Blog
- October 6, 2020
Welcoming New Board Members
The Antaeus Board of Directors comprises dedicated individuals who make decisions concerning Antaeus with wisdom and expertise. We are thrilled to announce the election of three new members to our Board: Tamara Krinsky, Desirée Mee Jung, and Adam J. Smith.
Tamara Krinsky is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and the Television Academy. She is the co-founder of Scirens, “Screen Sirens for Science,” a creative team dedicated to advocating for scientific literacy in the general public and creating science-infused entertainment content. A published journalist, Tamara currently focuses her writing on award shows, including events for SAG-AFTRA Foundation, GLSEN, Disney+/D23, The Trevor Project, Institute for Advanced Studies, The Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles, Lambda Legal, Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles, Point Foundation, Monmouth Medical Center, and Saint John’s Health Center Foundation. Her work at ANTAEUS includes Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Picnic, Pera Palas, Mercadet, Chekhov X 4, The Women, Of Thee I Sing, Dickens and Crime, The Man Who Had All The Luck, Freddy’s Last Concert (Playwright’s Festival), Regular Joes (Lab Results), multiple ClassicsFests.
Desirée Mee Jung is the AEA Western Principal Councilor and has spent 10 Years in Non-Profit Administration. She was most recently seen at Antaeus in Measure for Measure. Her other credits include As You Like It, Henry IV Part I, Diana of Dobson’s, and The Curse of Oedipus (at Antaeus). Other theater: Vietgone (The Alley Theatre), Sense & Sensibility (South Coast Rep); Love’s Labour’s Lost, Edward III, and Cyrano de Bergerac (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); Hamlet (The 6th Act); Frankenstein (A Noise Within); The Hard Problem and Vietgone (LA Theatreworks); Gloria and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide (Curious Theatre Company); Colony Collapse (Boston Court Pasadena); Supper (Theatre of NOTE); Rose and the Rime (Sacred Fools); and 99 Histories (Artists at Play). She holds degrees in Theatre and Business from UNCo.
Adam J. Smith is currently in his 10th year on faculty at the Theater School at CalArts where he teaches voice/speech, and serves in a variety of other administrative and service-oriented capacities: Director of Scholarships for the Theater School, Performance Program Coordinator, Co-Chair of the Faculty Salary Committee and Faculty Representative to the Assembly Budget Committee. He’s a Designated Master Teacher of the Barrantes Voice System, and has been assisting the founder in presenting and disseminating the work to an international audience of voice-related professionals. He has been on the Antaeus Governance Committee for the past couple years, and is currently the treasurer on the Board of the HOA where he lives.
We asked our three newest Board Members a few questions to get to know them better.
How long have you been an Antaeus Company Member?
Tamara: My first show was The Man Who Had All the Luck in 2000 and I joined the company shortly after that.
Desirée: Since 2017
Adam: I’ve officially been a member for almost 5 years, but began working with Antaeus in 2014
Why did you want to join the Board?
Tamara: Over the years, I’ve seen the Company move through different spaces and phases, and it felt like now was the right time to give back. As we embark on our next evolution, including navigating the pandemic and moving forward with the commitment to making our company more diverse and inclusive, I’m excited to be a part of the conversation.
Desirée: We are at a turning point in the American Theatre. We have the opportunity to create a new vision of how we gather to tell stories and I wanted to take a bigger role in contributing to that future.
Adam: I have a weakness for wanting any group, organization or workplace I find myself a member of to continue becoming better and better – I think that’s also what attracts me to acting, in that there’s no “right” or “perfect,” which are often elusive, there’s only aways the never-ending pursuit of “better.” Having the opportunity and responsibility to help shape the direction of this incredible company, especially in such disorientating and uncertain times, is a welcome challenge and a great honor.
What do you love about Antaeus?
Tamara: The family of artists, the commitment to excellence, and a love of learning. Oh, and hanging out at the bar after a show! There is a trust and intimacy that comes from working together over a long period of time, as well as a creative shorthand. This enables us to take risks onstage, as well as support one another offstage. Besides the theater, my fave place at Antaeus is the Library – I cannot wait to be back there, surrounded by books, playing and exploring.
Desirée: It has been my artistic home since moving to LA. I’ve made some of my dearest friends here.
Adam: From the beginning of my involvement with Antaeus, I’ve had such respect for both the artistry and passion of the Company. The caliber of work being pursued and produced at our company is thrilling, and the company’s ability to celebrate and honor the classics while constantly evolving in its philosophy and aesthetic is a rare combination. Plus, I love my fellow Antaeans! And that includes the entire Antaeus community, from our current Board, to the staff, to the madcap cohort of artists who consider this their artistic home.
What’s the most intersting role you’ve ever played?
Tamara: “The Helicopter Pilot Who Saved Christmas” in 1st grade. I loved doing “Mae” in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof. As someone who has played the ingénue for a long time, it was so much fun to sink my teeth into a role that let me go to a deliciously darker place.
Desirée: Huong et al. in Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone at The Alley.
Adam: I once played the Duchess in Richard III, so if a 20-something man with 5-day stubble playing a septuagenarian woman is interesting, well that was interesting!
What’s your dream role?
Tamara: Emilia in Othello. Marianne in Constellations. “Beverley” in Come From Away. “Peter Pan” in Peter Pan. A play about scientist Rosalind Franklin. Almost anything by Tom Stoppard or Ibsen.
Desirée: Joan of Arc
Adam: It’s such a cliche, I’m embarrassed to say it, but Hamlet. Of course. It’s one of the greatest and most complex existential explorations that sums up the human condition in one troubled and brilliant character. Though, since that ship has probably sailed, it would also be VERY fun to play Richard III!
Just for fun: What’s your favorite Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?
Tamara: Whatever lets me roam the streets in a comfy pair of pajamas.
Desirée: Mr. Miyagi
Adam: My Charlie Chaplin was a good one, very freeing. And as kids, my brother and I went as Raggedy Ann and Andy and were damn cute! Come to think of it, maybe that was the first time I played a female, long before my Duchess days.
