateful for it.

The best advice I could provide to any aspiring actor, performer, or artist - especially if you are fortunate enough to study at UMBC - is to allow the art to work through you. You can’t force it to happen. Take your training and strengthen your body and mind and allow yourself to be a vessel for whatever you are meant to do. And never take yourself too seriously - theatre should be FUN!"

Learn more about Vagenesis and Anderson here.

Hannah is currently a Resident Company Member at Everyman Theatre in Baltimore, MD. Her credits at Everyman include: Harvey (upcoming), The Lion in Winter, Sense and Sensibility, Behold, A Negress, The Skin of Our Teeth, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, Everything is Wonderful, and The Book of Joseph. She has also performed at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: Dracula, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Charm City Fringe Festival: Proxy.

"Since graduating from UMBC I have been fortunate enough to become a company member at Everyman Theatre in Baltimore. This has been such an amazing experience because it offers a sense of stability for work and a feeling of home that is not common in this career. I get to perform consistently while also being challenged by new and exciting roles.

I'm so grateful for my time at UMBC and I feel like the professional atmosphere of the rehearsal and performance process really gave me the foundation for entering into the world of professional theatre.

My advice to anyone graduating and entering the professional world is to always keep learning and make it your own journey. Learn from the people in the room with you, soak up any and all advice, and then use that to create the career that you want, not the career you think you should want.

This is such a demanding, fun, fulfilling, and exciting career. It can be overwhelming, but it's worth it."

Learn more about Hannah and Everyman Theatre at Everymantheatre.org.