Our
Mission
As members of American Coast Theater Company in collaboration with Vanguard University, we are committed to producing professional theatre with artistic excellence and high production value.
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We are also committed to producing works that may inspire hope or self-reflection through the eyes of the characters that struggle with their own humanity. We believe in stories that offer the possibility of enlightenment which can be life changing. Our goal is to produce works from the American and international dramatic canon. We will also nurture the development of new American playwrights.
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We are deeply committed to honoring diversity and inclusion within our company members and casting. We are rooted in the artistic traditions of theater and believe in the examination of the human condition as well as the potential for personal and social redemption revealed through thought provoking story telling.
Company
Susan K. Berkompas
Artistic Producing Director / Founder
Susan has been a producing artistic director since 1998 and is the Department Chair of the Vanguard University theatre arts program. She received her B.F.A. in acting/directing from the University of Montana and her M.F.A. in acting/directing from the California Repertory Company. She has studied Shakespeare in Oxford with the British American Drama Academy where she worked with renowned Shakespeare teacher and scholar, Sir John Barton.
Susan is an associate member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and a member of SAG/AFTRA. She is the recipient of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival “Excellence in Education” award and the Gold Medallion Award, and she is also an alumnus of Directors Lab West.
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She has directed plays such as: The Glass Menagerie; Othello (The Daily Pilot’s top college pick for 2006); The Boys Next Door; Macbeth; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Charley’s Aunt; Pump Boys and Dinettes; Bullshot Crummond and The Hiding Place. Her favorite roles are: Blanche (A Streetcar Named Desire); Katherine (Boomers); Dixie (Enlightenment.com); Katherine (The Taming of the Shrew); Kate Keller (All My Sons).
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Lia M. Hansen
Resident Costume Designer
Lia Hansen has been active in the Orange County theatre scene for over 20 years. She has designed operas, musicals, and straight plays for such local venues as the Newport Theatre Arts Center, the Harlequin Dinner Theater, Orange Coast College, Golden West College, Vanguard University, and consulted for other educational institutions.
Lia received her M.F.A. from San Diego State University. She has designed for the Old Towne Opera House in San Diego and assisted in preparing the costume exhibit “An Elegant Art” at LACMA. Lia’s designs have been seen on the Lyceum Stage including: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; The Glass Menagerie; Othello; Saint Joan; Side By Side By Sondheim; Macbeth; Three Sisters and Into The Woods to name a few.
Kaitlyn Campbell
Resident Scenic Designer / Technical Director
Garrett Spady
Resident Lighting Designer
Garrett launched his lighting career at Vanguard University, where over the last decade he has designed nearly 30 productions within the Lyceum. His design ethos blends theatrical aesthetics with rigorous technical execution, supported by extensive experience in console programming, system troubleshooting, and show control. Garrett currently serves as Vanguard’s Resident Lighting Designer while also working as a lighting programmer and technician at the Disneyland Resort.
Lily Hinojosa
Theater Manager
Lily Hinojosa has been working for Vanguard University and ACTC as the Theatre Manager since December of 2023.