CalArts alumni Brent Charles (Theater BFA 22) and Kalean Ung (Theater MFA 12)—who also serves on the faculty of the CalArts School of Theater—were recently announced as recipients of 2026 Stage Raw Theater Awards for their supporting performances with the Independent Shakespeare Company in Los Angeles.
Stage Raw is a professional digital theater journal covering Southern California–based arts and culture. Stage Raw’s yearly theater awards span categories including production design, writing, directing, and performance. The 2026 Stage Raw Theater Awards celebrate performances from the 2025 calendar year.
Charles was honored for his supporting performances in the Independent Shakespeare Company’s productions of Love’s Labour’s Lost as Lord Berowne and Doctor Faustus as Lucifer and ensemble.
An actor, filmmaker, and performance artist whose resume includes stage, film, and voiceover work, Charles is a resident member of Independent Shakespeare Company. He is also a 2021 Tim Disney Prize for Excellence in Storytelling recipient.
Ung, another a resident member of the company, was named a recipient for her supporting performance as Mephistopheles in Doctor Faustus. She also received a 2023 Stage Raw Theater Award for lead acting for her performance as Lady Macbeth in the company’s production of Macbeth.
Ung’s work spans Shakespeare, experimental theater, vocal performance, solo theater performance, voice acting, and contemporary opera. She is also a playwright creating works such as Letter From Home, which premiered in 2023.
Stage Raw’s annual fundraiser and awards party is on May 4, 2026, with tickets available on their website. The 2026 Stage Raw Theater Awards and awards party theme is The Candle That Couldn’t Be Extinguished. The event will celebrate all recipients, including Charles and Ung.
By Orianna Reid
