Mariana Carvajal (Popayan, Colombia)

Mariana’s love for acting began at the age of 11 when she was cast as Gretel in a musical adaptation of Hansel and Gretel. Since then, it has since become her biggest passion. After moving from Colombia to the United States to finish high school, Mariana decided that she wanted to pursue a career in acting and auditioned for The Academy where she was accepted into their Conservatory Program. Some of her favorite roles as an Academy student include Jane in As It Is in Heaven and #8 in The Wolves. She is so excited to be a part of Company this year!

Jakob Fecht (Hambach an der Weinstraße, Germany)

Growing up in a fairy tale village underneath a castle on a hill in Germany, Jakob spent a lot of time outside, playing in the forest and following his own imagination. Early on in his life he learned that his laid-back, creative personality compliments his “get it done” attitude and allows him to bring heartwarming drama and cheerful comedy to both stage and screen. Jakob would love to be cast in roles in period and fantasy pieces akin to Game of Thrones, The Witcher, and Lord of the Rings. Some of Jakob’s favorite roles to date include Conrade in Much Ado About Nothing, the titular character in Tartuffe, and Kulygin in Three Sisters. Having been taught by his mother, Jakob loves to do hand embroidery, bake bread and cook meals for friends and family.

Gillo Giustolisi (Trieste, Italy)

Gillo was born in Italy but grew up in Paris, France until he was 11 years old. From an early age, he had the opportunity to follow his mother all around the world and see her perform in the best-known theatres. This gave Gillo the opportunity to enter the world of the performing arts, but he didn’t fully focus on acting until the age of 16 when a year-long acting class at a local theatre brought that passion back to him. Gillo had the chance to move to the United States for high school at the end of 2017 and he hasn’t left since. After graduating in 2018, he jumped right into the world of actor training by attending The Academy. Gillo had little experience, but his ability to speak four languages fluently helped him to integrate himself into the English-speaking world. Gillo is thrilled to be taking on Company and to be further improving his craft.

Grace Hawthorn (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada)

Grace is so excited to be a part of this year’s incredible Los Angeles Company! She moved to Los Angeles two years ago from “the cold North” (aka Canada), looking for new adventures and sunshine, and is thrilled to see what this next chapter brings. Her favorite role at The Academy so far has been Birdie in Lilian Hellman’s The Little Foxes. She loves practicing stage combat and mastering new accents and dialects. When she’s not acting, Grace loves a multitude of things, including adventuring, photography, cooking, writing new works, playing ukulele and singing with her cats Hippo and Nimbus! 

Charlotte Hendrickx (Antwerp, Belgium)

Charlotte was born and raised in Antwerp, Belgium. Growing up as an only child forced her to find ways to keep active on her own and she soon discovered a love for dance. From an early age she started taking ballet classes which eventually introduced her to world of arts and acting, a world she soon fell in love with! Graduating college in 2016 with a degree in Human and Behavioral Sciences, Charlotte was ready to commit 100% and pursue her one true passion, acting. In the fall of 2017, she started her first year at The Academy and she is thrilled to be joining this year’s Company. 

Laura Minosyants (Armavir, Russia)

Francisca Romero Ramos (Montevideo, Uruguay)

Ever since she was a child, Francisca has been a passionate storyteller who constantly worked toward her dream of becoming an actress in America. In 2017 she moved to Washington DC to pursue a BA in Theatre. After three semesters she found herself wanting a focused, conservatory-style of training, which brought her to The Academy. Today, she is confident she has found the place where she belongs. Her favorite roles include Mindy in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, #46 in The Wolves, and Popeye in The Miss Firecracker Contest. Francisca is a huge aviation, travel, and outdoor enthusiast. She is active in her community, having been on the frontlines of COVID-19 relief efforts. She is also a proud platelet donor and a volunteer for the American Red Cross. She is beyond thrilled to join this year’s Company! 

Paula Reyna (Mexico City, Mexico)

Paula, a native of Mexico City, lives by her mantra that “the best experiences always start with a crazy idea.” This mindset is what brought her to The Academy in the first place. After growing up with the opportunity to travel to many parts of the world, she learned so much about different people and cultures. Feeling inclined to help others, Paula enrolled in law school. However, after taking an acting class, she realized that there was another way to help people, by putting herself in someone else’s shoes and creating characters that they could relate to. Living by her mantra, Paula decided to leave everything behind and come to Los Angeles to audition for The Academy - a crazy idea, but the best one she has had so far.

Nicole Sage (Fayetteville, Arkansas)

Nicole’s upbringing was somewhat dysfunctional, but she discovered her passion for acting early, although it was discouraged. Until high school, Nicole’s only outlet for performing was acting out scenes from film and TV shows. In high school, her talent was recognized by the acting teacher. Within a like-minded group, Nicole made several short films, one of which made it into the 2010 Little Rock Film Festival, with Nicole’s performance earning praise. After graduation, she continued acting in local short films. Finally, after feeling creatively stifled for too long, Nicole moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams and was admitted to The Academy. Her Academy training allowed Nicole to truly immerse herself in acting, cultivate her skills, and improve them, thanks to her many influential teachers