Annika Nori Ahlgrim

Understanding, accommodating and compassionate team player committed to effective communication and kindness. Experience in many aspects of story development, creative writing and theatre production, with a strong interest in professional development in arts management, theater education and creative writing. Passionate about storytelling and adaptation, working intellectually and creatively with words in order to bring the stories that need to be told to all audiences.

 

EDUCATION

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University of Birmingham, Stratford-Upon-Avon, U.K. — M.A. Shakespeare & Creativity

M.A. received December 2018

September 2017 - December 2018

As the only Shakespeare MA program of its kind in the world, MA Shakespeare & Creativity blends the academic approach to study and artistic exploration of the bard’s words. Including the use of creative writing, scholastic essays, performances, the culminating project is a fully produced devised production created by the MA candidates to be performed in the RSC’s The Other Place Theatre.

• Dissertation: Ahlgrim, Annika Nori. 2018.
  An exploration of three of Shakespeare’s child characters, and how they represent and tell the stories in which they reside. How does Young Lucius of Shakespeare’s bloodiest tragedy, Titus Andronicus, witness the carnage of his family while holding their stories in his small hands? What stories does Young Macduff, a young, yet mysteriously wise hero, tell his mother in his short scene before his own impending death? And how do those stories influence and reference his own father’s and family life? Sweet Mamillius must watch his father descend into a jealous madness and then bear witness to the abuse and imprisonment of his beloved mother at the hands of his father. As the only literal storyteller among these three young ones, what significance does a beginning with no end have on a child’s inquisitive and devoted mind?

 

Sound Circle Center, Seattle, WA — Waldorf Teacher Training

September 2016 - April 2017

The Waldorf Foundation Studies develops the foundational knowledge of Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy, Philosophies and the concepts inherent in Waldorf Education.

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Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA — B.F.A. Theatre & Original Works

B.F.A. received May 2016

September 2012 - May 2016

This intense conservatory-style theater program is surprisingly academic, as well. It trains the actor and theater artist over four years, nurturing their talents pedagogically and taught by the professional theatre artists in their fields. At the start of the third year, the Original Works students undertakes another layer of their training along with their acting classes: playwriting and directing.

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Waldorf School of the Peninsula, Mountain View, CA — High School Diploma

September 1998 – June 2012

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PUBLICATIONS

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Ed. Chris Sumption. Stranger Than: New Fiction, Poetry, Comics, and a Play. Blurb, April 12, 2013.

This publication includes two original pieces by Annika Nori. A research paper on the beneficial effects of Fairy Tales on a child’s mind, including the links between those ancient, and not so ancient, folktales and Horror Stories. It includes an original Fairy Tale which was inspired by the discoveries uncovered by the research paper.

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PROJECTS

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Épine Noir Society, Remote — Founding Member

May 2020 - Present

Manage a membership website, organize two to four online discussions a month to discuss art, philosophy, ideas, history and science. Edit and contribute to an online monthly Art and Literary Magazine publication.

 

Mentoring a Student in Playwriting — Playwright Mentor

November 2019 – May 2020

Assisting a senior at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula construct and write a full-length play to be produced and performed by their class as their senior play.

 

Development and Writing of a Full-Length Play — Playwright

October 2018 - December 2018

A same-sex love story which deals with the controversial and sometimes scary topics of Reality, Truth, Love, mental illness, physical disabilities and homophobia. It is told largely through text messages, as that is the primary and arguably limiting form that romantic relationships take in our culture today.

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The University of Birmingham and the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-Upon-Avon, U.K. - Playwright, Actor

January 2018 - May 2018

The M.A. Shakespeare and Creativity cohort devised two productions with the University of Birmingham in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The final production was an original and analytical play called Fourplay, about the women who fake their deaths in Shakespeare’s plays.

 

The Shakespeare Institute Players, Stratford-Upon-Avon, U.K. — Director, Producer, Stage Manager, Designer (Costume, Set)

January 2018 - March 2018

A full-length production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull with a diverse cast of talented individuals. Managed, scheduled and produced rehearsals, communications and performances.

 

Development and Writing of a Novel— Author

October 2017 - Still in Progress

A story about a girl named Helena, daughter of a Shakespeare Professor and her estranged father, a doctor. In the event of her mother’s death, she is sent to live with the father she has never met, only to be followed by her mother’s beloved Shakespeare to England, where those centuries-old stories swirl through her life. An adaptation, and amalgamation of many of Shakespeare’s stories, Helena must discover her mother’s reason for choosing her name, a name which she despises.

 

Adaptation and Writing of a Full-Length Play — Playwright

January 2016 - Still in Progress

A modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s ambiguous tale of betrayal and love, The Winter’s Tale. In 1993, a small law firm in San Francisco welcomes a second baby into one of their title families. The stress brings out the worst in some, leading to heartbreak, desolation and death. 25 years later, in Winters, CA, a young law-student fights for the love of her life while battling the justice system.

 

Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA - Playwright, Director, Dramaturg, Producer, Designer (costume, set, lights, sound)

November 2016 - April 2016

A one-man-show telling the story of a lesbian couple’s journey to motherhood in early 1990’s Austin, Texas. Managed, scheduled, produced and designed rehearsals, lights and sound.

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Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA - Playwright, Producer, Director, Designer (costume, sound and lights)

October 2015 - February 2016

An adaption of the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. With a dramaturgy and stage management team, I produced, managed and scheduled rehearsals with the cast.

 

Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA - Actor, Director, Playwright

January 2015 - May 2015

The Original Works Festival showcases the work of the Original Works major students. Each student wrote a 10-minute play, directed a member of their cohort’s play and performed in multiple others.

 

The Waldorf School of the Peninsula, Mountain View, CA - Actor, Director, Playwright

October 2011 - May 2012

An original one-person-show based on the lives of four generations of Griffen women, on their 18th birthdays. In 1925 New Mexico, a Native American teacher grapples with the treatment of her people in a world where it is illegal for a Native American educator to have a child under the age of 9 months and keep her job as a teacher. 30 years later, the teacher’s daughter lacks to tools to deal with the trauma of her infantile abandonment, unaware of the fact that 25 years later, her daughter will also feel the sting of an absent parent. 31 years later, in 2011, their descendant wishes she could stay a child, in the midst of her rapidly changing world.

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Development and Writing of a Novel — Author

December 2003 - Still in Progress

An original story exploring the existence and treatment of mental illness in the early 20th century. At 15, Clara doesn't understand why her parents ship her to a boarding school. As time goes on, the secrets unravel, and she finds herself face-to-face with something terrifying, something that only asks for her love.

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

 

Website Design, Remote - Website Designer

March 2020 – Present

Design websites to client's specifications. Create beautiful, graphically pleasing pages. Consider the human and the brand that human wants to develop and promote in order to create a website that is unique and identifiable.

 

Playwrights Foundation, remote – Reader

November 2019 – Present

Read 15 full-length plays as part of the Bay Area Playwrights Foundation 2020 National Committee. Subsequently completing a feedback form for each play in order to choose which plays the Playwrights Foundation will support in the coming 2020-2021 season. 

 

TheatreWorks, Mountain View, CA – Teaching Artist

September 2019 – December 2019

Taught the Young Playwrights Project curriculum to a class of 13 young people in grades tenth to twelfth. Lead exercises with the goal of writing 10-minute plays. Advise and edit the student’s work, culminating in eight fully produced staged readings with professional directors and actors.

 

Playwrights Foundation, San Francisco, CA – Artistic Fellow

January 2019 – April 2019

Assisted Artistic Director Amy Mueller with administrative and casting. Composed and edited emails for nationally and internationally known theater practitioners from across the country with invitations, information and role offers. Organized the office and acted as personal assistant to the Artistic Director.

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The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-Upon-Avon, U.K. — Teaching Artist

October 2018 – December 2018

In a team of three, led groups of 15-30 schoolchildren ages 7 to 14 from all over the United Kingdom in a three-hour Shakespeare workshop. Lead the creation of a scripted adaptation of all of Shakespeare’s plays, effectively giving the children a practical knowledge of Shakespeare’s life and work.

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University of Birmingham, Stratford-Upon-Avon, U.K. — PGT Research Placement Shakespeare and D/deaf Children

June 2018 - September 2018

Assisted Professor Abigail Rokison-Woodall with her research pertaining to D/deaf children and Shakespeare. Assisted with a Research and Development week by scribing and participating while developing new exercises and content for the RSC’s Rehearsal Room Toolkit.

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Seattle Waldorf School, Seattle, WA — Extended Care Kindergarten Teacher

September 2016 - June 2017

Supervised up to 20 students while developing and implementing tools to communicate professionally with co-teacher, class teachers and parents about individual students and duties. Lead circles, told stories, supervised indoor and outdoor play. Assisted the children, including multiple with behavioral disorders, in the development of invaluable tools to communicate with peers and develop as individuals.

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Seattle Children’s Theater, Seattle, WA — Morning/Afternoon Extended Care Supervisor and Summer Camp Counselor

June 2016 - December 2016

Supervised and engaged with up to 20 children ages 5-16 five days per week, while interacting and communicating with parents, camp counselors and supervisors. Organized medical and health and safety forms.

 

Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA - House Manager

September 2014 - May 2016

Opened the house, managed box office, made announcements to the audience about health and safety and other pertinent information. Communicated with stage managers, Production Managers, directors, actors before and after show.

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Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, Seattle, WA — Tutor

September 2013 - December 2015

I tutored and assisted children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts while developing a relationship with an individual child over the course of a school year. Daily duties included helping the child read at least one book and complete their homework assignments, keeping the children quiet and focused while working. Discussed the child and my duties with the location’s coordinator two times each week.

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The Waldorf School of the Peninsula, Los Altos/Mountain View, CA — Director/Assistant director/Assistant Teacher

May 2009 - June 2015

Assisted class teachers in or directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2x); the Sound of Music; Almost, Maine; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead; Fiddler on the Roof; and The Taming of the Shrew. Enforced administration policies and rules that governed students and discussed assigned duties with classroom teachers to coordinate instructional efforts and helped to maintain order in the classroom.

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THEATER

 

DIRECTING

 

​The Seagull (Anton Chekhov)                           

The Shakespeare Institute Players, Stratford-Upon-Avon, United Kingdom

 

Lavender Rose (A. A. Grimm)                                      

Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA

 

Aaron and Sophie (A. A. Grimm)                               

Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA

 

Lavender’s Body (Leah Webster)                                

Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA

 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern                               

The Waldorf School of the Peninsula, Are Dead (Tom Stoppard) Mountain View, CA

                                   

The Taming of the Shrew (William Shakespeare)  

The Waldorf School of the Peninsula, Mountain View, CA

 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (William Shakespeare)       

  The Waldorf School of the Peninsula, Mountain View, CA

 

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ASSISTANT DIRECTING AND STAGE MANAGING

Almost, Maine (John Cariani)                              

   The Waldorf School of the Peninsula, Mountain View, CA 

 

The Man Who Turned Into a Stick (Kobo Abe) and No Exit (Jean-Paul Sartre)                  

   The Waldorf School of the Peninsula, Mountain View, CA 

 

As You Like It (William Shakespeare)                         

San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Palo Alto, CA

 

PLAYWRITING

Aaron and Sophie                                                        reading                                  

Dragon Productions Theater Company, 2020

(Cancelled due to COVID-19)

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The Seagull                                                                   reading                       

Épine Noir Society, 2021

Fourplay                                                                        production                        

The Royal Shakespeare Company

 and The University of Birmingham, UK, 2018

 

 

Lavender Rose                                                             production                          

Cornish College of the Arts, 2017

 

Aaron and Sophie                                                        reading                                  

Cornish College of the Arts, 2016

 

Funeral of a Contradiction                                       production                             

Cornish College of the Arts, 2015

 

Griffen                                                                              production                   

Waldorf School of the Peninsula, 2012

 

 

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ACTING        

The Little Foxes                           Alexandra                             

City Lights Theater Company

​                                                                                                                      Dir. Mark Anderson Phillips

(Cancelled due to COVID-19)

                                                                                      

The Wolves                                   #14                                        

City Lights Theater Company

​                                                                                                                        Dir. Kimberly Mohne-Hill

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The Taming of the Shrew       Tranio                                

    The Shakespeare Institute Players

​                                                                                                                                    Dir. Juliano Zaffino

 

Fourplay                                        Hermione                             

The University of Birmingham and the Royal Shakespeare Company

                                                                                                                                               Dir. Lorna Jinks

 

The Brother’s K                          Bet Chance                             

Book-It Repertory Theater

                Dir. Myra Platt

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Blown Youth                                 Anne                                       

Cornish College of the Arts

                                                                                                    Dir. Caitlin Sullivan

 

Polyphony                                     Nurse                                    

Cornish College of the Arts

                                                                                                                                           Dir. Kate Jaeger

 

Harrison, Texas                          Dolores Henry                      

Cornish College of the Arts

Dir. Kelly Kitchens

 

TRAINING & EDUCATION                      

University of Birmingham (2017-2018) MA Shakespeare & Creativity received December 2018

Theatre Practice and The Shakespeare Ensemble: Abigail Rokison-Woodall

Shakespearience and Shakespeare in Society: Ewan Fernie
Shakespeare’s Craftsmanship: Will Sharpe
Shakespeare and Early Modern Playhouse Culture: Simon Smith
Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Penelope Freedman

 

Cornish College of the Arts (2012-2016) BFA received May 2016

Acting: Marya Sea Kaminski, Lisa Norman, Timothy Piggee, Robin Lynn Smith, Annette Toutonghi, Amy Thone

Voice: Alyssa Keene, Rhonda J. Soikowski, Terri Weagant, Kate Myre

Movement: Ellen Boyle, Keira McDonald, David Taft

Stage Combat: Geoffrey Alm

Playwriting: Elizabeth Heffron, Stephanie Timm

Directing: Kathleen Collins

 

Skills

• Stage combat training

• Playwriting

• Directing

• Calligraphy

• African Drumming

• Voiceover

• Accents and Dialects: RP, Cockney, French, Yorshire, American Southern, Standard American

• International Phonetic Alphabet

• Dancing: Swing, Ballroom, African

• Video and editing skills

• Costume construction

• Sewing

• Costume design

• Set design

• Light/sound board

• Critical Thinker

• Creative Problem Solver

• Meets Deadlines

• Playwright

• Dependable and Responsible

• Computer and Internet skills

• Writing and Editing Skills

• Quick Learner

• Able to Build Relationships

• Able to Work Under Pressure

• Multi-Tasking

• Organizational Skills

• Excellent Written and Verbal Communication Skills