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Anne Penner

Anne Catherine Penner

Professor; Chair

anne.penner@du.edu

303-871-2108 (Office)

http://www.theactorsmind.com, www.annepenner.com

Personal

Johnson-McFarlane Hall, 1903 E. Iliff Ave. Denver, CO 80210

What I do

I teach acting, directing, actor movement, and voice courses; I also direct for the department’s production season. I am a professional theater actor, director, and producer, and I co-host the podcast, The Actor's Mind, with DU Psychology professor Kateri McRae. Our book, also titled The Actor’s Mind, will be available from Routledge in late 2026.

Specialization(s)

Acting, Directing, Acting & Movement, Voice, Psychology

Professional Biography

As well as teaching and directing in the DU Department of Theatre, Anne is a professional stage actor, director, and producer. Her professional acting work includes roles with Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Arvada Center, Curious Theatre Company, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, Local Theater Company, Stories on Stage, and Sis Tryst Productions. She won a Colorado Theater Henry Award for Outstanding Performer in a Play for her performance of The Pilot in Grounded. She is also co-host/co-producer of the podcast The Actor’s Mind with Psychology professor, Kateri McRae. Their book, also titled The Actor’s Mind, will be available from Routledge in 2026.

Degree(s)

  • MFA, Theatre/Acting, Columbia University School of the Arts, 2002
  • BA, Theatre & Dance / English, Amherst College, 1997

Professional Affiliations

  • Theatre Communications Group

Research

My research focuses on three goals: 1) the creation of theatrical projects for the public, 2) the production of The Actor's Mind podcast, a conversation between acting and psychology, with Psychology professor Kateri McRae, and 3) the development and ultimate production of a devised theatrical piece about Lady Macbeth. As a theatre practitioner, my research centers on actor training, especially the Stanislavski System, Shakespeare, and actor movement training. As a podcast host, my research focuses on developing discussions about the overlap between acting technique and psychological science.

Areas of Research

Acting technique
Stanislavski
Shakespeare
actor movement
The Actor's Mind (theactorsmind.com)

Performances

Penner, A. C. (2018). The Wolves, a play by Sarah DeLappe. Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. Boulder, Colorado.
Penner, A. C. (2017). Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare. Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Boulder, CO.
Penner, A. C. (2018). Richard III, by William Shakespeare. Colorado Shakespeare Festival . Boulder, Colorado.
Penner, A. C. (2019). Romeo and Juliet. Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Boulder, CO.
Penner, A. C. (2017). The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion. Stories on Stage. Boulder and Denver, Colorado.

Presentations

Penner, A. C. (2019). Time to Get Real: Subjective Perspectives on Truthfulness in Performance. Livingston Lecture. College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences.
Penner, A. C., Campbell, A., & Fellenstein, E. (2017). No Acting, Please: The Paradox of Contemporary Acting Technique. AHSS Faculty Lecture Series. University of Denver: Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Denver.