DR. AMY J. RESSLER, EdD, MFA

Amy Ressler is a director, actor, storyteller, theatre educator, playwright, and musician.  A specialist in drama for learning, she has a BA in drama from Clarke University, an MFA in theatre education from Arizona State University and a doctorate in educational leadership for learning and change from National-Louis University. She serves as an Associate Professor of Theatre Education at California State University Bakersfield. Amy is the founding artistic director of the award-winning Great Midwestern Educational Theatre, which produces the annual Imagination Celebration for young children, the Family Storytelling Festival, and the Frogwarts School of Wizardry creativity and role-play summer camp. She worked in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center and at the Smithsonian Discovery Theatre. Before relocating to the Dubuque area, Ms. Ressler directed, taught and designed for many Chicago-area performing companies, including the Irish-American Heritage Theatre, the Music Institute of Chicago, North Park Opera, Light Opera Works, Northlight Theatre Co., Chicago Opera Theatre, National-Louis University, the Movement Center, CUBE ensemble, and the Kohl/McCormick-Tribune StoryBus. She was awarded the Outstanding Drama Specialist award by the Illinois Theatre Association, was recognized by the NAACP as a Ruby Sutton Humanitarian and named the 2015 Impact Award winner for “Best Individual Impact” by Dubuque 365Ink. In 2022, she was the recipient of the California State University, Bakersfield Millie Ablin Excellence in Teaching award. Amy performs locally as a storyteller, an improviser and as a member of the Die Laughing Murder Mystery ensemble. She loves teaching theatre arts because it gives her the opportunity to invite participation in “experience-oriented imaginative space.”