Production photos by Javier Sotres
Through our Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Acting program, our students have immersed themselves in a variety of performances, intensive training and theatrical discipline to expand their versatility and proficiency as actors. Get to know each of them, what they’ve done so far and what they plan to do in the next few years.
Meet the BFA Acting Class of 2023!
Christian Billet (he/him)
Christian Billet is a fourth-year BFA actor from Vancouver. He always had a love for the performing art in high school but has more recently become fond of motion capture performance, clowning, and physical comedy. Christian hopes to eventually put on a show of his own and share his love of comedy.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
One of my highlights would have to be my cohort’s Commedia dell’Arte show last year. It was such a delight to collaborate with Susan Bertoia and my class to develop a show that was so wacky. Playing Arlecchino was so fun and I hope to play them again.
Air Dayman (she/they)
Air Dayman hails from Estevan, SK. She has been in the short film Barstool (Lorelai) and the theatre productions The Wolves (#7), The Parliament of the Birds (Pigeon), Coriolanus (Ensemble), What’s Wrong With Frank? (Veronique), 937 (Elise), Footloose (Ariel) and School of Rock (Summer).
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
A highlight of my UBC experience was getting to do Naked Cinema with the memorable and charismatic Tom Scholte. I fell in love with Dogma 95 films and found a passion for the unknown and discoverable moments in film.
Sera Jorgensen (she/her)
Sera is excited by real-life stories. After her degree, she hopes to explore ethical theatre practices that reduce the exploitation of the body, mind, and soul of the artist by promoting self-determination and actualization. Sera is driven by a desire to leave the industry better than it was found.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
Working on our Naked Cinema project—creating a feature film by devising and improvising with our cohort.
Adriana McKinnon (she/her)
Adriana is a UBC BFA student double-majoring in Acting and Film Studies. Adriana has been a published author since 2015. With UBC, Adriana performed in Coriolanus (Virgilia), The Parliament of the Birds (Sparrow), The Wolves (#46), The Festivities (Merchutkina), and Barstool (Brielle).
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
Performing as Virgilia in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus was an absolutely magical experience. Getting to play one of Shakespeare’s strong female characters was not only the highlight of my UBC experience, but also the highlight of my life.
Kristi McQuade (she/her)
Kristi is a Calgary-born actor who found her love for acting at 12 years old. For UBC: The Parliament of the Birds (Hoopoe), The Birds (Eagle), Coriolanus (Various Roles). Select credits: Dirty Laundry: The Next Generation Improv (Lunchbox Theatre), Into the Woods (StoryBook Theatre), Family Law (CW).
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
My highlight was simply being surrounded by my classmates and collaborating. I found so much of what I learned throughout the last 4 years was through watching my peers, their processes and learning from them so I am entirely grateful for their art.
Lauren Ordeman (she/her)
Lauren was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. A graduate of the UBC BFA Acting program she is grateful to have so many incredible credits. These include Coriolanus as Titus Lartius (UBC ’22), The Parliament of the Birds as Falcon (UBC ’22), The Wolves as #13 (UBC ’23), and Bar Stool as Frances (UBC ’23).
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
The Wolves was a really special experience for me. It was the first time I had ever played a character that I felt was true to who I am as a person and it was amazing to have that ease and trust in my work.
Nicole Smith (she/her)
Nicole is excited to explore performance creation in Vancouver and her home city of Toronto. Other training: VAS; AADA (NYC). For UBC: The Wolves (#11), The Parliament of the Birds (Duck), Coriolanus (Cominius), Naked Cinema: Barstool (Lindsay), Commedia: What’s Wrong With Frank? (Il Dottore).
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
The Wolves was one of the most inspiring artistic experiences I have ever had. I learned an entirely new skill (soccer), helped build such a strong team with the cast and crew, and had immense amounts of fun doing it all.
Peihwen J. Tai (she/her)
Peihwen J. Tai is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor. A UBC alumni with a Japanese double-major, she’s acted in Taiwan and in Vancouver with SFU, UBC, Vancouver Fringe, and other independent artists. She was part of the residency at What Lab and performed/co-wrote/co-directed in a piece on Asian identities.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
Finding my own voice. If I hadn’t joined the acting program here at UBC, I would never have been able to find the courage in myself to create my own work and to put myself out their while (semi) confidently proclaiming to the world: I’m an actor.
Caylee Watrin (she/her)
Caylee is an actor and filmmaker from Abbotsford, BC. She is curious about blindspots in society and how storytelling can help illuminate them. Caylee is interested in acting, producing, and directing work that challenge form, engages with community, and prioritizes the quality of the process just as much as the product. She hopes her work can stir healthy discomfort and cultivate greater empathy and understanding between people.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
Being in a community with artists every day. Afternoons spent enveloped in the question “What is a voice?” as beams of light pour into the room.
Jasmine White (she/her)
Jasmine is a fourth year BFA Acting student from Calgary, AB. Her UBC credits include The Wolves (2023, Leora Morris), The Parliament of the Birds (2022, Camyar Chaichian), Coriolanus (2022, Tanya Mathivanan), directing the musical Mamma Mia! and co-writing/acting in the film Barstool.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
Learning how to play soccer for the production of The Wolves was an amazing experience. I have never been on a sports team before, so this felt like I was a part of one. I think it’s neat when we can integrate our character’s lives into our own.
