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Ann is a director and choreographer with a passion for
new work. Originally from San Jose, California, she fell
in love with Chicago at first sight in 1993 and never left.
Since then, she has directed over 40 productions in Chicago,
half of those being world premieres, at such theatres as
Red Orchid (Brett Neveu's Eric LaRue), Shattered
Globe (House of Blue Leaves), Live Bait, Stage
Left (David Alan Moore's In Times of War and Mia
McCullough's Spare Change), Porchlight, Prop Thtr,
The Aardvark, and Emerald City. She also has directed for
Northwestern, NIU, DePaul, UIC, Circle Theatre in Forest
Park (Susan Hahn's Golf), William Inge Theatre
Festival in Kansas, and 29th Street Rep in New York.
She was the 2004-05 recipient of the Michael Maggio Directing
Fellowship at the Goodman Theatre where she directed David
Mamet's Almost Done, Reunion, and Dark
Pony. In 2001 she received an After Dark Award for
her direction of John Green's The Liquid Moon at
Chicago Dramatists.
Ann was the Associate Artistic Director of Writers' Theatre
in Glencoe for three years and served on the board of the
League of Chicago Theatres. While Producing Director of
Chicago Dramatists from 2000-2004, Ann co-produced the National
Showcase of New Plays 2004. She is the editor of "New Plays
from Chicago" Chicago's first-ever anthology of new plays
and the creator and Artistic Director of Chicago's Estrogen
Fest.
Ann founded 16th Street Theater in September 2007 thanks
to the North Berwyn Park District and Joseph Vallez. For
16th Street Ann has developed and directed the world premieres
of Rohina Malik's Unveiled, Susan Hahn's The
Scarlet Ibis, Will Dunne's The Ascension of Carlotta,
Robert Koon's Menorca and Tony Fitzpatrick's This
Train which enjoyed a sold-out, critically-acclaimed
remount at Steppenwolf's Garage Theatre. She also directed
the Jeff-Nominated Kita y Fernanda by Tanya Saracho,
Anna Deavere Smith's Fires in the Mirror and Brett
Neveu's The Last Barbecue.
Ann has shared the stage with Tom Wopat, Jennifer Garner
and a cactus. Ann made her home in Berwyn with her husband,
musician/composer, Barry Bennett and their daughter Hannah.
She is very happy to be here.
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