Featured Alumni:

Class of 1974

Julia Rodriguez-Elliott

An environment of creativity, intellectual rigor, and community are things that come to mind when I think of my time at Conchita. Conchita is a place where the individual matters and the arts are an essential part of our humanity, a place where you are challenged to be intellectually curious and expand personal awareness, a place where you become part of a family with a commitment to be of service to the larger world. These have all been guiding principles in my life and in my work.

After CEA, I went on to study at the University of Florida and at the American Conservatory of Theatre (MFA in Theatre). In 1992, my husband Geoff Elliott and I founded A Noise Within, a classical theatre repertory company based in Pasadena, California. Under our leadership, ANW has produced 169 works. I have directed 48 productions including A Flea in Her Ear; Julius Caesar; The Threepenny Opera; The Tempest; The Dance of Death; Come Back, Little Sheba; Tartuffe; Pericles, Prince of Tyre; The Beaux’ Stratagem; A Christmas Carol; The Bungler; Antony and Cleopatra; Twelfth Night; The Chairs; Great Expectations; Measure for Measure; Much Ado About Nothing (choreographer); Noises Off; The Rehearsal; Oliver Twist; Henry IV, Part 1; Dear Brutus; The Winter’s Tale; Loot; Ubu Roi; The Master Builder; Othello; Mourning Becomes Electra; A Flea In Her Ear; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Hollywood Bowl and at ANW. In 2012, we received ACT’s inaugural “Contributions to the Field Award.” I also received the 2005 National Latina Business Women’s Association’s Latinas in Business Award in the Arts & Entertainment category, the 2006 Women in Business award from the California State Senate and Assembly, and the 2010 Fifty Fabulous Women of Influence in the San Gabriel Valley Award.

I am a grateful beneficiary of the unique brand of Conchita arts- based instruction and it has been a gift in my personal and professional life.