Alumni Profiles
Q&A
Five Questions for Alumna Amy Munz, Class of 2009
Were you a “Lifer” or did you
transfer to International?
I was a Lifer, attending the
school from Kindergarten
through the French Baccalaureate
track.
I understand you graduated from
Northwestern in 3 years. What
was your major?
I graduated in three years
from Northwestern University
with a B.A. in Communication,
receiving Departmental
Distinction for Theatre (my
major) and being recognized
as the top 3% of the class with
Summa Cum Laude. My early graduation is thanks to the
credits I received for getting the French Baccalaureate at
International High School.
Amy Munz playing Louella Parsons in “My Life in the Silents”.
When did you become interested in this field of study?
I became interested in acting during the second grade,
when I was in an after-school theatre class at FAIS. My
parents were encouraged to enroll me at the American
Conservatory Theater’s Young Conservatory. I spent a good
10 years at A.C. T., studying in classes and performing in
shows at the Zeum Theater in San Francisco.
My understanding of theatre expanded with the help
of my high school history and literature courses. I’ll never
forget how Mr. Nagy had us regularly analyze major
paintings of art history or how Mr. Bessone explained to my
class just why Michelangelo’s David was a masterpiece as
we strolled around the sculpture during our trip to Italy. This
work of analyzing artworks and also texts was the beginning
of me understanding the dynamic intersection of Art,
Communication, and Society.
in Ancient Greece with the
outdoor Amphitheater and then
ended indoors with the black
box. Today, there is technology
that can bridge the benefits of
both types of structures and that
can help us to create new types
of performances that merge
the performing arts with the
outdoors. The potential is huge,
especially as the mainstream
performing arts world embraces
the groundbreaking advances of
the avant-garde.
The use of modern
technologies would also allow
for easy video integration for
performances. I implemented
this concept in my show BEING ANTIGONE, which merged
theatrical performance with video installation art. The show
was extremely successful, and I am currently in the process
of producing it in the Bay Area.
The umbrella of The New Stage Company will cover
more types of events, such as interactive shows for young
audiences. The first steps in that direction include my first
Children’s Picture Book, which will soon be published as a
hard copy, an e-book, and potentially an interactive e-book.
Other projects include being involved in the Bay Area
performing arts scene by stage managing for PRINCESS
IVONA, written by Witold Gombrowicz and directed by
Stanford PhD and adjunct professor, Michael Hunter.
What are you pursuing now?
The biggest project that I am currently working on is
starting a company called The New Stage, which has the
primary aim of constructing a new theatre structure that
I conceptualized. While at Northwestern, I thought a lot
about the trajectory of the performing arts venue throughout
How did your experience at International High School help
cultivate your passion for what you do now?
Studying multiple languages and being exposed to
different cultures at International cultivated an intuitive
understanding of the relationship between communication
and perception. It wasn’t just that I built a French vocabulary
and studied Italian grammar – it was that I was able to tap
into new meanings and understandings by communicating
in another language.
My work is strongly influenced by my fascination with
how perception and communication shape everyday
experiences. It is the foundational reason for why I seek
to create art, investigate emotions, and build innovative
platforms for human interactions.
