Mark Olsen
Visiting Director of Special Programs
Rocky Mountain Conservatory Theatre is thrilled to announce our new Visiting Director of Special Programs, Mark Olsen.  Mark will be working with us to create dynamic programming during the Summer of 2009.  Mark is an actor, director, author, and teacher.  Currently a professor of acting and movement at Juilliard, Sarah Lawrence College, and the Penn State School of Theatre, Mr. Olsen has taught at other notable institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University, University of Houston, Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto and New York Public Theatre’s Shakespeare Lab.  Specializing in empowering students to devise original works for stage and screen, Professor Olsen has been a frequent guest director and teacher for Bucknell University, Sarah Lawrence College, Central Connecticut University, Webster Movement Institute, and the National Fight Director’s Workshop for the Society of American Fight Directors (S.A.F.D.) Professor Olsen has appeared on Broadway and toured Internationally with the famed mime/mask group, Mummenschanz, and acted in numerous regional theatre productions.  Professor Olsen has directed over forty-five productions in both professional and university settings and has worked as movement coordinator and fight director for numerous productions at the Houston Shakespeare Festival, Hartford Stage Company, Long Wharf Theatre, Theatreworks, The Alley Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, New York Shakespeare Festival, New York’s Public Theatre, and recently on Broadway. Professor Olsen is a nationally recognized authority on masks, mime, stage movement and stage combat, as well as an A.E.A. actor.  Professor Olsen is a certified teacher and former secretary of S.A.F.D. as well as the former vice-president of the Association for Theatre Movement Educators. Professor Olsen has taught his unique approach to theatre and imagination at universities and institutes for over twenty years. Professor Olsen’s exciting approach to acting incorporates classical and contemporary techniques developed through the comprehensive lens of modern acting techniques, Lecoq based movement work, and the Ken Wilber Integral Theory. Books by Professor Olsen include, The Actor with a Thousand Faces, The Golden Buddha Changing Masks and Acting: Scene One, co-authored with Steve Broadnax.

Meridith C. Grundei
Specialty Staff / Co-Director

Meridith Grundei is a serves as a new Co-Director and Specialty Staff member with Rocky Mountain Conservatory Theatre.  Meridith is an award winning performer and holds an M.F.A. in Contemporary Performance from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. Prior to moving to Colorado, Meridith worked as Associate Faculty for The Second City Training Center in Chicago, IL where she was instrumental in the development of the children’s program and the teacher re-certification program. In 2007, Meridith started the Eliot Street Collective in Denver, CO as a studio space where artists of all walks could have a space to collaborate and create community. As a Media Agent, Meridith worked for Maximum Talent Agency in Denver, CO, where she worked with talent and casting directors to place actors in commercials, film and voice over within the Denver and New Mexico markets.  Currently, she owns a presentations and media training business called Red Ball Communications, is adjunct faculty at Naropa University in Boulder, CO where she teaches Improvisational Theatre, and is a private coach to a variety of professionals who are actors and public speakers. As an actor, Meridith has performed with companies such as the American Conservatory Theatre, iO Chicago, Baby Wants Candy, Sprung Movement Theatre, The Evergreen Players, square product theatre, WreckingBall Theater Lab, Playback Theatre West, and many others.  Meridith travels nationally and internationally utilizing her skills as a trained actor to facilitate workshops that heighten trust, listening and communication within corporate teams. Meridith presently lives near Boulder, Colorado with her husband and step-daughter.