Hi there!

My name is Murphy Applin Jr. (they/he), and I am a creator and a recent graduate of the University of NC School of the Arts with a degree in Acting. My next step is to move to the big city to further my education and my career. And I would love your help. 

While in school, I worked hard to maintain all A's in my acting classes, and also helped to create much-needed community for myself and for my fellow Black peers at UNCSA. This included initiating an annual Black History Month Festival across campus, and directing it’s Black History Show for 3 years. The festival involved students across each department: Drama, Dance, Film, Design & Production, and Music. This also included serving as the president of Artists of Color, an advocacy organization for Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color in the school year 2020-21. This organization worked to provide a safe space for the Black community at UNCSA amid the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, worked with the administration of UNCSA in designing the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) Initiative, as well as orchestrated events for celebration including the Black History Month Festival, Latinx Now, and more. This also included meeting with the police chief of UNCSA and challenging regulation that potentially hurt underprivileged and underrepresented folks on campus. During my final year I created, wrote, musically arranged, and directed The Lighthouse Social, an hour long concert-play for myself and some of my Black peers in the School of Drama to perform in, creating even more community for us and providing a space to do some singing in the meantime. In my last semester, I was blessed with the opportunity to perform as the lead of Passing Strange, the first all Black musical at UNCSA, a month before I graduated. In my 4 years I fought hard for my community, and to uphold the legacy of so many Black folks who came before me so that I could make it easier for the ones who are coming after me.

I have many plans for my future and am so eager to continue my journey of turning my dreams into a reality. From a stable home/work environment, to professional vocal lessons, to movement classes for the actor, and more- with every dollar you donate to help me, I will work hard to continue my education in my craft in NYC. I’ve worked all summer in preparation for this. And I appreciate anything you can do to help me too. Thank you so much!