USD Theatre Senior Spotlight: Liv Meloy

A San Diego native with a love for sharks and a passion for performance, Liv Meloy has distinguished herself as a multi-talented and dedicated artist. With an extensive list of roles and creative contributions, she has become a familiar face both onstage and behind the scenes. Meloy is a theatre major graduating this May, 2026.

At USD, she has performed in a remarkable range of productions: Teresa in Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher, Zyclos Bird/Helen Laius in Anon(ymous), #14 in The Wolves, and Mrs. Shears — and head of movement/choreographer — in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. She also did design for the first-ever Creating the Play (THEA-305) course, which happens in the spring semester. This year, Meloy will be on the acting side of this two-sided course, Acting the Play (THEA-306), in the department’s production of Dog Sees God. Most recently, she starred as Wendla in Spring Awakening. Meloy is also the Director of Marking — and founding member — of USD Playhouse, a student organization that produces staged readings, playwriting festivals and attends multiple professional productions throughout the year. 

Meloy’s theatre experience stretches far beyond campus. She currently works as choreographer for the Young Actors Workshop (YAW) in La Jolla, where she began as a student at age seven and volunteered for a few years before being hired on as choreographer in 2021. “I also do assistant direction, costume design, scenic design and so much more for YAW.”

Outside the theatre world, she is a scuba dive master for Island Style Diving in Maui and a professional underwater and portrait photographer. 

Her path into the theatre major was serendipitous, first starting as a minor, Meloy was drawn back time and time again to theatre classes and productions. Today, she describes the USD theatre community as “tight-knit, kind, talented.”  When asked about the best part of the department, she didn’t hesitate:  “The people and faculty — *cough cough* Lisa Berger.” Meloy’s advice for students looking to get involved?  “Get to know the faculty. It’ll help you get farther.”  Her favorite classes at USD include Fundamentals of Design (THEA-220) with Robin Roberts and her very first theatre course, Fundamentals of Acting (THEA-230) with Lecturer of Theatre Soroya Rowley, MA.  “The fact I was randomly placed into it my freshman year was just fate. It meant so much.”

Among her many accomplishments, one stands out most:  “Having my photos all around the department, as well as doing every show [during my time here] is a huge accomplishment. My freshman year, I made a friend who was a senior and she was honored for having done every show in her time at USD. I made it my goal to do the same. I ended up being a part of every show, acting in seven department productions, taking professional photos for two, and doing so much more for USD Playhouse.”  Meloy is incredibly proud of her time at USD and within the Department of Theatre.

What’s beyond college? Meloy ponders theatre education and possibly a career as a professional diver/photographer — a fitting blend for someone whose life bridges the stage and the sea.