Tess Neel

DU Prison Arts Initiative Operations Manager

Professional Biography

Tess Neel recently graduated from the University of Denver with a BA and BS in theatre and business management. As a student at DU, she focused on stage management and production management for various theatre productions. Tess has worked with theatre companies including the Arvada Center Black Box Theatre (Stage Management Intern), The Three Leaches (Stage Manager), Reunion Entertainment LLC (Assistant Stage Manager), and the Lamont Opera Company (Production Manager). Tess is currently working at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts as a Stage Management Apprentice and is extremely excited to join the DU PAI team as the organization’s Operations Manager. Her first experience with social change theatre came when she assisted Ashley Hamilton with a DU summer course in 2017 that focused on devising theatre with students in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The program opened her eyes to the idea that theatre can serve as more than just entertainment for participants and audiences alike. She is very excited to help work with and expand this amazing DU PAI program and experience first-hand how theatre can be used to help change people’s perspectives, trajectories and lives.