Adrian was born in the UK, but moved to the US at the age of four. Ever since he can remember, performing has been his one true passion, and he has taken to the stage any opportunity he can get. After graduating high school, Adrian moved to Manhattan to attend The Academy. His Academy credits include Cassius in Julius Caesar and Dr. Givings in In The Next Room. Adrian is incredibly thrilled to be part of this year's phenomenal Academy Company and is especially thankful for his friends and family for their support.

Born in Slovenia and raised in Dubai, Amelie has constantly been surrounded by a cocktail of cultures. Dialects, language, and human behavior instantly became an obsession, sparking a fascination for accents and imitations, the beginning of Amelie’s passion for performance. She studied Opera at Trinity Guildhall in Dubai, attended workshops at the Oxford School of Drama, Guildhall and Mountview in London and finally ended up in NYC at The Academy. Her Academy credits include Elbow, Mistress Overdone, Juliet, and Francesca in Measure for Measure and Erika Roth in Martyr. Amelie lovingly thanks her family, friends, and mentors for their constant support.

As a child, Anna signed with MMG as an actor and model, yet academic and ballet commitments paused Anna’s career, but not her interest. After watching many plays at school and at the Kennedy Center with her mom, she realized that acting was her passion. After high school, she joined The Academy. Now with the Company, she is eager to get back on stage and continue her work as a professional storyteller. In her free time, she loves dancing, binge-watching horror movies with her best friend Claudia, and learning about forensic technology. Her Academy credits include Viola in Twelfth Night, Sofia in Dance Nation, and Drusilla/Miller/Merchant in Dracula by Kate Hamill.

“You gotta risk it to get the biscuit.” More than an infamous quote, this is Dalton’s mantra. Born and raised in New York, he knew his outspoken personality combined with his dark sense of humor meant he was either bound for show business or jail. He is confident he made the right choice. He is blessed to be where his storytelling didn’t result in detention. His past Academy credits include Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Garry Essendine in Present Laughter, and Andrey Prozorov in MOSCOW, MOSCOW, MOSCOW. Dalton is also a trained tap/ballet/swing dancer. He would also like everyone to know that he is a triple Gemini.

It wasn’t until Faith entered high school that she found her love of storytelling. Striving to continue her passion for acting and follow her dreams, she did not let a pandemic stand in her way. In the Fall of 2020, she moved to New York City to attend The Academy. Her Academy credits include Duke Vincentio in Measure for Measure and Lydia in Martyr. She is thrilled and honored The Academy has chosen her to be a part of the 2022 Company. Faith would like to thank her family for all their love and support while chasing her dreams of becoming a professional actor.

Humzah is a British-Pakistani actor who was born and raised in West London. He was inspired to act by his love for storytelling, and the communal mediums in which they have been shared for centuries. Previous roles include Gaston in Beauty and the Beast and, at The Academy, Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost and I Want A Country. Humzah seeks to be the change he wants to see in the industry, and create opportunities for others along his journey.

Isabella spent her childhood trying to run away from becoming an actor. Raised behind-the-scenes because both her parents are actors, she was intimidated by how overwhelming the industry could be. It wasn’t until she decided to attend The Academy’s 2016 Summer Intensive that her whole perspective changed and she never wanted to stop living truthfully within the imaginary circumstances again. Her Academy credits include Clytemnestra in Iphigenia and Other Daughters and 3 in I Want A Country. She thanks her family and friends for their support, as well as her teachers and classmates who have helped her grow through this incredible journey.

Born and raised in Maryland, all Jamar knew was the game of basketball. In his childhood, he’d only been connected to the arts by way of a few small plays put on for his local church. The joyful memories from those experiences stuck with him. But his true passion for the craft wasn’t awakened until the summer of 2019. He was inspired by influences such as Actors’ Roundtable and most notably the movie Black Panther. His Academy credits include Claudio/Barnardine in Measure for Measure and Kent in Stick Fly. Jamar is grateful to God for all He’s done in his life and to his family for their support. G2G!

Jefferson was born in Newark, New Jersey yet when he was just two years old his family moved to Florida, where he spent most of his life. Jefferson started his acting career at The Lake Worth Playhouse in Florida. His highlights include a nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor playing Sam Hendrix in Wait Until Dark. Jefferson starred as Leo in Lovesick which won Best Short Film at Central Florida Film Festival. Jefferson moved to New York City to attend The Academy, where his credits include Flip LeVay in Stick Fly and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. Jefferson is a fan of The San Francisco 49ers and The Los Angeles Lakers.

Having already discovered her passion for dance, Jessica credits her love of theatre to her mother, who signed her up for a production of The Little Mermaid at the age of seven. From then on, Jessica became involved in any stage production she could find. After being accepted into The Academy in 2019, she first took a year off school to work as a radiation technician at Los Alamos National Laboratory, proving to everyone that yes, she could be a scientist - she just didn’t want to. Now, she is happier than ever, embarking on her lifelong goal to make the other little girls in the audience believe that what is happening before them is nothing short of pure magic.

Kacie found her love for acting at 11 years old when she began taking Meisner-based acting classes taught by a student of Meisner himself. In her small Arizona town, working in class was the only thing that really made her feel purpose and find her truth. She was certain she wanted to continue after high school. Upon acceptance into The Academy, she, along with her mother, dog, and three cats, packed what they could fit into her PT Cruiser and moved to New York. After graduating from the program, she was accepted into The Academy’s Company. Her credits include Calonice in Lysistrata, and Masha in Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow, a spoof on Chekhov’s Three Sisters, written by Halley Feiffer. She is grateful to all who have supported her and pushed her to listen to her calling and follow it.

Mariola’s love for performing arts and training started at the age of four. It wasn’t until middle-school where she found her passion and love for theatre after being invited to watch a friend’s performance. Mariola has been part of a wide variety of plays and musicals ever since, such as Chicago, Mean Girls, and Mary Poppins. She moved to NYC at age 18 to train at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her Academy credits include Hamlet in Hamlet and #11 from The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe. Her work is dedicated to the Pichungos Family, con mucho amor.

Born in Istanbul, having lived in France, Canada and now New York, Toy feels a deep gratitude for his life. At college in France he discovered his love for storytelling. He enrolled at Nanterre (Paris) to study law, but after a year, he left to pursue his dream to become an actor. Returning to Istanbul, he graduated with a management degree and a conservatory theatre degree at the same time! Afterwards, he moved to New York to make acting his priority. His Academy credits include Menelaus in Trojan Women, Dance Teacher Pat in Dance Nation and Mr. Immigrant #2 in I Want A Country. Supported by friends and family, he is thrilled to be a member of this year's phenomenal NY Academy Company.

Michelle Payton found her love for acting at 10 years old and has devoted her life to it ever since. She is a proud alumni of the Loch Raven Performing Arts Magnet, Patapsco High Theatre Magnet, and the BFA Acting program at Towson University. Her stage credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia), Polaroid Stories (Eurydice), The World's Ending and Maybe That's Kinda Hot (Amelia), and, at The Academy, The Revolutionists (Marianne Angelle) and Twelfth Night (Maria). Thrilled to be a part of the Company, she thanks her family, friends, and fellow actors for their love and support. She hopes to make her grandmothers proud, and thanks them for continuing to show their love from above.

Raised in the Swedish archipelago, Natasha has always been close to nature, riding horses or sailing. She’s a graduate of The Royal Swedish Ballet School and has performed with the Royal Swedish Ballet in both classical ballets and contemporary pieces. Her Academy credits include Helen of Troy in Trojan Women as well as originating Wendy in The Love Parts. When not on stage, she works to hone her craft in front of the camera. Natasha is grateful for her family’s support, without whom none of this would be possible. She is thrilled to start this journey with the New York Academy Company 2022-23.

Twenty-one years ago, in a country far, far away... Nicolás was born and raised in Santiago, Chile. He spent most of his childhood playing around with the force, spaceships, and light sabers. He then switched to sports and played competitive soccer and basketball. Although he grew up, he kept his eyes on the stars and was going to dedicate his life to Astronomy. But his heart decided to take a leap of faith and he joined The Academy where he fell in love with the theatre and the work. His Academy credits are Magistrate/Leader of Man/Athenian Ambassador in Lysistrata and Dracula in Dracula by Kate Hamill.

Ever since this Colorado native discovered the 80’s cult classic Ghostbusters, she has wanted to do nothing but perform and explore different worlds and fantasies. When The Academy asked her to attend because of Denver’s ThesCon 2019, she knew her life would be forever changed. Her Academy credits include Annie in Sarah Ruhls’ In the Next Room and Costard in Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost. She wants to send all her love, gratitude, and appreciation to her parents Lisa and James, sister Savannah, brother-in-law Alec, grandparents, pets, and anyone who supports her on this new and crazy life journey!

Sophie has wanted to be an actor all her life. Her father was a comedian for 20 years and her mother (who's funnier than him) has always been equally as supportive of Sophie's dramatic ambitions. As a child, most of Sophie's time off stage was spent with her head in a book, or with her twin brother (and bestest friend) Adam. In high school, she read plays and listened to musicals, which deepened her love of storytelling and her passion for acting. The Academy has taught her much about her craft, and herself, and she's excited to be a part of this year's Company! Her Academy credits include Escalus in Measure for Measure, and Kimber Davies in Stick Fly.

Born in Kuwait to a Mumbaikar father and Hyderabadi mother, Umberina’s affinity for storytelling stems from when she starred in a nativity play at age five. Upon discovering that acting was her anchor, she enrolled in Trinity College London's drama course, becoming one of the first students in the Middle East to achieve great success in the course. Since then, she has taken part in school productions, playing various leading and supporting roles, from Harley Quinn in Batman to Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. In 2021, Umberina moved to New York to attend The Academy. Her Academy credits include Hecuba in Trojan Women and Connie in Dance Nation.

Growing up in the East Village of Manhattan, Vaughn was always restless. Constantly taking on new activities and hobbies to express himself, he recognized after a while that he had a core desire to entertain. It took Vaughn all the way up to high school to realize that acting could even be a possibility for him. After four years of training within and outside of school, he finally felt like he had a chance to contribute something through expression and creation. Now working as one of The Academy Company members, Vaughn is ready to “create or die.”   

Yasin is an American-Sudanese actor and civil rights activist. With a free spirit and a curious soul, he fell deeply in love with film and the impact it had. He began his training with the Youth Theatre Company in St. Paul. After attending a screenwriting and directing bootcamp where he studied the art of filmmaking, he left eager to begin his training at The Academy. Yasin moved to New York in 2021 to complete his training at the height of the pandemic. He has starred in many short films. His Academy credits include Antonio in Twelfth Night and Dr. Joseph LeVay in Stick Fly. Often, he is found with a smile, making each experience with his friends a unique adventure.