Tess Neel
TESS NEEL
THEATRE MAKER & ARTIST
|Producer|Production Manager|Stage Manager|
|Art for Social Justice|
Tess Neel is a theatre maker and artist who believes in the idea that theatre and art help change perspectives, trajectories, and lives for participants and audiences alike. Through her background in stage management, production management, producing, and business management, Tess has worked with many theatre companies including the Arvada Center Black Box Theatre, The Athena Project, The PACE Center, The Three Leaches, Reunion Entertainment LLC, Lamont Opera Company, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Bailey Theatre Company, and the University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative (DU PAI).
Tess was born and raised in Colorado. She grew up working in the family business, Castle Rock Bike & Ski being surrounded by her passions of mountain biking and skiing. She found her love of theatre at an early age through acting and quickly fell in love with all aspects of the industry. After deciding to pursue a dual degree in Theatre & Business Management at the University of Denver, Tess was determined to live a life full of creating theatre and art that impacted the people and communities around her.
After graduating in 2019, Tess became one of the first employees of the University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative (DU PAI). DU PAI is a nonprofit organization that seeks to center incarcerated voices through theatre and art programming. This organization has collaborated with 19 state prisons across Colorado, impacting thousands of individuals behind the walls. While at DU PAI, Tess served many roles over the years, including: Operations Manager, Programs Assistant, Production Manager and Producer, Social Media Manager, Programs Coordinator, and Special Programs Manager. Among Tess’s most notable work with DU PAI are the Unchained Voices Fine Art Show (Manager), Godspell at Colorado Territorial & Fremont Correctional Facilities (Producer & Production Manager), IF LIGHT CLOSED ITS EYES, the play & film (Producer & Production Manager), and These Walls Film (Producer).
Tess is also one of the founding team members and Producing Director of the Denver Theatre Ensemble, a new theatre company focused on creating meaningful new, classic, and devised theatre in a professional environment.
University of Denver Class of 2019
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Distinction in Stage Management
Bachelor of Science in Business Management & Administration
