Mark Anthony Vallejo is a DIRECTOR, EDUCATOR, and DANCER born and raised in East LA. He holds an MFA in Theatre Directing from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a BA in Theatre Studies, with an emphasis in Dance and Directing at CSU Long Beach, an alum from the CSU Summer Arts Intensive, and a two-time runner up in the country for The Metropolitan Directing Fellowship for The Met Opera in New York 2023, 2024 respectively.

While at UCLA, he studied under the mentorship of Jessica Kubzansky, Michael Hackett, Brian Kite, Marike Splint, and Jose Luis Valenzuela. He was also the recipient of the FAIR Directing Internship for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, working alongside Bill Rauch as assistant director and choreographer for La Comedia of Errors.

He’s been directing for 10 years now with his first production being The Dairy of Anne Frank. Since then, he has continued to use his influences from motion pictures, dance, stage combat, and paintings into his work to create moving and stunning pieces of storytelling resembling art installations.

Most recently, he attended the Festival D’Avigńon in France, a full ride from the gift of former dean Teri Schwartz from UCLA, where it has shaped the look and feel of his theatre. With signature uses of light, abstract set designs, and powerful post-dramatic stories and performances, Mark Anthony came back to the states eager to direct his response to non-western forms of theatre with his thesis production of Lydia.

During the Pandemic, Mark Anthony continued exploring different avenues of the theatre world and landed upon opera. Impressed and motivated, Mark Anthony decided to pursue directing in opera. He has now worked for MOSI Theatre Company alongside director Paul Houghtaling, attended and participated in rehearsal for the new production of Carmen at The Met and is slated to work as an assistant director alongside director Michelle Cuizon with Opera San Jose for their production of La Bohéme in Fall 2024.

He has taught dance and directing with the Latino Theatre Company for their yearly Summer Youth Conservatory. He was a dance intern with Contra Tiempo’s Activist Dance Theatre Company in Los Angeles; trained under the Society of American Fight Directors for stage combat, and was awarded a full grant from UCLA to study theatre in London as well as in France at the Festival D’Avigńon.

Both experiences heavily influenced his approach to visual imagery and physical storytelling.

He is currently teaching at Long Beach City College and East Los Angeles College. He has taught various levels of acting, movement, and directing with emphasis on political theatre, Latinx voices, LGBTQ+ voice, African American voices and non-western forms of theatre practice. He continues to teach and mentor students, parents and veterans on both campuses and beyond.