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. If you are an agent, casting director, or producer and would like to be put in touch with one of these actors please contact us.
Meet the BFA Acting Class of 2026!
Ava Albaisa
Ava Albaisa is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised on the unceded territory of the Kumeyaay Nation also known as San Diego, California. Through performance, Ava hopes to examine the human condition, our relationships to one another, and the spaces we occupy. While training at UBC, she has found a love for physical theatre, devising, and the development of new plays. Recent credits include Jocasta in Antigone, Sam/Bart Simpson in Mr. Burns, A Post-electric Play, and Farah in Away Uniform. She is excited to continue collaborating with her community and create work that confronts and activates its audiences.
Cassandra Tsäwkàwzhia Billy
Cassandra Tsäwkàwzhia Billy is a graduate of the BFA Acting Program. She previously appeared as Colleen in Mr. Burns, A Post-Apocalyptic Play and is currently performing the title role in Antigone. Originally from the Yukon Territory, Cassandra is now based in Vancouver and brings a strong passion for continued learning to her work.
Riya Chahal
Riya Chahal is a theatre artist from Surrey, BC. Her favourite part about theatre is the art of collaboration. Her recent credits include: Antigone (UBC), Mr. Burns, A Post Electric Play (UBC), The Arsonists (UBC), and A Vampire Story (Douglas College). When Riya isn’t acting, you can find her seeking out a new hobby—she’s currently learning how to roller skate.
Kyle Deslippe
Kyle Deslippe is a Vancouver-based actor completing his BFA in Acting at UBC. Recent theatre credits include Chorus in Antigone (UBC), Gibson/Mr. Burns in Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (UBC) and Dodo in The Last of the Pelican Daughters (UBC), followed by The Servant of Two Masters (UBC) and The Refugee Hotel (UofT).
Kyle has trained with Leora Morris, Moya O’Connell, Lois Anderson, Alana Hawley-Purvis, and Kathy Duborg, with additional experience in voice, movement, on-camera, and stage combat. His work is grounded and emotionally open, with a focus on character-driven storytelling and a subtle comedic edge.
Alongside his acting training, he is also completing a Master’s degree in Business Management at UBC. He will graduate in December 2026 and is seeking opportunities in film, television, and theatre.
Matthew Jin
Matthew Jin is a Vancouver-based Taiwanese-Canadian actor and interdisciplinary artist. He initially began acting as a way to navigate social anxiety in his final year of high school, but quickly discovered a deeper sense of purpose through performance and creation.
His work is rooted in the diasporic experience, often drawing on memory and nostalgia. Selected credits include Otsi in Sana with a Smile (UBC Players Club), Luke in The Last of the Pelican Daughters, and Homer Simpson in Mr. Burns (UBC Theatre). He also co-devised Outside (Theatre Terrific), an outdoor production at the Vancouver Fringe Festival exploring life with mental illness.
Beyond acting, Matthew is also a producer, playwright, dramaturg, and award-winning film director. His latest film, Grandma’s Praying (2025), has screened internationally at festivals including the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Beijing Lift-Off Film Festival, Alternative Film Festival (Toronto), Canada Shorts, and the New York–Istanbul Short Film Festival.
Shivorn Kan
Shivorn Kan is a multidisciplinary artist based in Hong Kong and “Vancouver.” With over 17 years of training in ballet (RAD), her practice is rooted in movement, informed by Laban and contemporary forms. Her recent credits include Pyper, Tomorrowlove, The Very Book Indeed, and Robin Redbreast in a Cage. Originally trained in dance, Shivorn’s path into theatre emerged through an intimate reckoning with performance anxiety. This experience transformed into a deeper listening, where the stage revealed itself as a site of clarity, presence, and return. This shift continues to shape her approach to acting and creation.
She is a co-founder of MO!, a multimedia collective dedicated to cultivating embodied connection through art. Expanding into directing and devised performance, she is set to make her international directorial debut with MO! at FEST in Portugal in June. Her work moves as an offering toward the reclamation of voice and ancestry, the honouring and amplification of marginalised voices. Rooted in reciprocity, she creates in relationship to land, lineage, and community.
Japnaam Kaur
Japnaam Kaur is an actor and spoken word poet. She strives to be a vessel for voices that often go unheard and is passionate about storytelling as a way to foster connection and explore the depths of humanity. From art that stops you in your tracks and asks you to truly listen, to work that offers a joyful escape, she is drawn to the transformative potential of performance.
She recently performed in Anand: A Soul’s Journey Home (SHM), which also marked her debut as a playwright and director. Her UBC credits include Ismene in Antigone (dir. Jonathan Seinen), Jenny/Marge Simpson in Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play (dir. Larisse Campbell), Chorus/Police Officer in The Arsonists (dir. Stephen Heatley), a devised Commedia production, A Servant of Two Masters (dir. Susan Bertoia), and this year’s Naked Cinema project.
Isabel Salazar
Isabel Salazar is a passionate Filipino artist in her fourth year of the BFA Acting program at the University of British Columbia. Her recent theatre roles include Maria and Edna Krabappel in Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, Becca in Common: Hope is in Winnipeg, The Doctor of Philosophy in The Arsonists, and Clarice in A Servant of Two Masters. She is grateful for the unwavering support of her loved ones—especially those cheering her on from across the globe.
Fiona Silvis
Fiona Silvis is an American actress from Camas, Washington, who is a recent graduate of the University of British Columbia’s BFA Acting Program. Recent credits include Quincy/Lisa Simpson in Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (2025) and 03 in PYPER (2026). Fiona has studied improv theatre, musical theatre, Commedia del’Arte, Shakespeare, Meisner, screen acting, stage combat, and voice acting. She studied at Oregon Children’s Theatre and Northwest Children’s Theatre, both located in Portland, Oregon, and also took courses at The Neighborhood Playhouse based in New York City. Some of her earlier credits include Fleance/Young Siward in Macbeth (2018), Dottie/Mrs. Clacket in Noises Off (2019), and Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2022). Fiona is a proficient drummer, specializing in jazz, and has ten years of animal husbandry experience with goats, rabbits, and other livestock. She’s located in Vancouver, BC, and is pursuing theatre and film/television acting opportunities.
