Caryn Desai, the Artistic Director of the International City Theatre in Long Beach, is named one of the inductees for Long Beach City College’s Alumni Hall of Fame.
As a young girl growing up in Camden, New Jersey, Caryn Desai dreamed of going to college. No matter what her parents told her, she knew she was destined to continue her educational journey. She simply knew there was more to her than to get married and have kids, as her mother recommended.
She looks back at her career and reminisces on how she has inspired others. In the process, she remembers the heavy amounts of hard work she used to grow from her parents who, “did not support her college dreams,” said Desai.
“I grew up in a big family of five sisters, starting working at the age of 15, and I had to pay to live at home,” Desai said. “I could not figure out how to go to school and I was too proud to ask for help.”
After taking interest in a local art school in Philadelphia she took the chance to help the teachers in their classrooms in exchange for free lessons. Only to realize that she had discovered her passion along the way.
“Life is short. You only go through it once, so follow your passion,” Desai said.
After starting a family on the East Coast, she realized she had yet gone on to pursue her dreams and applied to Long Beach City College, where she took her first opportunity to direct within the theatre.
“I was most drawn to plays that have social and historical context. When I read, I always visualize everything. So, when I’m doing movements and stuff in a play, I’ve already visualized the whole play,” said Desai. “I didn’t even realize that was a director’s eye.It was Shashin Desai, who is now my husband, who opened my eyes to that.”
Loving life in the theatre, Desai transferred to California State University of Long Beach to earn her bachelor’s in acting and directing. She had a plethora of opportunities to dig deeper into her craft.
“You work hard, improve yourself, and hopefully people will give you an opportunity to show what you can do,” said Desai. “It’s really important for those people who open doors for you, on many levels.”
Desai credits LBCC for leading her onto the path to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, a drama school that provides training in theatre, television, film, and radio. After Professor Shashin Desai (no relation at the time – current husband) recommended Caryn for the program. She spent the summer between her transfer from LBCC to CSULB discovering herself abroad.
“That was the first time in my life I got to be a student and just focus on myself,” she said. “It was a wonderful opportunity to work on the certificate.”
After taking the time to learn the ways of the road (literally, because she forgot the difference in Europe) she came back more prepared and ready to expand her knowledge. Desai earned her Masters in Fine Arts in directing from UC Irvine with a 4.0 GPA and felt overjoyed.
“They only take two directors a year. It’s a three year program and it costs money to put a director through school,” Desai said.
“There was a guy from Greece, a guy from Iceland, a guy from Colorado, a guy from New York, me, and one person who dropped out. It was a tough competition and I was so grateful,” said Desai.
When she was first hired at the International Theatre, in Long Beach, Desai took on the opportunity with low pay.
She started teaching at multiple colleges to pay bills and volunteered in order to grow her resume for seven years. At the time, it was Long Beach’s only professional theatre company.
Desai claimed to have always been an independent woman, ready to take on any tasks on hand with an open mind. In 2010, she became the Artistic Director and was ready for all that came along with the job. She views humans as “storytellers” and loves to make art as accessible to the community as possible.
“We have 6 education programs that we do. To serve everyone from age 4 to 104,” she said. “The school district called me about 20 years ago to create this program for third grade. And so I wrote this program and we go in there once a week for three weeks, in their classroom, (now we do it virtually) but the kids learn vocabulary and acting exercises, where they learn to work together and use their imagination.”
When asked how she measures success, Desai said, “One, that your children are OK because you don’t have peace in your heart if they are not. But that’s on a personal level. On a professional level, I’m directing so my work is critiqued. I make certain in keeping quality productions, maintaining the reputation of International City Theatre and ensuring that we are serving the community.”
While at LBCC, Desai met Virginia “Ginny” Baxter, a history professor, deeply invested in the arts. “I knew her as a student and was impressed by her acting,” Baxter stated. “Caryn has brought visibility, I believe, to Long Beach City College through her leadership at International City Theatre. She is a good representative of someone who is successful in a career as well as being successful in life.”
Baxter also said, “It is an honor to be in the Alumni Hall of Fame and Caryn should know that.”
Desai continues to work hard and with her love of the arts and the community. She is always looking for opportunities to pursue advanced learning. Desai tries to stay afloat with the crazy world at hand to uphold International City Theatre’s legacy, as well as her own.