The Viola Project Teachers:
	Ellie Kaufman (teacher, Board of Directors, Executive Director) moved to Chicago after receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Theater Arts from Brandeis University in 2002, since which time she has worked with The Piccolo Theatre of Evanston (Dario Fo's Mistero Buffo), Eudaimonia Professional Theatre (The Importance of Being Earnest), Chicago Jewish Theatre (Meshuggah-Nuns), Theo Ubique (Richard III), American Demigods (Lysistrata 3000), Brown Couch Theatre (Kickin' It Old Skool), and Searchlight Theatre (Twelfth Night), among others, and is an ensemble member of Promethean Theatre Company.  She also does occasional voice-over work for DemiDec Resources, most recently performing the role of Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing.  She has also performed in Encore!, a 22-state children's theatre tour with Boston-based Chamber Theatre Productions. She is also an Ashtanga and Vinyasa Yoga teacher.
	Andrew Boyer (teacher, Board of Directors, Producing Director) recently assistant directed Take Me Out with About Face Theatre Company, performed in the Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, and is currently working with AFT on the world premiere of the new Mary Zimmerman play M. Proust. He also recently performed a one- man adaptation of his play The Terrible Head  at the Bailiwick Arts Center and assistant directed and acted in the Jefferson Award nominated production of Sin: A Cardinal Deposed at Bailiwick Repertory. Acting credits include The Tempest at the McCarter Theatre (New Jersey), The Vengeance of Mami Wata at the Theater for a New City (New York), and Peter in Peter and the Wolf at Lincoln Center.  Andrew was trained as a director, choreographer, and actor at Middlebury College in Vermont and the Marymount London School of Drama in England.
	Reina Hardy (teacher, Board of Directors, Artistic Director)  received her English degree from Columbia University, NYC and Oxford University, UK. She's been obsessed with Shakespeare since the age of eight. Reina is also an emerging playwright with credits in Chicago and New York, winner of the Brick Memorial Prize and the Mckay Poetry Prize, and an occasional journalist. Reina reviews theatre for Inside Newspapers and Centerstage, and is engaged in a quixotic quest to see a show in every single Chicago Fringe venue. Look for excerpts from Reina's plays in two monologue compilations by Smith and Kraus, Audition Arsenal For Women In Their 30's and The Ultimate Audition Book: 221 One-minute Monologues For Women, available at your local bookstore.
	Molly Meacham (teacher)  graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre from Northwestern in 2003. Since graduating, she has performed with companies such as Red Moon, Collaboraction, Authentic Theatre Company, and Darknight Galleries. She is an ensemble member of Promethean Theatre Company. In addition to her theatre work, she performs spoken word with the No Name Ensemble directed by Marc Smith. She has toured California with her poetry and has competed in two Nationals Slams representing Chicago. She teaches English and Creative Writing at Lane Tech.
	Annaliisa Ahlman (teacher) will graduate in December, 2008 with her Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Education and Music Theatre Performance. She also has a concentration in women's and gender studies and will be certified to teach high school theatre and social studies. Since 2006, Annaliisa has worked in various positions for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, a professional repertory company in the heart of Central Illinois, and she most recently served as their Company Manager. Her collegiate directing and producing credits include The Man of Infinite Sadness, The Illustrated Woman and The Vagina Monologues, which she later brought to a women's correctional facility. Annaliisa also works as a Zumba and group fitness instructor.

© The Viola Project 2008