Carene Rose Mekertichyan is an artist, organizer, educator, and proud Angelena. As a Black Armenian woman, she is drawn to storytelling that centers marginalized narratives and firmly believes that true art exists to spark empathy and create social change. Her identity and upbringing in Los Angeles informs both her art and intersectional activism. She received her training from Dartmouth College and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Selected stage: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar, ...Ladies and Gentlemen of Colour, The Tempest, Knight of the Burning Pestle, Macbeth, Pericles, Twelfth Night (Independent Shakespeare Co.), Much Ado About Nothing (u/s A Noise Within), Troy (Hero Theatre), Señor Plummer's Final Fiesta (Rogue Artists Ensemble), The Three Musketeers (PVPA), and Macbeth (Northern Stage). Film: Live at the Porpentine, Boys About Town, Band,  The Girl in the Red Dress, and I Am Easy to Find (starring Alicia Vikander and directed by Academy Award Nominee Mike Mills). She also starred in the Amazon Prime exclusive web series Just Roommates. She is a member of Actors' Equity and SAG Eligible.

 

Carene serves as the Artistic Associate for Social Justice at Independent Shakespeare Co., Program Coordinator at Support Black Theatre, and is co-author of the LA Anti-Racist Theatre Standards and a Blklst Contributor. In 2021 she was selected as an Arts for LA Activate Delegate. She has guest lectured and facilitated programming at USC, UCLA, PCC, and Boston College and is currently a Teaching Artist with the Center Theatre Group, Creative Acts, and About Productions. Her plays and spoken word have been produced at Edinburgh Fringe, MeetCute LA, Company of Angels, Independent Shakespeare Co., and We the People Theater Action. She is also an essayist, with work published by University of Texas Press, LAist, The Armenian Weekly, HyeBred Magazine, and Kooyrigs. She is Co-Founder of Yerazad, a social justice coalition centered on Armenian liberation, coalition building, and transnational solidarity.