Audra Blaser (Director and Educator):

is an educator, actress, and director, who has sustained a continuous curiosity and passion for the craft of acting for over thirty years. Originally from Pittsburgh, Blaser received her training at Carnegie Mellon University’s prestigious School of Drama, earning a BFA in Acting/Music Theatre. She additionally holds an MA in Theatre History and Criticism from the University of Colorado at Boulder. As an educator, Blaser has served as an instructor of Acting at the University of Colorado at Boulder as well as an Adjunct Lecturer of Acting at Northwestern University.

In tandem with her teaching, Blaser is a professional actress who spent many years in New York City working in film, television, and theater. Her film credits include Bandidas (with Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz), Wedding Daze (with Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher), Suburban Girl (with Alec Baldwin), and A Novel Romance (with Steve Guttenberg), while television credits include Law & Order (NBC), The Book of Daniel (NBC), Rules of Engagement (CBS), 3 lbs. (CBS), Sherri (Lifetime), and the lead in the TBS show Lovebites, produced by Paul Reiser. She has also appeared in numerous national commercial campaigns, including Carnival Cruise Lines, Samsung, Sunsilk, and Miller Light, and has performed in theater productions across the US, most notably Off-Broadway at The Public Theater in New York. Blaser is a longstanding member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

As an instructor of acting, Blaser finds great joy in teaching students of all ages and levels of experience. She is a private acting coach, working with professional actors from around the country, and concurrently a teacher of children and nonprofessionals, who may only use their exposure to acting to lead a more creative, bolder life. Her other acting teaching credentials include Boulder Valley School District, Colorado Shakespeare Festival School of Theater, Poetry Pals, Dream Big Performing Arts, and Skyline Studios.

Audra lives in Chicago with her husband, Vijay, and dog, Truman.