Lecturer, Acting
A co-founder and co-producing artistic director for Rude Mechanicals, Lana Lesley is a collaborator, producer and actor serving on over thirty original Rude Mechs productions, including Contranyms, Field Guide, Now Now Oh Now, Stop Hitting Yourself, I’ve Never Been So Happy and The Method Gun. Lesley has performed at international festivals including Galway International Arts Festival, URB Festival at Kiasma Theatre, SZENE Salzburg, Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Winner – Total Theater Award for Best New Play by an Ensemble), Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, UCLA Live! and Bumbershoot and national venues including the Walker Art Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Wexner Center for the Arts and Lincoln Center Theater. With Ann Bogart’s SITI Company, Lesley toured their piece systems/layers to Utah State University and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. With the TEAM, Lana toured Architecting to the Barbican Theatre’s BITE Festival (London), Culturgest (Lisbon), The Arches (Glasgow) and The GRAND (Calgary). For Rude Mechs, Lesley conceived and curated Art Tramp; co-directed and performed in I’ve Never Been So Happy; co-created, co-directed and performed in Match-Play and adapted and directed don b’s Snow White. As a professional voice-over artist, Lesley has been featured in numerous film and television anime productions and Sony Pictures' DC Universe Online.
What do you enjoy most about being part of UT Theatre and Dance?
Being surrounded by people who love performance.
What is your favorite thing about Austin?
Crashbox, Fusebox Festival, McKinney Falls State Park, Barton Springs
Photo by Bret Brookshire, courtesy of Lana Lesley and Rude Mechs.
Devised theatre, feminist theatre, directing, arts entrepreneurship, performance, multimedia performance, arts administration, producing, presenting and touring arts marketing
Comedy: A Critique of Culture Movement Lab, Improvisational Drama
Contranyms, Rude Mechs (co-creator, performer) | Fusebox Festival 2023
Grageriart, Rude Mechs (co-creator, performer, musician) | Webseries 2020, Fusebox Festival 2019, Crashbox 2018
The Method Gun, Rude Mechs (co-creator, performer) | Texas Theatre and Dance 2019 and 2014, Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston 2016, Z Space 2015, Walker Art Center 2013, Middlebury College 2013, Brisbane Powerhouse 2012, Humana Festival 2010 (premiere)
Field Guide, Rude Mechs (co-creator, performer, tour manager) | Yale University 2018 (premiere), Off Center for the Dramatic Arts 2016
Stop Hitting Yourself, Rude Mechs (co-creator, performer) | Cal Performances 2015, AT&T Performing Arts Center 2015, Lincoln Center Theater 2014 (premiere)
Now Now Oh Now, Rude Mechs (co-creator, performer) | Miami Light Project 2015, FringeArts 2015, Yale University 2014, Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans 2014, Duke University 2014
Brothers Karamazov Inspires Experimental, Far-Reaching “Field Guide” at Yale Hartford Courant | Christopher Arnott, January 2018
How Rude Mechs Built a Mountain to Scale | American Theatre | Russell Dembin | June 2017
Stage Right: For 20 years, the Rude Mechs have been producing some of the most imaginitve original contemporary theater in the country. With this season being their last at The Off Center, they open up about their work and desire to remain in Austin. | Austin Monthly | Sarah Thurmond | October 2016
Singing, Dancing and Economics | The New York Times | Charles Isherwood | January 2014
Rude Mechs' Excellent Adventure with Ayn Rand | American Theatre | Russell Dembin | December 2013
The Rude Mechs: No Horses, But Lots of Tall Tales | Los Angeles Times | Reed Johnson | October 2011
Many Methods to Collaborative Madness | The New York Times | Joan Anderman | February 2011
Madness in the Methods? Approaches to Theatre Training | American Theatre | Eliza Bent | January 2008
Rude Mechanicals and Get Your War On Theatre Forum | Nicole Estvanik | Summer/Fall 2007
Contact Information
Email address
lana.
Website
Rude Mechs
Campus location
WIN 1.110