i’ve always struggled to look someone dead in the eye and tell them “i’m an actor.” i think it’s come from a place of shame, or a lack of self confidence. brutal job, brutal life. you learn to be brutal to yourself. tomorrow, i graduate with a B.A in theatre from CSUN, a school i once too was ashamed to tell people i attended. it was not an ivy league and it certainly was not a big name conservatory. but it wasn’t soon after my first class with christine menzies (our voice teacher who still doesn’t know my name btw) that i realized that this school didn’t need to be an ivy league or a big name conservatory. it was a little island of misfits in a vast ocean that embraced me with open arms and that i now couldn’t be prouder to call home. with my four years as a matador now over, i sit here in awe. awe of the sheer amount of talent i have come across and the experiences we all have shared together. within these four years, i have been lucky enough to have been a part of four mainstage productions as an actor and one as an assistant director (each profoundly life changing in their own way), not to mention the countless amount of classes that opened new doors for me and prepared me to tackle this big world with a head held high and two monologues always in my back pocket. i am eternally grateful for this little island and all it has taught me. to my fellow graduating CSUN theatre misfits: i hope you are as proud of yourself and your journey as i am of each of you. you are the heart and soul of theatre. you have the power to change hearts and instill confidence in those around you who struggle to find a place in all this chaos. thank you so much for making me the man i am today. with all that being said: hi, my name is darian calderon and i’m an actor. i’m coming for you next M.F.A.