Monica Bill Barnes
(Artistic Director of Monica Bill Barnes & Company, Choreographer, Performer) founded MBB&CO in 1997 with five solos that could be performed anywhere and one suitcase of costumes and props. Since then, her work has been performed in venues ranging from Upright Citizen’s Brigade to the BAM Opera House, and has been presented in more than 75 cities throughout the US. Recent company projects include Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host, a show that combines radio and dance in collaboration with Ira Glass; The Museum Workout, a guided workout that travels 2 miles through The Metropolitan Museum of Art with curation by the author/visual artist Maira Kalman; and Happy Hour, the world’s only office party turned dance show (that we know of). Monica is thrilled to be partnering with the WP and NN for the company’s first off-Broadway show. After 20 years of performing all over the city and touring the country, it feels profoundly good to have the company in one place for an entire month.
Anna Bass
(Associate Artistic Director of Monica Bill Barnes & Company, Performer) has worked with MBB&CO for 15 years, performing all over the world on stages ranging from public fountains and comedy clubs to Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. She collaborated on all of the company’s current productions, and also served as Assistant Choreographer for productions at The Atlantic Theater, The Public Theater, and Yale Repertory Theater. Anna wears the grey suit in Happy Hour, the bronze dress in The Museum Workout, and her comfy jeans while managing many of the company’s day-to-day operations. She is proud and lucky to be a part of this team.
Robert Saenz de Viteri
(Creative Producing Director of Monic Bill Barnes & Company, Performer) began working in theater as an audio script assistant to Anna Deveare Smith. He has created performances and toured productions throughout the world with the Obie Award winning Nature Theater of Oklahoma. He has created, produced, and performed in Happy Hour and The Museum Workout with MBB&CO. Some of his other favorite projects include producing This American Life Episode 528, “The Radio Drama Episode” live on stage at BAM, directing Rachel Bonds’s Michael & Edie, and working in Norway to create The Spiritual Life of Modern America, based on the experiences of foreigners traveling in America today.
Kelly Hanson
(Scenic & Costume Design) has worked with MBB&CO on every company show since she first met Monica in 2001. She is also a Production Designer for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” where she does approximately 220 live shows a year. She has been nominated for an Emmy and an Art Department Guild award. Kelly was born in Bryan, TX and earned her MFA in set design at University of California San Diego. She lives in Queens with her husband and two amazing kiddos, who support her more than they know.
Jane Cox
(Lighting Design) has designed with MBB&CO for more than a decade, and her collaboration with the company is central to her creative life. Recent theater includes Color Purple, Amelie, and Jitney (TONY nomination) on Broadway, Othello at NYTW, and Hamlet at the Barbican in London. Other designs include The Flick, The Ambassador, All The Way, and Machinal (TONY and Drama Desk nominations). Jane has a long-standing relationship with The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and is the Director of the Program in Theater at the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University.
