In his two and a half years at UNC-CH, Max Bitar has already accomplished more than most students do their entire college career. A journalism and Dramatic Art double major from Greensboro, NC, Bitar can be found on stage, in the offices of Heelprint Communications or working with the Union as a member of the long-range planning committee. Most recently, Bitar starred in “Tales from Ovid” with the Kenan Theater Company.
HC: Why did you choose to attend UNC?
MB: I chose to attend UNC because I knew it would provide me with the full college experience and it would allow me to balance a lot of different things I love in my life. There is a huge amount of theater on campus which I have always loved, but there were also other activities I could focus on as well. It was a big school full of diverse people and it could give me huge opportunities in whatever I decided to do. I also just fell in love with the town, the atmosphere, and most importantly, the people at Carolina. The thing that has kept me the happiest here are all the wonderful and different types of people I have had the chance to meet.
HC:What are you involved with on campus?
MB: On campus I am involved with a few different things. I am the executive director of publicity for UNC Pauper Players (UNC’s premier musical theater company). I started performing with Pauper my very first semester at Carolina and now I am one of three executive directors who oversee the entire organization so that has been really wonderful to work my way up through an organization I love so much. I have also performed with the Kenan Theater Company in their production of “Tales from Ovid” and I have performed with Playmakers Repertory Company (website: http://www.playmakersrep.org) in Cabaret and I will be understudying for their production of Assassins in the spring. That has been an amazing opportunity for me- I got the chance to work with professional performers, directors, music directors, choreographers, etc. and I got to see how a real, professional theater operates. I am absolutely ecstatic to have the chance to work with them again, they have been so welcoming and they have taught me so much. That is the majority of what I have done on campus in terms of theater, but beyond that I am also a strategist for Heelprint Communications which is a creative communications agency here in Chapel Hill. (you can see their website here http://heelprintcommunications.com) I have loved working with them because it has taught me how to work with real clients in the advertising industry and has helped me understand what it is like to work on the different parts of an advertising campaign. Furthermore, I am also a member of the long-range planning committee for the Carolina Union Activities Board which works on brainstorming ways to improve our student union.
Max as Rocky in Pauper Player’s production of “The Rocky Horror Show” (with co-star Amberly Nardo)
HC: How does UNC help you achieve your goals?
MB: UNC has helped me achieve my goals in so many ways. First, it offered me the chance to learn about and try out anything I could possibly want. Second, it has the resources to give me real world experience in multiple fields which I am interested in. Whether it is the chance to work with professors who have been leaders in the fields they teach, organizations which have developed my creativity and leadership skills, or theater companies which push me to improve my performance abilities and provide real world experience and education, I feel as though the world is at my fingertips. But the biggest part UNC has played in helping me achieve my goals is the opportunity to meet people who have taught and changed me. Friends, professors, fellow students, and beyond have welcomed me into this community with nothing but open arms and smiles. Because of the creative geniuses that I am surrounded by on this campus everyday, I have been able to grow, as a person and a performer, and make huge strides towards a future which I can be proud of.
HC: When/where can we catch your next performance?
MB: My next performance will be with Playmakers Repertory Company’s production of Assassins but I’m only an understudy for them. I’m understudying three different parts so I may never go on but if something were to happen and someone couldn’t go on one night, then I would step up!
HC: What are your career goals or plans after college?
MB: My career goals are sadly not completely defined yet! Right now I’m thinking that after graduation I will move up to New York and give acting a shot because I feel like I have to. If I don’t, I know I will always wonder “what if” so as far as I know at the moment, that is my plan. Hopefully something will come of it! In a way that almost makes graduation more exciting (and scary) knowing that I’m going to take a leap of faith and see where auditioning and acting can take me. It might not be the most secure or sane plan, but it will undoubtedly be an adventure!