On Monday, Sept. 28, the current senior BFA Acting class enjoyed a virtual workshop with Loren Brunson, a 2019 graduate of the program. Brunson currently works at Sony Entertainment in their Los Angeles casting department as the assistant to the executive vice president of talent.

Brunson describes her start at Sony as almost cinematic, describing how she received a call from the Los Angeles office offering her the position right after she walked off Elon’s graduation stage in May 2019. That experience is one of the reasons Brunson wanted to come back and work with the students.

“For me, the way it worked out seemed very fairytale and I knew that wasn’t going to be everyone’s story, so I wanted to make sure I filled that gap,” she told the students.

Since starting at Sony, Brunson has found her passion in promoting diversity and inclusion in TV and film, both on and off-screen. In her first year, she took the initiative to create a report outlining the current diversity in Sony’s TV series and presented it to her team. This diversity report has now become a regular quarterly report within Sony, allowing Brunson to collaborate with the Screen Actors’ Guild and other studios to promote diverse storytelling.

“It’s important that everyone’s story is being told and everyone gets the opportunity to tell that story,” Brunson said.

As for future plans, Brunson is drawing on connections she made at Elon. She is currently collaborating with fellow classmate and acting program graduate Tess Tregellas ’19 on a short film, with plans to finish it by the year’s end. Brunson also recently finished the Academy Gold Program and will continue by working with a mentor producer/director currently working in the TV and film industry during the next six months.

It seems that Brunson’s passion, however, will stay rooted in teaching others about the industry and creating opportunity for greater equity for industry newcomers. “When you’re looking for your legacy, if the ones who come after you start where you started, then what was the point?” she said.

Her plan to clear the path and create more opportunities for the next generation of actors is already well on its way.

“The Other Side of 25” is a hysterical and heartfelt play and is written and performed by Hurd. “The Other Side of 25” tells the story of Amory, an abrasive and funny “kidult” who reluctantly agrees to become the surrogate for her sister’s baby. But after her sister and brother in-law unexpectedly die in a car crash, Amory finds herself stuck, pregnant, and on the other side of 25.

The production team behind “The Other Side of 25” is almost entirely made up of female-identifying artists, something that was very important to Hurd. “I wanted to tell a female-centric story, that captured the humor and pressure of a woman in her 20s,” she said.

More than just a story about surrogacy, “The Other Side of 25” examines the expectations placed on young women, exploring pregnancy, family dynamics, and what it means for a young woman to grow up. In an age where the ‘kidult’ is king, “The Other Side of 25″ takes the audience on an uproarious journey through the experiences of one very feisty female.

The play was developed at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in 2018, where Hurd completed the MFA writing course. “NIDA gave me a fantastic post-grad education, and provided connections into the Australian independent theatre sector where this show premiered,” she said. “It’s been so exciting to see it grow from there. I have since brought it to America, produced a short film based on the play, and am currently adapting it into a feature film.”

“The Other Side of 25”
Written by Becca Hurd
Starring Becca Hurd
Directed by Ellen Wiltshire
Original Music by Sally Alrich-Smythe and Becca Hurd Dramaturgy by Chris Edwards
Design by Emma White
Roberts Theatre
Friday March 6, 2020 5:30 p.m. – FREE Admission

Becca Hurd Bio
An Elon Alum from the class of 2016, Hurd double majored in BFA Acting and
BA Cinema and Television Arts. She then went on to receive her MFA in
Writing for Performance from the acclaimed National Institute of Dramatic Art
in Sydney, Australia, sharing an alma mater with the likes of Cate Blanchett,
Baz Luhrmann and many others.

Hurd has performed stand-up comedy across the world, most notably
opening for Colin Jost of “Saturday Night Live” fame while she was still at Elon. She has toured her self-written one-woman show, “The Other Side of 25,” internationally. In 2016, Hurd received the Best Actor Award at Trinity Film Festival for her short film, “Stay & Run,” which she co-wrote and produced with her production company, All My Friends Media (with film partners Liam Hall &
Chris Carter, whom she met at Elon).

Hurd has also trained with and performed improv at the iO Theater, CIC, The Annoyance Theater and The Second City. She lives in Chicago and is proudly represented by Gray Talent Group.

For more than a decade, Shively appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in Regional theaters across the country. From roles like the Dauphin in "Henry V" at the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park to the role of George Smith in "Twentieth Century" at the American Airlines Theater, Shively enjoyed his New York career. He also played roles like Petrucchio in "The Taming of the Shrew" at Northshore Theatre in Boston and The Shakespeare Theatre in Chicago. However, it was his work as Amos in the revival of "The Man Who Had All the Luck" by Arthur Miller, which was the highlight. First staged at the historic Williamstown Festival and later brought to Broadway, Shively’s work with Miller (then living) and director Scott Ellis, along with actor Jim Rebhorn, became a turning point in his career. 

Shively left New York for Los Angeles with his wife, actor Kim Shively. In Los Angles, Shively continued to work on film and television and in the theater, but also discovered found other aspirations. Before the birth of his first son, Shively began a new career as an acquisitions manager for an investment company in Los Angeles. Still acting, coaching and teaching on occasion, Shively encouraged his wife to accept a position at Elon while he quickly found work as a commercial appraiser in Greensboro, N.C. 

After relocating to North Carolina, Shively began coaching and teaching acting once again. When looking for the right person to teach the Acting Program’s Senior Seminar this fall, the Department of Performing Arts did not have to look far. Senior Seminar in the Acting Program is a course dedicated to professional preparation and high-level execution of technique. These demands have been the building blocks of Ryan Shively’s career.  

Elon’s professional acting training program is thrilled to welcome him to the team this fall.

Elon Acting majors will hone their craft at a variety of professional activities this summer, ranging from working as actors at various regional summer and year-round theatres to completing impressive apprenticeships and internships, and even serving as arts camp counselors.  Their adventures will carry them to 12 states (California, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jeresy, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Washington) and Germany.

The efforts of this group represent continuing work to help all current majors build their professional resumes and networks in preparation for entry to the profession following graduation.

While many of these acting majors are working in professional theaters across the country, others are working at a variety of other industry jobs. Three BFA Acting majors have earned internships at high-profile New York City casting agencies as a part of Elon in New York, while other acting majors are interning in the Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. markets. Elon acting major Jacob Bollacke ’21 is traveling with ESPN and working in production to create packages for the channel.

These summer opportunities give invaluable insight into the entertainment industry, build powerful networks, and are responsible for Elon BFA Acting’s continuing growth and success.

Two-thirds of the graduating BFA Acting class secured full-time Industry jobs prior to graduation. Class of 2019 graduates have won jobs with companies like Maine State Music Theatre (Maine), 54 Below (New York City), Hope Repertory Theatre (Michigan) , Nantucket Comedy Club (Massachusetts), Improve It – Business improv (North Carolina), Orlando Shakespeare Festival (Florida) , The Jewish Ensemble Theatre (Michigan), and SONY Pictures (Los Angeles) in the coming year.  Other members of the class are planning their moves to New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta to begin their post-Elon professional careers.

The Acting Program is housed within the Department of Performing Arts in Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences. Graduates from the Acting Program have completed a rigorous pre-professional acting program, complete with opportunities for London study abroad semester experiences and summer abroad opportunities in Los Angeles and New York.

Along with dynamic courses in the Meisner technique and Stanislavsky System, Elon students take courses in voice and movement, Shakespeare, and directing while completing courses in the common core of Elon’s College of Arts and Sciences. Elon’s well-rounded acting students also have opportunities to perform on the mainstage in numerous departmental productions, showcases and student-led productions. 

The production, directed by Ivo Van Hove, stars Bryan Cranston in the leading role along with Tony Goldwyn and Tatiana Maslany, with Martinez playing the role of "Harry Hunter." 

The production recently moved from a successful run at the National Theatre in London. Its initial Broadway run has been extended through the end of April at the Belasco Theatre.

The article touts the quality of Elon’s BFA Acting program, which is known for its “conservatory-style training in a liberal arts setting.” Noting that the program offers “an education that goes beyond stage acting,” the article explains that students in the program learn “everything from vocal control to the history of theater, makeup technique to script analysis.”

Read the entire article . 

Free admission, no advance tickets required. NYC Improv artist Scott Eck will spend all day Saturday training 12 Elon performing arts majors in the art of improvisation and they will perform live Saturday evening.  I hope you will join us for the fun-filled event with some of Elon’s brightest emerging stars.

Please join us Saturday at 7:30 in Yeager Recital Hall – no tickets required, no admission fee – just lots of fun!

The Performance, titled “Instant Laughter – an Evening of Improv,” will be performed during Homecoming Weekend at 9:00 p.m. on Friday October 21 and 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 22 in Yeager Recital Hall. Each performance will last about an hour.

Students wishing to audition must be available for both performances. Rehearsals will be organized once the company is selected.

For more information, contact the director, Fred Rubeck at X-5695 or via email – rubeck@elon.edu