Author: Lazarus Simmons

Abby Sanchez (she/her) is a Filipina-American actress native to New Jersey. Growing up in Parsippany she spent countless hours of her childhood in constant creative states whether it be singing and dancing, DIY crafting, or bathing in the light of local performance spaces. Her love for acting was found in her hometown school auditoriums where she discovered the power of community building through performance. Outside of school her passion is traveling. She finds that adventure and constant exploration helps to fuel the fire of her life and her work. Her work in Holy Week (Victoria) and In a Word (Man) have gifted her the chance to play the unexpected heartbreaker, which helps her pave the path to subverting the expectations for Asian American women in all spaces. In addition to acting, she also adores writing, and plans to develop her own works to share more about the Filipina American experience.

Austin Jackson (he/him) grew up all over the place. He moved every few years as a child of a military family, but he went to high school in Calvert County Maryland. His love of writing stories, making Lego stop-motion videos, and filming Nerf war films clued him into his love for storytelling and performance from an early age, but it wasn’t until he played Scar in The Lion King for his eighth-grade musical where his passion for theater truly took off. When he’s not acting Austin spends most of his time cooking in restaurants and at home (He’ll make you a killer fried rice if you ask). He also loves being outside and spends a lot of time hiking, backpacking, and kayaking. He dreams of learning to surf and hiking the entire Appalachian trail. Some of his Rutgers Theater Company credits include: Miles in She Kills Monsters, Dromio of Ephesus in Comedy of Errors, and Truffaldino in The Little Green Birdie. He is a lover of Shakespeare, improv, and all types of weird and experimental theater.

Eileen Han (she/they) is a first-generation Chinese immigrant from Langfang, Hebei. At 14 and on her own, she left the home that bore and raised her in order to bear and raise herself all over again. This experience drove her to seek shelter in acting, where she gained comfort and confidence to channel different characters through her own body. With a heart full of gratitude, Eileen is eager and unafraid to tell stories from her side of the world. Recently, she has been working on an English translation of Taiwanese writer Lin Yihan’s novel, Fang Si-Hci’s First Love Paradise, in the hope of adapting it into a stage play. While working on this project, Eileen is inspired and motivated to grow into someone, in the writer’s words, “who has a better imagination of others’ sufferings.” Her Rutgers Theater Company credits include: Ginny in Smart People, Ninetta in The Little Green Birdie, Witch/Seyton in Macbeth.

Gracie Poore (she/her) is originally from the small town of Williamston, South Carolina. The closest theater was an hour away so Gracie’s first introduction to theater was her brother’s puppet shows in the living room. Which were spectacular! These small theatrical moments have always been special to Gracie, and she hopes to bring the warmth and love she felt during these moments to all of her work. When she has the time, she spends it doing crafts such as crochet, embroidery, and sewing. When she is not doing crafts, she enjoys swaddling herself with books and tea as well as going on hikes and learning what she can from nature. Some of Gracie’s favorite roles at Mason Gross have been Fiona in In A Word, Macduff in Macbeth, and Stella in Heavenly Fools. She is proud to be in the class of 2024 and would like to thank her company and teachers for making it one of the best three and a half years she could have had.

Eden Jing Rollé hails from Chinatown, New York City, born to a Chinese-American public school math teacher and a Black theater arts teacher. As a nonbinary Blasian, Eden Jing has always existed at numerous intersections. They were empowered to show up in the fullness of their identities by their earliest mentors – individuals dedicated to the accessibility of community-centered art for young people.

At age 8, Eden Jing joined the theater program at their elementary school and later, began dancing with Jacques d’Amboise’s National Dance Institute and singing with community choruses. They enrolled at the Professional Performing Arts High School as a Musical Theater major, discovering that people create culture, culture changes behavior, and behavior changes policy; thus, artists must reflect the times. 

Eden attended Mason Gross School of the Arts, pursuing their passion of experiencing other countries and encountering new works. An ever-evolving awareness of self and the systemic realities that shape their city and country fuels Eden Jing participation in mutual aid efforts throughout the five boroughs. They tell intersectional stories that illuminate the connectivity of Black, Brown + Asian communities, as well as investigate the patriarchal illusions that shackle us and suppress our capacity for imagination.

Henry Isaacs (he/they) is a born and raised Brooklynite from New York City. Before he discovered his love for acting, he played upright and electric bass in several orchestras and bands around the city. But while attending an after-school program called Creative Arts Studio, Henry discovered an undying passion for acting. After studying there for three years doing primarily improvisation and mask work, Henry began attending Midtown’s Professional Performing Arts High School, where he continued to study acting. There, he expanded his repertoire with Clown and Commedia Dell’Arte. Since coming to Rutgers University, Henry has been increasingly interested in combining his techniques of physical comedy with emotional nuance and micro-expressions. Some of his Rutgers credits include: Max in Masculinity Max, Witch 1in Macbeth, and Pantalone in The Little Green Birdie.

Kagen Albright (he/him) comes to you from Ketchum, Idaho (not Iowa). Riding the high of people laughing at his jokes in high school, he stumbled his way into acting. However, he is thankful as that has led him down a path of contemplation and deep appreciation for the craft. He hopes to use acting as a means to explore who he is, who he could be, and what it means to live an examined life. Through hometown roots he had the pleasure of working with director Fran Kranz on his first feature film ‘Mass’ for which he was lucky enough to receive the Robert Altman Award for Outstanding Ensemble at the Independent Spirit Awards. When not acting, Kagen enjoys writing, backpacking, and exploring the ever-present connection between art and nature. Favorite roles at Rutgers include King Tartaglia in Little Green Birdie, Dromio of Syracuse in The Komedie of Errors at Shakespeare’s Globe, and Austin in Holy Week.

Kaleb Justin (he/him) Is a queer black Actor born and raised in Miami Fl. Growing up in such a vivid environment, he gravitated to performing at New World School of The Arts. Kaleb yearns to expand perspectives of what black men can portray in entertainment. He has become committed to broadening the view of masculinity, and femininity in his art. He believes there is a lack of vulnerable stories surrounding masculinity for people of color, and is committed to aiding that. He wants to share his story through telling the stories of others. His dream is to attack roles that supersedes the expectations set for people that look like him. When he is not acting, he enjoys dancing, singing, modeling, and talking. Kaleb’s Rutgers Theater Credits include Antipholus of Syracuse in Comedy Of Errors, Evil Tina in She Kills Monsters, Witch 3 in Macbeth, and Brighella in The Little Green Birdie.

Matt Hekking (they/he) is a native of Acton, Massachusetts. The small town, just 40 minutes outside of Boston, is where Matt fell in love with theatre and discovered his passion for acting. It is there where he immersed himself in the world of film as well, determined to discover what made a movie “good” and, more importantly, what made an actor’s performance impactful. During the summer of 2018, Matt spent 30 days backpacking in the Alaskan bush. The connection with nature he found there, along with his frequent spiritual and meditation practices, is where he believes the heart of his craft lies. Matt enjoys writing both poetry and sketch comedy, as well as singing, drumming, and doodling in his journal. His recent Rutgers Theater credits include: Chuck in She Kills Monsters, Lennox in Macbeth, Egeon in The Comedy of Errors at Shakespeare’s Globe, and Brain White in Smart People.