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REGION 8 CIRCUITS AND CIRCUIT COORDINATORS 

GREATER ORANGE COUNTY


Paige Taylor
Greater Orange County Coordinator
Free to be Me Arts Academy
pdt922@gmail.com

PERSONAL STATEMENT

I’ve spent over half my life as a vegetarian and love to adapt my own recipes. I am an animal lover, bookworm, and sci-fi geek. Born and raised in Orange County, California, I joined youth theatre, choir, and dance teams all by the age of 9. I fell in love with the community and joy of performing. These days I spend half my time on stage and the other half working behind the scenes, as an educator, director, or coordinator. My time at Free To Be Me Performing Arts Academy has been one of the most fulfilling jobs I’ve ever had. Working with kids and seeing their joy and passion for performing and self-expression often reminds me of why I do it myself, especially when things get tough. Personally, I am dedicated to making the theatre world a more inclusive and welcoming space for all artists and advocating for diversity in the rehearsal room and on the stage. 

I was introduced to KCACTF during my undergrad at CSU Fullerton where I was lucky enough to participate in the SDC Directing Fellowship as well as work behind the scenes as a Student Leader. I found it to be such a shining example of everything I loved about theatre, a community of shared ideas and passions, that I jumped at the chance to be involved again. 

B.A. in Theater Arts with Directing Emphasis- Cal State Fullerton 

 

GREATER ORANGE COUNTY COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

  • Biola University
  • California State University, Fullerton
  • Chapman University
  • Cerritos College
  • Concordia University Irvine
  • Cypress College
  • Fullerton College
  • Golden West College
  • Irvine Valley College
  • Orange Coast College
  • Saddleback College
  • Santa Ana College
  • Santiago Canyon College
  • University of California, Irvine
  • Vanguard University of Southern California

GREATER INLAND EMPIRE

Eric Larsen

Greater Inland Empire Coordinator

Reg8Respondent@gmail.com 

 

GREATER INLAND EMPIRE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

  • Azusa Pacific University
  • Antelope Valley College
  • Barstow College
  • California Baptist University
  • California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
  • California State University, San Bernardino
  • Chaffey College
  • Citrus College
  • Crafton Hills College
  • College of the Desert
  • La Sierra University
  • Mt. San Antonio College
  • Palo Verde College
  • Pomona College
  • Rio Hondo College
  • Riverside Community College
  • San Bernardino Valley College
  • University of California, Riverside
  • University of LaVerne
  • University of Redlands
  • Victor Valley Community College
  • Whittier College

LOS ANGELES METRO

Eric Larsen

Los Angeles Metro Coordinator

Reg8Respondent@gmail.com

LOS ANGELES METRO COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

  • California State University, Dominguez Hills
  • California State University, Long Beach
  • California State University, Los Angeles
  • East Los Angeles College
  • El Camino College
  • El Camino College Compton Community Education Center
  • Hussian College Los Angeles
  • Long Beach City College
  • Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy
  • Los Angeles Harbor College
  • Los Angeles Southwest College
  • Loyola Marymount University
  • Marymount California University
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of Southern California
  • West Los Angeles College

GREATER LOS ANGELES

Eric Larsen

Greater Los Angeles Coordinator

Reg8Respondent@gmail.com

GREATER LOS ANGELES COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

  • California Institute of the Arts
  • California Institute of Technology
  • California Lutheran University
  • California State University, Northridge
  • College of the Canyons
  • Glendale College (California)
  • Los Angeles Mission College
  • Los Angeles Pierce College
  • Los Angeles Valley College
  • Moorpark College
  • Occidental College
  • Oxnard College
  • Pasadena City College
  • Pepperdine University
  • Santa Monica College
  • Ventura College

ARIZONA

Eric Larsen

Arizona Coordinator
Reg8Respondent@gmail.com

ARIZONA COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

  • Arizona State University, Phoenix
  • Arizona State University, Tempe
  • Arizona State University, West Campus
  • Arizona Western College
  • Central Arizona University
  • Chandler-Gilbert Community College
  • Cochise College
  • Coconino Community College
  • Eastern Arizona College
  • Estrella Mountain Community College
  • Glendale Community College (Arizona)
  • Grand Canyon University
  • Mesa Community College
  • Mojave Community College
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Northland Pioneer College
  • Paradise Valley Community College
  • Phoenix College
  • Pima Community College
  • Scottsdale Community College
  • South Mountain Community College
  • University of Arizona
  • Yavapai College
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    NORTH-CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

    Carin Heidelbach

    North Central Coordinator
    California State University, Stanislaus
    cheidelbach@csustan.edu

    PERSONAL STATEMENT

    Originally from California’s Central Valley, Carin is an Assistant Professor of Acting and Directing in the Theatre Department at CSU Stanislaus, where she teaches all levels of Acting, Directing and Introductory courses, in addition to directing in the production program. 

    She has a BA in Drama from CSU Stanislaus, and received her graduate acting training from the Theatre School at DePaul University, where she studied the acting method of Jerzey Grotowski and the Linklater vocal method. Overseas, she studied at Richmond College in London, focusing on British Theatre Studies, Shakespeare’s tragedies and the history of the West End Musical. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Theatre, with a concentration in Performance and Directing, from Humboldt State University. Her graduate projects included plays by Sam Shepard and Shakespeare, as well as adaptations of classical Greek Drama. Her Master’s thesis focused on female characters in abusive and violent circumstances.

    Carin has worked in theatre locally and far away for about 25 years. Some favorite gigs include the London International Festival of Theatre, where she worked in production and marketing for international directors such as Deborah Warner as well as South Africa’s Market Theatre, and a stint at Portland Stage Company, where she worked as an assistant director, assistant dramaturg and assistant literary manager. Carin has directed and performed at Sonora’s Sierra Repertory Theatre, where she directed original plays for children’s theatre in local elementary and high schools as well as directing on the Fallon House Stage in Columbia State Park. She spent ten-years running the Theatre program at Merced College as well as founding their Standardized Patient program for actors and the Allied Health program. 

    Carin takes creative interest in the Theatre of the Absurd, the Margolis Method for Actors, the plays of Sam Shepard, Tennessee Williams and Sarah Ruhl, New Works, and, in particular, adapting the works of the Ancient Greeks and William Shakespeare.

    NORTH - CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

    • Cabrillo College
    • California State University, Monterey Bay
    • California State University, Stanislaus
    • Columbia College
    • Gavilan College
    • Hartnell College
    • Las Positas College
    • Merced College
    • Modesto Junior College
    • Monterey Peninsula College
    • Saint Mary’s College of California
    • Santa Rosa Junior College
    • Taft College
    • University of California, Merced
    • University of California, Santa Cruz
    • If your school does not appear on this list, please contact kcactf8@gmail.com. Some schools in this geographical area participate in Region 7, and some participate in Region 8. 

    CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

    Christopher Mangels

    Central California Coordinator
    College of the Sequioas
    ChrisM@cos.edu

    PERSONAL STATEMENT

    Holding an MFA in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University, Chris is a Professor of Theatre and Cinema at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA, where he serves as director, fight choreographer, and scenic designer.  At COS, he has directed Stupid Fucking BirdHookmanThe Three MusketeersMacbeth, The Crucible, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, In the Heights, Tartuffe, Animal Farm, Metamorphoses, Company,  A Midsummer Night’s DreamJulius CaesarUrinetown: The MusicalThe HobbitThe Grapes of Wrath, As You Like It, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Rashomon, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Dracula, Our Country’s Good, and Richard III as well as designed the sets for such ambitious productions as The Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, and The Secret Garden.  In addition to his work at COS, Chris has directed at regional theatres throughout California and designed and built puppets for productions of Avenue Q and Shrek: The Musical.  As an actor, Chris has worked across the nation in such venues as Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Court Theatre: Chicago, and Lamb’s Players, and even adapted his own one-man production of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol.  He currently resides in Visalia with his wife and best friend, Diane, and their beautiful daughter, Sage. 

    CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

    • Allan Hancock College
    • Bakersfield College
    • California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
    • California State University, Bakersfield, California State University, Fresno
    • California State University, Monterey Bay
    • Cerro Coso Community College
    • College of The Sequoias
    • Cuesta College
    • Fresno City College
    • Fresno Pacific University
    • Porterville College
    • Reedley College
    • Santa Barbara City College
    • Taft College
    • University of California, Santa Barbara
    • West Hills College, Coalinga
    • Westmont College

     

    SAN DIEGO

     

     

     

    Eric Larsen

    San Diego Coordinator

    Reg8Respondent@gmail.com

      

    SAN DIEGO COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

    • San Diego Mesa College
    • San Diego Mirimar College
    • San Diego State University
    • Southwestern College
    • University of California, San Diego
    • University of San Diego
    • California State University, San Marcos
    • Cuyamaca College
    • Grossmont College
    • Imperial Valley College
    • MiraCosta College
    • Palomar College
    • Point Loma Nazarene College
    • San Diego City College

    ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHERN NEVADA

     

    Eric Larsen

    Rocky Mts. and S. Nevada Coordinator

    Reg8respondent@gmail.com

     

    ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHERN NEVADA COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

    • Brigham Young University
    • College of Southern Nevada
    • Dixie State University
    • Fort Lewis College (Colorado)
    • Great Basin College
    • Salt Lake Community College
    • Snow College
    • Southern Utah University
    • University of Nevada, Las Vegas
    • University Of Utah
    • Utah State University
    • Utah State University Eastern
    • Utah Valley University
    • Weber State University
    • Westminster College
    • If your school does not appear on this list, please contact kcactf8@gmail.com. Some schools in this geographical area participate in Region 7, and some participate in Region 8.

     

    PACIFIC ISLANDS

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Jessica Jacob

    Pacific Islands Coordinator
    University of Hawaii-Manoa
    Jacobjes@hawaii.edu

    PERSONAL STATEMENT

    (Prefer: Jess to Jessica. She/Her/Hers) I am a devoted yet somewhat unexceptional performer, an intense and driven director and stage combat choreographer, and a brutally pragmatic theatre administrator and educator with bouts of devil-may-care whimsy. A gen-x-er born in Georgia, raised in Vermont, that  lived 20 years in Alaska and now resides in Hawai’i with 30 years of arts admin experience to date, I am a continual work in progress with a foundational desire to champion the arts, creativity, innovation, performer safety, and representation.

     

    MFA University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Performance

    PACIFIC ISLANDS COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

    • American Samoa Community College
    • Brigham Young University (Hawai’i)
    • Chaminade University Of Honolulu
    • Hawai’i Pacific University
    • Leeward Community College
    • Maui Community College
    • University of Guam
    • University of Hawai’i at Hilo
    • University of Hawai’i at Kapi’olani
    • University of Hawai’i at Manoa
    • Hawai’i Conservatory of Performing Arts at Windward Community College

    NATIONAL PLAYWRITING PROGRAM CIRCUIT COORDINATOR

    All schools within the region are eligible for the National Playwriting Program. The National Playwriting Program Chair schedules response sessions for all productions entered as a new play in Region 8.

     

    Miguel Torres Cruz

    NPP Chair

    California State University Fullerton

    migtorrescruz@gmail.com

     Vice Chair

    Vacant

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    PERSONAL STATEMENT

    I was born in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico. My city is known for “cajeta,” which is a sweet, caramel-like product made from goat’s milk. My family crossed the border when I was eight years old; I will never forget that long night walking through the desert. For the majority of my life I was defined by my undocumented status, but in my teenage years I found the theatre which freed me from how others defined me. The theatre became my church and its plays my scriptures. It was because of the theatre that I gained an independence, confidence, and self-awareness to shape my own path and go wherever I wished to go. I believe the theatre has the power to liberate the mind and soul. I hope to bring this experience to as many people as I can.

     

     

     

     

     

    PERSONAL STATEMENT

    Coming Soon