2023 BFA ACTING SHOWCASE
Join BW’S 2023 BFA graduating Seniors in the Virtual BFA Acting Showcase dropping at 10 AM on May 1, 2023. BW’s BFA Acting Program trains students through experiential practice and prestige, connecting students with 11 professional theaters and agencies throughout Northeastern Ohio. Learn how to access the Virtual Showcase below.
BFA CLASS OF 2023 ACTORS
Adam Bash (he/him)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: Atlanta
ASPIRATIONS: My goal is to be a Film and Voice Over actor. I grew up watching cartoons all the time, and my dream would be to star in an animated series. Some of my idols are Troy Baker, Willem Dafoe, and Tom Hanks.
FUN FACT: I grew up in the country, so I shot guns in my backyard and learned how to drive with a stickshift 1989 Jeep in a cornfield, but man, do I hate country music.
Ezra "Bennie" Bender
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: Chicago
ASPIRATIONS: I love classical theatre, especially Shakespeare (and Jacobean theatre), and strange, avant-garde movement pieces. I am currently working on a stage combat-centered show to take on the road to perform at different Renaissance Festivals! I’m very interested in voice-over work, and dream to voice a queer video game character someday!
FUN FACT: Fun fact about me– as an avid crafter, I use many different mediums to create silly little creatures- like stuffed dragons and Fresno Nightcrawlers!
Rachel Gold (she/her)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: Chicago
ASPIRATIONS: Immediately after graduation, I plan on creating a two-person show to bring to Renaissance festivals, which will include comedy, swords, and pirates! I am also very interested in directing, and long-term, I plan on starting a traveling theatre troupe that focuses on producing new works by women queer artists.
FUN FACT: I love to cook and experiment with cocktails!
Joshua Kass-Amsterdam (he/him)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: NYC/Chicago
ASPIRATIONS: I am passionate about Shakespeare because his stories show the most simple and universal sides of the human condition. I love fantasy, and work in a card shop, so a dream role would be to act in a fantasy show or play!
FUN FACT: I’m an amateur magician.
Grace McVey (she/her)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: Atlanta/NYC
ASPIRATIONS: On screen, I would love to play a historical figure in a period piece, or a ladies maid (they’re the best characters, they know everything). On stage, my goal is to one day play either Mayella or Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird.
FUN FACT: As a Jersey girl going to college in Ohio, I had to learn how to pump my own gas. Not to be dramatic, but this was a deeply troubling experience for me.
Maddi O'Connell (she/they/he)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: Cincinnati and then Chicago!
ASPIRATIONS: Anything and everything that is meaningful to me, stimulates my mind, and makes me happy!
FUN FACT: I have a pet African dwarf frog named Mr. Legs.
Emily Polcyn (she/her)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: Cleveland
MY DREAM PROJECT: Any Shakespeare project where I get to play with swords, though it’s always been a dream of mine to play Hamlet.
FUN FACT: I write music! An album might be on the way soon.
Hannah Jean Salman (she/they)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: D.C.
ASPIRATIONS: The two biggest career-focused things I want to do are break into the voiceover world and direct theater on a regional level. I also want to spend time exploring Europe!
FUN FACT: I do cosplay! I love going to conventions in full costume and makeup.
Alex Strzemilowki (he/him)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: NYC
CAREER GOALS: I want to be a working actor in NYC whether it be on camera or on stage. I hope to eventually be producing and starring in my own works.
FUN FACT: My eyes are slightly different colors. One is more brown and one is more green.
Yuval Tal (they/she)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: Chicago
ASPIRATIONS: I would love to dabble in more comedic works and look forward to otherwise expanding my knowledge of my art in any way possible.
FUN FACT: I’m a native Hebrew speaker! Also, when I was a baby, I ate a roly-poly. It was an accident I think.
Cole Tarantowski (he/him)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: Chicago
MY DREAM PROJECT: Any professional Shakespeare, I have a dream of having a play I’ve written be produced in a professional theater.
FUN FACT: I’ve got pet chickens.
Lucy Turner (she/her)
Actor
WHERE I’M HEADED: NYC
MY DREAM PROJECT: I have a special love for the horror genre. I’d love to be a part of a horror franchise like Scream, Halloween, or Friday the 13th. My dream would be to be a part of the new age of horror bringing more women onto the scene in front of and behind the camera.
FUN FACT: I have my own production company, Burn to Shine Productions, which is currently in post-production for our upcoming horror comedy, ‘Swipe Right’.
