Imagine waking up in a different body each morning. That’s what A, the teen entity in Every Day, David Levithan’s hit young adult novel—now a movie from Orion Pictures—faces. A doesn’t know why it happens, or how. The only thing A can count on is that each body will belong to another teenager. And that each new person A occupies won’t live too far away from the last one.

Academy of Art University School of Acting alumnus Sean Gunnell hadn’t been in a musical since he was a kid. But when his girlfriend encouraged him to audition for Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center’s production of Cabaret last fall, he was up for the challenge. Set in a 1930s Berlin nightclub, the play captures the city’s sinister transformation under the Nazi regime. Usually cast as a good guy, Gunnell hoped to land the role of a villain, Nazi Ernst Ludwig.

For the past 20 years, David Oliver Pfeil has played a key role in Academy of Art University’s commencement ceremonies. The former director of the School of Motion Pictures & Television (MPT) creates the engaging videos that celebrate the accomplishments of each distinguished alumni and honorary doctorate recipient. This year, in addition to filming the stories of other honorees, Pfeil got to turn the spotlight on himself. On May 9, he received an honorary doctorate from Academy President Dr. Elisa Stephens.

From the opening number of Academy of Art University School of Acting’s musical “Legally Blonde,” it was clear that the actors were having a blast. And so was the audience that packed 620 Sutter Street Theatre on a recent Friday night. 

In the first scene, a bevvy of Delta Nu sorority sisters sashayed around the stage singing the infectious “Omigod You Guys,” excited for their beloved president—and the play’s main character—Elle Woods’ pending engagement to her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III. By the time Elle joined them on stage mid-way through the song, the audience was swept up in the moment and burst into applause.