Lisa Ortenzi

Lisa Ortenzi currently serves as the director of educational programming for Great Lakes Theater. Ortenzi directs the Great Lakes Theater school residency program, the English-Speaking Union Shakespeare Competition and the Camp Theater! program, and she continues to teach. Ortenzi’s outreach tour directing credits include: “Ten in One,” “The Decameron,” “The Mysterious Affair at Styles,” “Seven Ages,” and “Double Heart,” which was chosen for the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival. Ortenzi is the recipient of the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival Overall Excellence Award in Directing and the 2006-2007 President’s Award for her service to Great Lakes Theater. Ortenzi also performed as an actor-teacher in the school residency program.

In the Cleveland area, Ortenzi served as the artistic director of the Baldwin Wallace University Triple Threat music theater program for the Conservatory outreach department. Ortenzi has also served as the education director and artistic associate of the Cleveland Youth Theatre; and directed for the Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Baldwin Wallace University and a variety of community theaters and high school drama programs including the All-Ohio Thespian and North Area Thespian Productions for the Ohio Educational Theatre Association.

In the New England area, Ortenzi studied and performed at Shakespeare & Company, toured in “The Merchant of Venice,” and directed in the fall and spring festivals of Shakespeare.

Ortenzi holds Bachelor of Arts in Communication in theatre and radio/TV/film from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Arts in directing from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.