Meet the Team
Annalise McCann, she/they (writer/director) is a director, actor, musician, and writer. She strives to be a strong female director who creates spaces where people feel free to wildly express themselves. McCann attributes the “viewpoints” training of Anne Bogart as a pivotal aspect of their directing style, focusing on actors’ impulses to tell a story through authenticity and energy. Annalise also had the honor of serving as assistant director for NYU Tisch’s Mainstage Production of The Threepenny Opera, where she also earned her BFA in Drama. Most recently, she directed her first Off-Broadway production of a play she wrote, entitled Just Juliet.
Paige Van Nest, she/her, (choreographer) is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and began her training at Arts in Motion School of Dance. She graduated from Webster University in 2019 with a BFA in Modern Dance and a Certificate in Entrepreneurship. Her training outside of Webster University includes Nashville Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Big Muddy Dance Company, and MADCO. She is currently dancing with Leverage Dance Theater and teaches at M and M Dance Academy and Dance Center of Kirkwood. Additionally, she trains dancers at Sports Medicine and Training Center and is a production assistant for Space Station Dance Residency.
Zach Tesch, he/him, (composer) is a St. Louis-based composer and violinist whose works have been performed nationally and internationally. His prolific list of compositions contains works that range from traditional concertos, chamber music, and choral works to experimental pieces that challenge the definition of music itself. His works have been premiered by the PHACE Ensemble, Chamber Project St. Louis, FUSE Quartet, and the Webster University New Music Ensemble. His works for dance have premiered alongside choreography performed by students from the Webster University and University of Missouri - Kansas City Departments of Dance. In 2023, Mr. Tesch was invited to participate in the Vienna Summer Music Festival and the ICEBERG Institute in Vienna, Austria. At these festivals, his works Landscape No. 3 and Adrift received world premieres, and his work Twitch, for solo violin, was read by Irvine Arditti. In April of 2024, his quasi-theatrical work, Geotemporal Dreams (or, the Prophet), received its premiere in Kansas City, Missouri.
Caroline Pillow (she/her) is a professional actor, teacher, and director originally from Memphis, TN and has been working professionally across the country since 2024. She has be able to work with the Texas Shakespeare Festival, North Texas Performing Arts, the Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department, Memphis' Playhouse on the Square, the St. Louis JCC, the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, and the Gateway Center for Performing Arts. Caroline extends her love to her partner, her family, and her cat Lion!
Chrissy Punzo, she/they, (Costume Designer) is an aspiring artist from Saint Louis with a passion for all art forms. Although most of her time in highschool was spent on or behind a stage, Chrissy has experience with costume and art direction for a short film company as well.
She fills her free time with artistic endeavors such as making costumes, cosplays, earrings, and accessories for herself and others. Chrissy has always found joy in expression through style and tries to create and share art whenever she can.