Joel Conte

The son of a Vietnam vet and a California hippie, Joel’s youth was spent mostly imitating the folks in his large Italian family. Parties were always full of used car salesmen, contractors, even a few Goodfellas. A natural drummer from the age of six, it led to his playing professionally by twelve, and eventually winning Guitar Center’s regional Midwest drum-off.

His lucky streak continued when a writer friend asked him to act in a short film, at which point he fell in love with acting. Now in Los Angeles, Joel trains and auditions full time.

Tristan Cox

Tristan Cox was born and raised in Midland Texas and began acting at a very early age. In 2003 he played Huck Finn in a touring production of Tom Sawyer, which ran from Edinburgh Scotland to Newcastle England. In 2005 he hit the road yet again to Brussels Belgium and Amsterdam, in a production of Sarah Plain and Tall. With over 20 productions under his belt, he finally decided to move to L.A. to begin working on his career in film. For the past year he as been training with the finest teachers at the Acting Corps, developing and discovering new techniques to strengthen him as an actor.

Antoine Dillard

Born and raised in Cleveland Ohio, Antoine was never quite sure what to make of his constant need to entertain friends and family. Unsure what to do with his ability to make people laugh, Antoine turned to the football field to exercise both his creative and athletic talent. He was awarded the title of football All American three times, while earning his B.S. degree in Liberal Arts and Physical Education from Mount Union College. Upon graduating college, Antoine went on to use his background in the physical field to become a personal trainer, which ultimately brought him out to Los Angeles. During a training session, it was suggested by his client that Antoine should look into taking some acting classes. Taking the advice to heart, he soon enrolled at The Acting Corps where he began his training and continues to study.

Jillian Eisler

A Los Angeles native, Jillian has always been drawn to the performing arts.  After earning her B.A. in theatre from Cal State Fullerton, where she focused primarily on directing and stage managing, she realized that she missed acting and wanted to give herself a chance to follow her dreams.  She would like to thank the faculty at The Acting Corps. for their unwavering support and guidance. Jillian’s recent credits include Jo/Mae in Dirty Blonde, Martha Dobie in The Children’s Hour, and Mary Jane Hanrahan in Jesus Hopped the A Train.

Sienna Farall

Sienna Farall was born in El Paso, Texas to loving parents Richard and Carol.  Being the daughter of an Army Ranger meant a lot of moving, but it definitely had its benefits as Farall was able to see the world.  One of her favorite places to live was WiBmannsdorf; a small German town outside of Bitburg.  This is where she became truly passionate about German pizza.  From a very early age Farall discovered her love of the arts.  She plays the sax, clarinet, enjoys painting, and has now made acting her profession of choice. 

Farall’s first appearance after moving to Los Angeles was in the sci-fi feature “Mystere,” playing a Wiccan huntress that filmed in the sand dunes and The Grand Canyon.   She has been in a number of commercials and recently landed a co-star role on the hit HBO series “True Blood.” 

Vera Hairabedian

Vera Hairabedian was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.  Vera’s love for the performing arts began when she started taking dance classes at the age of 3. She went on to earn her B.A. in Biology from CSUN.  It wasn’t until her last year of college that she followed her passion for the arts and went on to pursue a career in acting.  Recent credits include Baby with the Bathwater, Blithe Spirit and Career.

Brian Karaffa

A Midwestern native, Brian came to Los Angeles from Chicagoland in 2006, in the pursuit of acting.  Having performed onstage since 1998 in numerous martial art demonstrations, Brian further continues his passion to entertain his audiences through acting. Brian has recently performed in various new media projects including the on-line series Staying Afloat and House Sitting.

Abigail Kessler

Abigail Kessler entered The Advanced Program at The Acting Corps one year ago. Home schooled until college, she may be the only graduate summa cum laude of the BA program at Cal State Channel Islands to have taken courses in Accounting, Botany and Calculus as electives. Her favorite roles to date include Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Earnest, Lotty Wilton in Enchanted April and Satan in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.

Spencer Lee

Spencer was born and raised in Arizona, where he began acting at a young age, performing in both school and regional theater. He initially wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father who was a successful child actor in his own right. During his high school years, however, acting took a backseat to baseball, Spencer’s second love. After receiving his B.S. from the University of Arizona in Business & Public Administration, he moved to Los Angeles for a job. Upon arriving, he soon rediscovered his love for acting and quickly began rearranging his life to pursue his dreams. He has spent the last three years dedicated to the study of  acting.

Rachel Scott

Rachel Scott, born and raised in Orange County, began her performing career as a dancer. She grew up in the world of ballet, but while attending a performing arts high school, quickly realized she also had a strong desire to act and sing.  She developed these talents while performing with dance companies, as well as performing at various local and regional theaters throughout Southern California. She has been seen in the West Coast Regional Theater Premieres of Les Miserables  (San Diego Theater Critics’  Circle award  winner for  Best Direction  2008, and  Patte winner for Best Ensemble 2008),    The Producers,  (Current Ovation Award nominee) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Gloria).  Other favorite theater credits include;  CATS (Bombalurina), Cabaret  (Sally Bowles),  Gypsy  (June),  Grease (Marty),  Into the Woods (Lucinda), A Chorus Line (Kristine), Oklahoma! (Gertie), Phantom (Beladova), and Guys and Dolls (Mimi). Special thanks to Eugene, Dariush, and Calvin.

Kyle Slone

Kyle, who is a native of Ohio, like most actors first discovered the craft at a young age. However, apart from performing in school plays, acting took a backseat to sports, in particular basketball. It wasn’t till college that he rediscovered acting and immediately knew this was what he wanted to do. While pursuing a degree in computer programming from Shawnee State University, it was suggested that he take drama to fulfill an elective requirement. It didn’t take him long to realize that acting was his life’s passion. With the encouragement and support of his family and friends, he made the difficult decision to forgo his college degree, and move to Los Angeles. Upon arriving, he immediately started his training at the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts. Kyle then quickly found a home at The Acting Corps, where he continues to study and train full time. His recent credits include the short film Split, and a co-star role on the web series The Josh and Adam Show.

Nicoleta Tasu

Nicoleta Tasu born and raised in Los Angeles, has always had a passion for acting. She studied and starred in many plays in high school. She took a break from acting to study International Business at Cal State Northridge. Then one summer she went back to Romania to visit family and got casted in a movie and realized that she could not let go of acting. That is when she found her way to the Acting Corps. She has been with the Acting Corps now for nearly a year. Recent roles include The Monogamist (Sky), Shopping and Fu*king (Lulu), Angels in America (Harper). Not only has the Acting Corps helped her grow as an Actor but also as a person.

Stephanie Valencia

Stephanie was born and raised in Long Beach, studied English Literature at Cal State Long Beach. She decided to put school on hold to pursue an acting career, something she has always wanted to do. The Acting Corps had been her first and only acting school for the last year. She can be seen in the webisode pilot Torte Refore, playing the lead in the Zombie Hunter web commercial, as well as the lead in the short film Lipstick and Tampons. She is also featured in The Chicas Project commercial, is a guest host on Gimme 5, and was recently named IGN Babe of the Day.

Mariel Vinalon

Mariel Flores Viñalon was born in Manila, and raised in San Francisco.  While attending the University of California at Santa Cruz, she co-founded and performed with two student-led theatre groups: People Power and JUICE.  This was in addition to acting in and directing for annual performances with the Rainbow Theatre Troupe and the Pilipino Cultural Celebration.  After receiving her BA in American Studies she continued performing throughout the Bay Area at venues and festivals, including the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, The Post Modern American Pilipino Performance Project, and the Hip Hop Theater Festival.  She moved to Los Angeles a year and a half ago to pursue acting professionally, and has recently been seen at the Greenway Court Theatre.