Spinning some Hollywood magic

said. “Now we do everything together. The only time that we miss hanging out is if one of us is sick or working.” hours designing the set, costumes, and lights,” Stewart said.

Stewart was promoted from assisting actors in changing costumes during the plays in her first year, to a set designer in her final year at Pierce. The first play she was involved in was “Caberet” as a dresser.

The managing director of “Waiting for Godot,” Michael Sande, said it is very rare to have an all student designer crew.

“This is the first time since bid for the chance to represent her.

Following the success with IMTA, Gregory landed her first leading role as Loosie Goosie in the indie musical comedy “Spork.” The 2010 film went of to win three film festival awards, a CineKid award, and a nomination nod from the British Film Institute.

The momentum garnered by Spork and other acting roles lead to Gregory’s contract with the Disney Channel. Yet despite her success, Gregory remains humbled.

“I never try to take myself

Muresan often visits Gregory while she is on set.

While she has grown and matured, Muresan still sees the little sister he that was so prone to “getting into trouble.”

“Oana is always laughing and smiling,” Muresan said.

“She’s silly and jokes around.

That’s her. That’s who she is.”

In the time between jobs Gregory spends her days with family and friends. Whether it be catching up on her studies or hitting the gym she remains in a constant active state.

Of the various ways she stays busy, Gregory takes pleasure in frequenting the beach or her favorite yoga studio with her close friends

Mkryan, who is also an actress majoring in business at Pierce College, has her sights set on attending the University of Southern California. Between school, work, and designing her own cosmetics collection, Mkryan struggles to find time for herself.

When the pressure becomes too great Mkryan calls on Gregory to relieve stress.

“I always go to Oana when I need help or if I am in a panic,” Mkryan said. “There are times when I call her at one in the morning freaking out and she will stay up with me until I’m okay. That’s the kind of friend she is.”

Apart from acting and their deep connections with their families, Mkryan and Gregory plan to move up in the entertainment industry. For Gregory, she is set on production.

“Producers play such a large role in the filmmaking process but few people see the work they put in,” Gregory said. “I’ve always liked that aspect though, of working behind the scenes.”

“At first, I was an assistant in costume designing and dressing actors in between scenes. Now I am a set designer,” Stewart said.

Stewart credits Adjunct Professor of Theater Arts in the Performing Arts Department, Eileen Gizienski, for helping mold and mentor her as a costume designer for the play “Cheese.” It was the second production Stewart worked on.

Gizienski was impressed with Stewart’s speedy transition from an assistant costume designer to creating her first set as a set designer.

“She is extremely creative and has an excellent work ethic,” Gizienski said. “Vanessa can work well in either costume or set design areas. She’s got a great eye for what works in the theatrical way.”

“Waiting for Godot” is the first play that has all student designers in more than 13 years. Stewart is proud of that as she felt that the directors of the play showed confidence in the student’s work and knowledge of how to design their show in all aspects.

“All of the students have worked really hard, spending countless

I have been here that we’ve had an all student designer crew,” Sande said. “We just reached a point in where all the students are incredibly talented and excelled at what they did, particularly Vanessa. For a student to do both costume and set designing is rare. I’ve seen professionals do both, but for a student to do it is rare.” too seriously,” Gregory said. “I don’t get upset when I don’t get a part because there’s always the next audition. It’s my job and I want to do well but I also want to enjoy myself.”

Stewart has taken a set design class in the past, and the Theater of Arts Department, Michael Sande felt that she was strong enough to be the set designer of this semester’s play.

This semester’s theater structure is what is called a “black box” structure. The seats are placed in a circular form, which makes designing the set a difficult task. It gave Stewart much less room to design the set for the play. It is the first time in 15 years that it was done this way, and the seating is on all four sides of the theater.

One of Stewart’s strongest traits is her work ethic and dedication to the team.

While Gregory approaches each role with the same professionalism and diligence, she still indulges in light hearted humor and pranks.

Dianna Mkryan, 19, has known Gregory for more than four years. Mkryan feels that their bond is “the kind of connection that sisters have.” It is routine for the two young women to spend their afternoons together unless either one is working.

“We first met in Art 101 and just instantly clicked,” Mkryan

While producing is the end goal, Gregory still harbors an unwavering passion for acting. Now that her contract with the Disney Channel has ended Gregory is ready for a challenge.

“I want to take on deeper characters that are outside my comfort zone,” Gregory said.

“I want something that will really change me as an actor and encourage me to grow as a person.”