Page 61 - NCAT Magazine Fall 2018

alUMni notes

2010s

2000s Chris Berry ’08, an actor, director, educator and producer from Long Jeffrey roney ’08 has been kalilah BlaCk ’11 began humming songs in her crib as early as
Island, New York, is vice president of the Black Theatre Network, the Irene promoted to associate in the seven months old. She was enrolled in dance classes at age 8, while
Ryan Scholarship co-coordinator for Region 4 of the Kennedy Center Raleigh, North Carolina, office simultaneously starring in all of her church’s youth productions.
American College Theatre Festival and co-creator of We Are Soul Nerds, of Dewberry. Roney is a project She then landed a childhood television and commercial agent at 10
a multimedia production company dedicated to the production of new manager and electrical engineer. and began auditioning and working. Although she was enrolled in
work and collaborations. Professionally, Berry is an assistant professor of He earned a bachelor’s degree in the Exceptionally Gifted and Talented Program for Math and Sciences
stage voice at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. architectural engineering from North in elementary and junior high school, she was convinced that she
Carolina Agricultural and Technical should audition for the major performing arts high schools in NYC.
State University (2008), and is a Not only was she accepted into all of her high school choices, she
In addition to earning a BFA in acting from N.C. A&T, Berry has an MFA professional engineer (PE) in multiple was accepted into Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art
from Brown University/Trinity. Berry maintains an active relationship states. Dewberry is a privately held and Performing Arts (also known as “the F.A.M.E. school”) for both
in the regional and New York theatre communities where he maintains professional services firm based in the vocal and drama programs.
professional relationships as a director and voice coach with several Fairfax, Virginia. Roney’s promotion
companies. He can most recently be seen in the web series, “Hampton 10- coincides with Dewberry’s ongoing During her undergraduate years as an Aggie, she performed in
10,” and has been featured as an actor at Playmakers Repertory Company, expansion of engineering, architectural many educational theatre productions—like “The Wiz” and “Dance
Trinity Rep and The National Black Theatre. He is a proud member of and consulting services in the on Widow’s Row”—and some of the great regional theaters in North
Actors Equity Association. southeast region, where the firm has Carolina in shows like “Chicago” and “Black Nativity.” Within
practiced since 1984. months of obtaining her B.F.A. in professional theatre, she landed
a performance gig in Singapore. Since then has traveled the world
and the states performing in theme parks, cruise ships and regional
theaters and even Greensboro’s own, The Barn Dinner Theater. Her
biggest career highlight to date was making her Broadway debut in
Disney’s “The Lion King.”

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