Luana Fontes was born and raised in Brazil and always had a creative nature. When it was time for her to go to college, her father said that she had to go to school to be a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. Being an actor professionally was not something that Luana thought would be possible for her, so she opted to study law. One day, she decided to enroll in a theater course, and it changed her life.
In an interview with Conservatory staff member Veronica Fealy, Luana stated, "I was making law school theater school. In all the seminars I presented I had costumes on, I was role playing, and I was doing the most at law school. My penal law teacher came to me after one of the assignments I presented to the class, and she was like, 'Are you sure you're in the right place? Because I feel like Arts would be your thing.'"
This realization prompted Luana to ask her father to assist her in pursuing a theater education. He agreed to help her on two conditions. First, she had to finish law school. Second, she had to get her theater training from prestigious schools only. She quoted her father as saying, "Finish law school, and I'll get you high quality theater training, but you got to be in one of the top 10 art universities or else the deal is off." The search for high quality training is what began Luana's adventure at A.C.T.
After Luana finished law school, she felt lost on how to get an MFA in Theater. "I knew very very little [about theater] so, coming into the United States, I was lost and I needed some guidance." Luana knew she wanted to act, but she didn't know how to bridge the gap between her law degree and an arts education. "I didn't know if I should do an undergrad or grad program. I had a degree but in law. I didn't really know what to do."
After spending some time in the United States, Luana decided to go back to her home in Brazil. As a Brazilian woman, and as someone who did not have a strong art background, she felt disheartened by her options for training in the U.S. After some time and rest, she began researching theater programs once again. She said, "I went back to Brazil, my home country, and I saw the SFS program and it was just perfect. I felt like I was trying to get into this world but there was no buffer. I was trying to get into grad schools but I was coming from a different country, a different field of study, and I did not want to do undergrad. I thought I had to because I didn't have the knowledge yet to go to a master's program in acting." She knew that SFS was the right program to help her achieve her dream of getting an MFA in acting. "SFS was perfect for me: it gave me the training and the confidence, and I think it showed the other schools that I could do it because otherwise, they would be like, 'Where are you from?'"
Luana moved from Brazil to San Francisco and began the SFS training program. Though she was excited to begin classes, she assumed and feared that a program in the U.S. might have a heavy focus on money, fame, or other superficial aspirations. She had also assumed and feared that she would be alienated as a student who immigrated to the U.S. After starting the SFS classes, her fears were proven to be only fears and not a reality. Luana said, "I was afraid of Shakespeare, but Patrick Russell [A.C.T. Faculty and A.C.T. MFA Alumni] kind of took that fear away. He was so kind and thoughtful in coaching me and assisting me while we worked Shakespeare. It was only a semester but we learned so much!"
The fear of being alienated as an immigrant was quickly eased as Luana witnessed incredible diversity at A.C.T. The diversity and community building at A.C.T. impacted Luana deeply. She stated, "The diverse cohort was so important too. One of my best friends in the U.S., Noel, was part of the cohort at A.C.T. She's a visual artist and, I mean, I come from a different background and she comes from a different background. Through Mark Jackson's class, we really connected and we produced and made art together. I felt really empowered through Mark's devised class."
Luana completed the SFS program in the Fall of 2021. After making friends, forming community, and building up her skillset, Luana felt that SFS had prepared her for grad school. Her teachers at A.C.T. wrote her letters of recommendation and gave her guidance on how to pursue her dreams. As of today, Luana is set to graduate with an MFA from The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Theater Program. "With the help of the Conservatory and Patrick's letter of recommendation, I managed to get accepted into The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Theater program. I'm in the graduating class of 2024. I could not have done this without A.C.T. Thank you once more for helping me achieve my dreams!"
Luana's success story is one of many here at A.C.T. If you relate to Luana's story, we would love to help you on your journey. The San Francisco Semester program is the perfect place to discover yourself as a person and as an artist. Visit act-sf.org/sfs to learn more and apply today!
