On an early morning during Trojan Family Weekend in November, a cohort of eager USC School of Dramatic Arts (SDA) family members gathered in the Bing Theatre to listen in on a panel of SDA alumni talk about their experiences, post-grad journeys and valuable life lessons they learned both at SDA and after.
Moderated by the Director of the Professional Development Center and a two-time Emmy Award-winning casting director Debi Manwiller, the conversation led to many touching and eye-opening moments.
The five panelists—KC Braunschweig (BA ’05), Jennifer Westin (BA ’00), Jaclyn Kalkhurst (BFA Stage Management ’08), Mariah Robinson (BA ’15), and Perry Mattfeld (BFA Acting ’16)— all ranged in focus of study, post-grad occupation and skillsets, each bringing in a new and exciting perspective.
Braunschweig, who transitioned from theatre to technology and now works as a Production Engineer at Meta, discussed that he admired theatre because of its unique collaboration between students with varying passions and curiosities.
“What we do is intensely collaborative. Theatre cannot be brought to life without all these different disciplines coming together,” Braunschweig said.
Other panelists echoed similar sentiments as they discussed how beneficial it was to learn alongside stage managers, actors, sound designers and writers. Being in an environment with so much overlap and integration proved beneficial in learning how the industry operated and what piqued their interests.
“The thing that I got from USC was such a breadth of experiences that has only informed me as a person, as an artist, and has continued to help me learn today,” said Westin, who now serves as SVP Production at Artists Equity.
The panelists expressed how special it was that USC provided these amazing resources to them while still maintaining a tight-knit community.
“What made USC so beautiful is that you had the small school feel in such a big university that has so many departments,” said Kalkhurst, who has expanded her career from stage management into teaching and maintains a holistic healing practice.
The conversation led to post-grad journeys as the panelists discussed rejection as well as success stories. All the panelists agreed how crucial it is to keep moving forward and not dwelling on those opportunities that didn’t work out.
“Whatever is meant for you is not going to pass you by. It is always going to find you and will show up for you in ways you couldn’t even imagine,” said Robinson, best known for her role in Prime Video’s Reacher.
Following the panel, a Q&A allowed family members to ask their own questions. Each response underscored a central truth: the collaborative, integrated nature of an SDA education prepares students for any path they choose to follow.
“You are giving your students access to more than you know. Yes, their acting classes will be their foundations but you are providing them with an education that will expand so far beyond just the classroom. There is so much they will gain and learn that will serve them as young people in whatever they end up becoming,” said Mattfeld, who currently stars opposite Glen Powell in Hulu’s Chad Powers.