Karen Kessler is a proud member of the ensemble of A Red Orchid where she has directed the Midwest premier of Pumpgirl by Abbie Spallen, the Chicago premier of Sarah Kane's Blasted, as well as Gagarin's Way (a play that won an After Dark award for Outstanding Ensemble) and the Midwest premier of Mr. Kolpert. In April she participated in her first Collaboration Sketchbook with the play Who Put the Dead Bird in My Mailbox? Last year she directed the U.S. premier of Roddy Doyle's War for the Seanachai Theatre.
Her other Chicago credits include: A Going Concern, This Lime Tree Bower, Remembrance, A Mislaid Heaven, and the award winning Early and Often for Famous Door; Sam Shepard's The God of Hell (a Midwest premier) at the Next Theatre; The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, Wrens, Hamlet, and Cyrano de Bergerac for Rivendell Theatre Ensemble-a company that Karen co-founded; and the Midwest premier of Steve Martin's The Underpants for Noble Fool Productions. Credits outside Chicago include: Glengarry Glen Ross for the Northern Stage Ensemble in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England; Macbeth for the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival; Measure for Measure for Connecticut Repertory Theatre; Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, and All's Well That Ends Well at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival; and The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Complete History of America (Abridged) for Idaho Repertory Theatre.
Karen teaches directing, acting, and Shakespeare at Ball State University.
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