Production Stage Manager
San Francisco, CA

Hello new friend! My name is Annie!
Born and raised in the SF Bay Area, I have always been a crazy theatre kid and passionate about the arts. I started into the performance world at the impressionable age of 4, when I performed for the first time, with my brother, in the musical Annie playing Molly, the youngest orphan. Standing on that stage, belting out "It's A Hard Knock Life" released a fire within me that I haven't been able to extinguish since.
Theatre was a large part of my young identity throughout high school, but when I moved away to Boston for college, theatre was the furthest thing from my mind. About a year in to studying at Boston University, with no artistic outlet, I started to feel like I was losing myself. After an inspiring chat with my brother, I decided to reimagine my life in the arts, and return to theatre. This time, instead of being on the stage, I would be controlling it.
I had my first summer stock experience as my first internship in college. I was lucky enough to be accepted into Ithaca's Hangar Theatre apprentice stage manager program with basically no resume and absolutely no training. Little did I know, this program would slam me into working on several shows simultaneously: working with little sleep, bouncing between shows, and forming intense bonds with complete strangers. It was exactly the push into the deep end that I needed - I was awake, I was alive, and I was hungry for more.
I returned to college and immersed myself into the theatre groups on campus, where I worked on every show I could, in every position they would let me, to feed the beast that was growing inside me. Throughout my college career, I managed to find myself with blessed the opportunities of two summer stocks, two stage manager internships , several productions with theatre groups, a job at the university production center, and (of course) a short-lived coffee shop job.
After college, I returned to my home turf of the Bay Area to live in my home city, San Francisco. Immediately, I secured a job with a local giant in event production and got back to work. The main reason, though, of my return to the Bay was the creation of my brother's dream, Quantum Dragon Theatre. I was honored to be offered the position of Production Stage Manager, and work alongside my brilliant brother, Sam Tillis, to create weird, incredible, science fiction/fantasy theatre and art.
With Quantum Dragon Theatre, I really began to create my network of theatre creators, art lovers, and long lasting friendships in the Bay Area. I also began to find my footing, both in the local scene, but also within my own art of stage management and production stage management.
Since moving back to the SF Bay Area, I have had the pleasure of working on almost every kind of live theatre production imaginable. I always love the classic forms of musical theatre and straight theatre, but I have really found a love and passion for more 'less conventional', if you will, productions like circus, cabaret, magic, and dance. I have also found a new passion in working with students, in both collegiate settings and younger.
I am looking forward to seeing where my adventures through the performing arts continue to take me, and the many wonderful and incredible humans I will get to call my friends after.

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