Anne Catherine Penner

Professor

What I do

I teach acting, directing, actor movement and voice courses; I also direct in the Department of Theatre. I am a professional theater actor, director, and producer, and I co-host the podcast, The Actor's Mind.

Specialization(s)

Acting, Directing, Movement, Voice

Professional Biography

As well as teaching in the DU Department of Theatre, Anne is an actor, director, and producer. Her professional acting work includes roles with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, the Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, Stories on Stage, and Sis Tryst Productions. She also directs here at DU, and she produces for her theatre company, Sis Tryst Productions.
She also is co-host of the podcast, The Actor's Mind, with Psychology professor, Kateri McRae.

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.