Anna Kepe (born 1977), also known by her married name of Anna Kepe Haas, is a

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, producer,

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

and

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

. Kepe received her MFA from The Shakespeare Theatre, Academy for Classical Acting in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

under the direction of Michael Kahn.

Career

Kepe directed a performance of German

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

's theatrical percussion-ensemble work ''

Musik im Bauch Musik may refer to: Music *''Die Musik'' (1901–1943), a German music magazine * ''Musik'' (album), the second studio album by Richie Hawtin *Musik (musical), the musical written by Jonathan Harvey and Pet Shop Boys *Musik (song), the Austrian en ...

'' at the

Peabody Conservatory The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a private music and dance conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliated with Johns Hopkins in 1977. History Philanthropist and ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. No stranger to opera, Kepe created the physical theater movement for the world premier of Donald Knack's (a.k.a. the Junkman) opera ''Odin''. The ''New York Times'' described this production as an unqualified success while "raw energy coursed through the piece". Kepe's cameo appearance on the

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

inspired composition ''The Charm'' written by composer

Michael Udow Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

can be heard on the Equilibrium record label. Kepe combines her

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

expertise and narration with an ensemble instrumentation that includes the world's largest

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

(74"diameter) and 10 sets of 14-foot

chimes Chimes are a percussion instrument, sets of bells in varying pitches. These include: * Chime (bell instrument), an array of large bells, typically housed in a tower and played from a keyboard * Cymbalum or cymbala, word from which chimes derives, ...

. Kepe has been a featured director and teacher at the

Aspen Music Festival The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado. It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music students. Founded in 1949, th ...

combining movement with music featuring the music of

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...

Alfred Schnittke Alfred Garrievich Schnittke (24 November 1934 – 3 August 1998) was a Russian composer. Among the most performed and recorded composers of late 20th-century classical music, he is described by musicologist Ivan Moody (composer), Ivan Moody as a ...

and

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

, all combined with original

choreography Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

and physical movement, created by Kepe. Most recently Kepe has created, directed and presented a series of performances of

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

's rendering of the ''Prelude to Endgame'' at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, the Latvian National Conservatory (

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

) and as a featured artist at the Percussive Arts International Convention in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. Complementing her innovative vision of this Becket's work, she has created an equally compelling interpretation of

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, ...

's one act play, ''Tongues'' having directed and performed this work with internationally renowned percussionist/timpanist

Jonathan Haas Jonathan Haas is an American timpanist. Philip Glass' ''Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra'' was commissioned for him by several orchestras. Early life Haas was born circa 1955, raised in Glencoe, Illinois, where his father w ...

. Kepe returned from

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, W.I. where she directed

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

's ''Cosi Fan Tutte'' at The Holders Season. Kepe has hosted the Exceptional Young Artists Fund -

Gidon Kremer Gidon Kremer (; born 27 February 1947) is a Latvian classical violinist, artistic director, and founder of Kremerata Baltica. Life and career Gidon Kremer was born in Riga. His father was Jewish and had survived the Holocaust. His mother had ...

and KREMERATA Baltica Gala Concert at The Purchase Performing Arts Center in Purchase, as well as a benefit concert at the

Scandinavia House Scandinavia is a subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also refer to the Scand ...

featuring

and KREMERata Musica Concert at The Kosciuszko Foundation in NYC. Stephen Pulp's PANGEA featured Kepe at the Page-To-Stage festival at

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

, Washington, DC and with Blessed Unrest Theatre Company in NY in ensemble created collaboration The James Wilde Project. Future projects include directing playwright

David Ives David Ives (born July 11, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He is perhaps best known for his comic one-act plays; ''The New York Times'' in 1997 referred to him as the "maestro of the short form". Ives has also written ...

's, ''Philip Glass Buys A Loaf Of Bread'' at the Loewe Theater, New York University as part of a 70th birthday celebration for Philip Glass, acting in the 365 Days/365 Plays project at the

Public Theater The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: A ...

. Kepe coaches privately and has worked with the summer Acting Shakespeare camp and workshops at The Texas Shakespeare Festival.

List of acting credits

The White Devil ''The White Devil'' (full original title: ''The White Divel; or, The Tragedy of Paulo Giordano Ursini, Duke of Brachiano. With The Life and Death of Vittoria Corombona the famous Venetian Curtizan'') is a tragedy by English playwright John We ...

by John Webster playing Vittoria Corombona and directed by Michael Edwards of the

Asolo Repertory Theatre The Asolo Repertory Theatre or Asolo Rep (AKA: Asolo Theatre Company, Inc.) is a professional theater in Sarasota, Florida. It is the largest Equity theatre in Florida, and the largest Repertory theatre in the Southeastern United States. Asolo ...

; *Grushenka in ''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' ( rus, Братья Карамазовы, Brat'ya Karamazovy, ˈbratʲjə kərɐˈmazəvɨ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly ...

'' in

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

; *independent feature film ''TORTURE ME NO MORE'' in New York; *principal role in

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...

TV commercial with

Ray Liotta Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He first gained attention for his role in the film '' Something Wild'' (1986), which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. He was best known for his portray ...

for United Kingdom Television; *22 DAY ADAGIO at The Mill Mountain Theatre in Virginia; *Viola in 12th NIGHT in Virginia directed by Diana Denley, artistic director of The Shakespeare's Globe Center Australia; *reading of LET X at

Artomatic Artomatic is a multi-week, multimedia arts event held in the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It was founded by Washington, D.C. artist and arts activist George Koch. The non-juried, open event has provided a forum for artists of ...

in Washington, DC; *Iphigenia in Aulis at The Symphony Space, New York; *Marianne / Actress in TRAUMNOVELA at The Barrow Street Theatre in New York and at the West End Theatre, New York; *Desdemona in OTHELLO with The Mile Square Theatre, directed by Will Pomerantz; *LET X in Washington, DC; *Evangeline in DIVINITY BASH / NINE LIVES at The Pantheon Theatre; *Escalus in

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

, Off - Broadway at 45 Bleecker/The Culture Project and GBS/RADA, London; *Lady Macbeth in

at The Greenwich Street Theatre; *PRINCESS IVONA at The Horace Mann Theatre; *HEDDA GABLER at The Theatre at St. Clement's: *a full season with The Texas Shakespeare Festival.

Personal life

Kepe is married to the timpanist

References

External links

Blessed Unrest Theatre Company"Jonathan Haas and NYU Classical Percussion Department Premiers Percussion Opera" in Pro-mark Drumsticks "''Odin'' Receives Rave Reviews in the ''New York Times''" in NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human DevelopmentProject Muse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kepe, Anna 1977 births American stage actresses Aspen Music Festival and School faculty Living people American theatre directors American women theatre directors American women music educators 21st-century American women