Laura Lundy-Paine, M.Ed.
Acting, Improvisation, Audition Techniques
Laura is the Artistic Director for Virago Theatre Company, where she directed the inaugural production of Threepenny Opera and the world premiere of Robert Hamm’s A Bed of My Own. Other directing credits include the world premiere of Anatomy at The Next Stage, the original musical Wink at Theatre Rhinoceros, Take Fountain and Joan the Temp at the San Francisco Stagelites One-Act Festival, Grace & Glorie at Ross Valley Players, Scotland Road at the Altarena Playhouse, Shivaree for Paula Productions, and Assistant Director on A Midsummer Night’s Dream at California Shakespeare Festival. As an actor, Laura played Madeline Broadmore in the world premiere of "It Falls. . . .” at Chabot College. Other roles include Mariana in Measure for Measure at Shakespeare at Stinson, Victoria Frankenstein in the San Francisco Fringe Festival production of Frankenstein, The Modern Prometheus, and Lee in Marvin's Room at Ross Valley Players. Other shows in regional theatre include Titantia/Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Shakespeare in the Park, and Rita in Educating Rita. Laura has taught for Marin Theatre Company, New Conservatory Theatre, Alameda Children’s Musical Theatre, and many other programs. Laura received her training at Pomona College in Los Angeles and at a Conservatory Program with the staff of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London.
Angela Dant
Physical Theatre
Angela is a founding member of Virago Theatre Company, and has appeared in three of its productions - The ThreePenny Opera, The Death of Ayn Rand, and Mankind's Last Hope. She will be seen next on the Virago stage as Clovis in Dream of a Common Language in Oct/Nov 2008. Before forming Virago, Angela was seen on Bay Area stages in the female version of the Odd Couple, as Ismene in the US premiere of Maria Lampadaridou's Antigone, Jessie in night Mother, and Jack's Mother in Into the Woods. Angela performed in two productions at the 1994 Edinburgh Theatre Festival in Scotland, and won a Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Susie in Wait Until Dark at Chanticleers Theater. Angela studied theatre at Cal State Fresno and Cal State Hayward, which included training in physical theatre with Jeff Raz of the New Pickle Circus and Cirque du Soleil, and improvisation with BATS co-founder Rebecca Stockley.
Michael Storm
Improvisation, Stage Combat, Advanced Acting
Michael has been working throughout the Bay Area and beyond for the past 18 years. He has appeared with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Napa Valley Repertory, San Jose Stage Company, Pacific Alliance Theatre Co., and the California Shakespeare Festival, among others. He was born in Berkeley and attended the University of California at Irvine where he received two degrees; one in Drama and one in Economics. He has taught for the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and San Jose Stage Company’s Actors Lab, where he serves as the Education Director. In addition to his degrees in Theatre and Economics, Michael is also a certified Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors.
Eileen Meredith
Voice for the Actor
Eileen Meredith is a lyric soprano, voice teacher and vocal coach. She has taught private voice lessons for over ten years, and has taught after-school singing classes. She has directed music in three Alameda Children’s Musical Theatre productions, and prepared singers for High School Musical at Wood Middle School. She has also joined mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade in several benefit concerts. She is a founding member of Virago Theatre, where she recently performed the role of Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide, and played the role of Polly Peachum in Virago’s production of The Threepenny Opera in 2006. Eileen is a full-time member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus. She has been a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall, and she can be heard on their CD, Voices 2000. She has performed as a soloist with Berkeley Opera, Livermore Valley Opera, Pocket Opera, Goat Hall Productions, the UC Berkeley Chamber Orchestra, and Oakland Youth Orchestra. She recently released a CD, “Silver and Gold: American Songs and Arias,” featuring both rarely performed and popular selections. Eileen is delighted to be part of the Theatre Conservatory.
Lisa Bush Finn
Movement
Lisa created choreography for Virago Theatre’s productions of The Threepenny Opera, The Death of Ayn Rand, Mankind’s Last Hope, and Candide as well as for Alameda Children’s Musical Theater’s productions of Peter Pan, Alice and High School Musical, and for Jasper Productions’ Anatomy. She is also a performer and has appeared in the works of several Bay Area choreographers, including Nina Otis Haft, Carol Kueffer Moore, Dana Lee Lawton, Randee Paufve, Jill Randall, and Alisa Rasera. Lisa earned her B.A. in Dance from Bennington College. Subsequently, during her 15 years in New York City, she was a member of the Wendy Perron Dance Co. while also performing nationally and internationally with many other choreographers and performance artists there. In NYC, her own choreography was presented at Movement Research and at University Settlement. Lisa currently teaches early childhood music in Alameda for East Bay Music Together® and is also a teaching artist at local schools through the Creative Education Institute. Lisa would like to thank her kids, Connor & Emma Finn, and her husband Chris Finn for their generous support.