Ingrid DeSanctis

Ingrid De Sanctis is a freelance director, actor and playwright. She currently is Artist in Residence for the EMU theater department and also teaches classes at James Madison University. After recieving her MFA in Acting from University of North Carolina at Greensboro she taught from 1996-2001 at both EMU and Clemson University. While at Clemson she received a Faculty Excellence award. During her time at EMU, she received a creative grant from the university to write the play Torba, the story of an MCC worker in the Balkans. The play was produced at EMU and was invited to the KCACTF regional festival. That same year she received a national teaching fellowship from KCACTF to attend Master Classes at the Actors Center in New York City. She continues to develop as a performer/teacher and most recently trained with the SITI company at Skidmore College in their Summer Intensive in Viewpoints and Suzuki work in 2006.

Following five years of teaching, Ingrid spent four years as an associate director of drama at Willow Creek Community Church, creating, performing and directing. Her writings are utilized in churches around the world. In 2006-07, she served with AmeriCorps in Apopka, Fla., using the arts to empower young Hispanic students and their families while also teaching theatre classes to MFA and BFA students at University of Central Florida. Committed to works of political and social relevance, Ingrid has collaborated with Howard Zehr on the play A Body in Motion, based on his book about victims of crimes. This play toured 9 prisons throughout Pennsylvania and was supported by grants from the Prison Society of Pennsylvania and the Victims’ Advocates Organization in PA.

She continues write, direct and performs and work with long-time colleague Ted Swartz of Ted & Company. DoveTale is one of their most well-known works. A more recent piece, Excellent Trouble, pairs Ted and Ingrid exploring the stories of men and women of the Bible with humor and fresh perspective. Most recently she directed Ted and Trent Wagler at EMU Homecoming in the premiere of their play What Would Lloyd Do?

De Sanctis has created edgy, challenging plays on such topics as refugees in the Balkans (“Torba”), survivors of violent crime (“A Body in Motion”) and stories of faith created with inner city youth (“WhaChaGonnaDu?”) and continues to seek projects that make an impact. In addition to teaching, performing and directing, she continues to give workshops nationally on writing and creating in the church.