Bergen Community College

Bergen Community College technical assistant, stagehand, and alumnus, Ray Parente, ’20, graduated with an associate of arts degree in theatre to pursue a career as an actor.

“The connection between the students and teachers at Bergen is unmatched,” said Parente, of Wayne, who is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree at Montclair State University. “You have the opportunity to grow and learn everything in your field and find your voice as an artist.”

Before attending Bergen, Parente had studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in New York City but realized that he needed to continue his education. On his first day on the Bergen campus, he asked his math professor where he could find the theatre department and she directed him to Bergenstages director and theatre professor Jim Bumgardner’s office. “In one conversation, I felt at home,” said Parente.

When Parente walked into the Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre for the first time, he saw the Broadway sized proscenium stage and he knew that Bergen was the place for him. “I was in awe of what this school had to offer, and I have been part of the furniture since,” said Parente.

Bergen’s theatre faculty and staff developed Parente as an actor and helped hone his craft and skill in the field. “Every person shines their brightest when they know their strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “Bergen is an excellent place to discover those qualities, practice how to use them in your quest for fulfillment, and ultimately discover the best, truest version of yourself.”

Besides his role as an actor, Parente served as an assistant director, sound designer, and prop designer for productions produced by the College’s student theatre troupe Bergenstages.

As an active alumnus, Parente founded the Bergen Alumni Theatre (BAT), an alumni and student run theatre troupe formed out of the gratitude for the opportunities that Bergen and the student theatre troupe Bergenstages had given its students. He currently serves as the president of BAT.

According to Parente, Bumgardner and general manager and technical coordinator for the theatres Tom O’Neill, Ed.D., were instrumental in the successful establishment of BAT.

“Through watching and learning from them, I and everyone in BAT gained the necessary tools, lenses and values required to bring the stories we love to life,” said Parente who has held the roles of actor, producer, director, set designer, and sound designer for BAT.

Parente credits technical theatre staff coworkers Eireann Ingersoll, Graham Frye, Miru Kim, Dimitri Mokarakorn, and Steve Schwartz for teaching and mentoring him in the theatre production field. “My coworkers have taught me everything there is to know about the nuts and bolts of theatre production,” he said. “I have many mentors to be grateful for here.”

Through his mentorship at the College, Parente offers fellow alumni some advice and key take aways. “Never stop learning about yourself, other people, and your passions,” he said. “Never stop believing in who you are, what you have achieved, and what you will achieve.”

Over the past few years, the BAT company has successfully produced four productions including “Manor of Murder,” “A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream,” “Cartoon,” and “Doubt: A Parable.” The theatre company’s first production, “Manor of Murder,” a farcical murder mystery experience, sold out both of its performances. “Manor of Murder” was written by Bergen alumna Christine Dunning, ‘18, who serves as the vice president of BAT.

In June 2026, Parente will star alongside Dunning and Ethan Benell in the BAT company’s production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).” The three actors will perform all of Shakespeare’s plays in an exhilarating, hilarious, and chaotic 97 minutes. For more information on Bergenstages and BAT productions, visit tickets.bergen.edu.

Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 24,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.

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