MIRIAM ANI
actor | director | teacher
about me.
Indomitable, lifelong theatre-maker deeply committed to unfolding the artistry of the human body, voice, and spirit & creating fierce, relevant, and impactful stories onstage.
An actor, director, and teacher, I bring an insider understanding of craft and years of expertise training actors to the director’s bench. I offer a consummate eye for truth-telling through the smallest gesture & energetic exchange, and a sweeping sense of thematic storytelling through powerful and dynamic staging.
I hold an MFA in Acting with a focus in Voicework from CUNY Brooklyn College, and an Interdisciplinary undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Theatre, and English. I am also a 500-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher and pursue a continuing investigation to cultivate maximum freedom in the physical & vocal instrument.
A past company member of Hedgerow Theatre, I played such roles as Ariel in The Tempest across from Robert Lanchester’s Prospero and Rose in A Hotel on Marvin Gardens directed by Nagle Jackson. I originated the lead role of Abigail in the world premiere of Jim Knable’s Green Man at Stages Theatre, LA, and have the distinct privilege of being distinguished as an original cast member in the published Samuel French version of the playscript.
Since relocating to the Bay Area, I have acted with the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (Intimate Apparel, The Urban Retreat, world premiere, among others), San Francisco Shakespeare Festival's The Comedy of Errors: Shakespeare on Tour, understudied for Cal Shakes (Queen Margaret, War of the Roses) and appeared as the title role in The Heiress at Lucie Stern Theatre, Irina in Three Sisters at DMT,
Sébastienne in Livermore Shakes’ Tempest, Lady Macbeth for Half Moon Bay Shakes, and as Karen in August Osage County (NTC) among others.
Mainstage shows I have directed include The Crucible for Pacifica Spindrift Players, Steel Magnolias for Cinnabar Theater, & The Hallelujah Girls for North Bay Stage Company, s, and I have supported the African-American Shakespeare Company as a voice & text coach for productions of Macbeth and Othello.
Since 2021, I have been on faculty at the Actors Conservatory at Las Positas College where my complement of classes include Advanced Acting, Voice for the Actor, Movement, and Shakespeare through Performance. I have also taught Acting at California State University, East Bay, Sacramento State University, the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, & Marin Shakespeare Company, among others. I served as an ACTF respondent and TBA adjudicator from 2014-20. Proud member of AEA.
Of MENA & Mizrachi Jewish descent, I believe firmly in the power of theatre as a meeting point for diverse voices and the vital necessity of deeply representational stories. Especially now.
Questions I bring to the table include: Why are we doing this? Who is it for? Why does it matter? I champion meaning, rigor, & deep artfulness, and work always with an emphasis on craft, collaboration, & the joy of making.
I live with my husband and two magical children in beautiful Pt. Richmond, CA where the streets are riddled with faerie houses and the beach is only just a walk away.