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Who is Striding Lion InterArts Workshop?

Striding Lion InterArts Workshop is an ensemble of Chicago artists from various disciplines dedicated to producing quality interdisciplinary performing arts experiences. In both our performance and our education we utilize a uniquely collaborative approach that strives to honor all artistic voices in the creative process. Offering critically acclaimed interdisciplinary productions through our Striding Lion Performance Series, and the very best in interdisciplinary arts education, Striding Lion endeavors to broaden the relationship between artist and audience—breaking down barriers to make interdisciplinary performance both accessible and meaningful. We are a not for profit, 501(c)3 organization which depends upon the generous support of our public to continue to pursue our mission.

COMPANY

Amanda Berg Wilson (Executive Artistic Director), is a performer, director, teacher, producer, and a co-founder of Striding Lion. Highlights of her work with the company include: directing the critically heralded Cowboy Mouth; writing and performing her autobiographical piece Texas, He Comes Back to Haunt Me in the 2nd Annual Striding Lion InterArts Festival; performing as Titania in and directing Ill Met By Moonlight; performing as the Tour Guide in and directing Striding Lion’s critical and popular hit, Billy the Mountain and Other Wartime Stories; performing in and directing City Beautiful; directing Gerrymander; performing in Reasons for Moving; and co-writing, performing in, and directing last season’s sold-out run of Birdsongs. In addition to her work as a performer and director with the company, Amanda has represented Striding Lion in dozens of educational residencies throughout the Chicago area. Outside of Striding Lion, Amanda has worked with Collaboraction, the side project, the Strange Tree Group, Stage Left, Apple Tree, the Vittum Theater, Healthworks, and Simple Theatre. Amanda is the recipient of the 1998 Memphis Theatre award for Best Actress in a Drama for her work in Scotland Road, of Westward Magazine's 2000 Best of Denver award for her work in the ensemble of Babe, The Sheep Pig, and was selected as a finalist for the Goodman Theatre’s 2005/2006 Michael Maggio Directing Fellowship. She recently directed Sean Graney's Autophagy at the side project, and the Strange Tree Group's Jeff Nominated production of The Dastardly Ficus and Other Comedic Tales of Woe and Misery. She currently resides in Boulder, Colorado, where she continues to serve as Executive Artistic Director through the power of telecommunication, and where she is establishing a western branch of the company. She is proud wife to the indomitable Ben Wilson and mother to the adorable Eloise.

Renee Callahan   was welcomed into the den during Striding Lion's run of Ill Met By Moonlight. Since then, she has performed in 6 Striding Lion original productions and taught residencies at St. James Cathedral and Foreman High School in conjunction with After School Matters.  Renee earned a B.S. in Media Studies with minors in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she also worked on-air as a news anchor, reporter, and talk show host at WPGU-FM.  She has trained at various studios in Chicago, including The Second City Training Center’s Conservatory Program.  Around Chicagoland, Renee has also worked with such companies as Apple Tree Theatre, Piven Theatre Workshop, Stage Left, The Side Project and Dance 2XS.

Annie Arnoult Beserra(Education Director)has an MFA in Dance from The Ohio State University and a BA in Dance and Comparative Literary Studies from Northwestern University.  She was the founding Artistic Director of Striding Lion where she has had the honor to collaborate with the company on Daughter of Jacob, The Giver, Ill Met by Moonlight, Billy the Mountain and Other American Card Tricks, and a number of InterArts Festival productions.  With the support of SLIW, Beserra recently choreographed and produced The Jenkins Farm Project (http://www.beserradancetheater.org/Jenkins_Farm_Project/Chicago.html) a dance theater installation that asks questions about the meaning of home, family, mental illness, and memory against the backdrop of a rural North Carolina farm.  Beserra has also choreographed for Toad Productions, NYC, the NY International Fringe Festival (with SLIW), Piven Theater Workshop, Roadworks Productions, XSIGHT! Performance Group, T.J. and Company, Lucky Plush Productions, Evanston Dance Ensemble and The Ohio State University.  She has performed in her own work and for choreographers throughout Chicago and was a member of Billy Siegenfeld’s Jump Rhythm Jazz Project from 1996-2000. She has been a guest artist at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, The University of Alaska at Anchorage, Northwestern University, Southern Methodist University, Western Michigan University, UC Irvine, Louisiana Dance Theater, and Alaska Dance Theatre, and served as adjunct faculty in ballet and jazz at Northwestern University.  

Dana Dardai

Dana Dardai has worked with the Neo-Futurists, Filament Theater,
Stockyards Theater Project, New Leaf Theatre, and New Millennium. She
is a teaching ensemble member of the Striding Lion InterArts Workshop
and co-composed and performed on their album, "Birdsongs". She has
also composed and directed music for "A.W.O.L" with the clown troupe
Eleffant Foot. Dana studied the violin, voice and viola at the
University of Evansville, clown with 500 clown and movement at Joel
Hall and the Salt Creek Ballet.

Karen Louis(Associate Artistic Director)is an interdisciplinary performance and visual artist who has been involved with Striding Lion since the April '02 production of "Cowboy Mouth." Although her primary discipline is performance, she is quick to jump into the mix to sew up some fancy costumes, mend some smelly ones, paint some pretty pictures, and always voice an opinion or other, welcome or not. She is currently in the Interdisciplinary Arts M.A. program at Columbia College Chicago, and holds a B.A. from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. Karen has trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, NYC and IO Theatre(formerly Improv Olympic), Chicago. Karen is an an enthusiastic performer, artist and teacher, with a real passion for arts outreach programming and education reform. She has taught as a Striding Lion Artist with Afterschool Matters for quite a few years now. She has also served as a teaching artist with Healthworks Theatre(Chicago) and the Women's Project and Productions(NYC). Eat the Art.

Danielle Puterbaugh

Christian Rogala

ASSOCIATE/EMERITUS COMPANY

Colby Beserra

Allison Kurtz

Todd Lahrman

Beth McDermott

Matt Reed

Ben Berg Wilson

STRIDING LION INTERARTS WORKSHOP BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Suzanne Kanter , President
Taneal Sanders, Secretary
Annie Arnoult Beserra, Treasurer

Elizabeth Hubbard

Karen Louis

Matt Richmond  

Amy Teschner

Alan Succari

Chris Thomas

Amanda Berg Wilson