Ana N. Rusness-Petersen, the founder and owner of Ana Noelle Creative Productions, is an arts leader, theatrical producer, and creative placemaker. She has worked for two decades as a collaborator, producer, director, stage manager, sound designer, box office manager, and all-around artist and production resource for theatres, performance venues, record labels, and festivals in Fargo, Chicago, Seattle, and Austin.
Since graduating in June of 2019 with her MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University, she has been living in Austin, TX with her fiance, where she served as the Event Production Administrator at ZACH Theatre. Her official training is in theatre, arts leadership, and photography, although thanks to the vibrant Fargo arts community she grew up in, she has an impressively diverse background and hands-on experience in pretty much every artistic medium.
Ana is no stranger to leadership roles: in addition to currently serving as the Block 9 Broadway Square Plaza Manager (Fargo), she has held positions including Theatre Schmeater’s Producing Director and Interim Managing Director (Seattle), ACT Theatre’s Events & Venue Manager (Seattle), and NDSU’s Division of Performing Arts Production Facilities Manager (Fargo). Additionally, she has served as a Gregory Awards Nominator for Theatre Puget Sound and been active on the Boards of Seattle Public Theatre and the Fargo-Moorhead Visual Artists (including one term as President). During her time in Seattle, Ana sought out and soaked up all the experiences and knowledge she could, widening her network of artistic collaborators and further developing her production skill set - she stage managed and line produced with MAP Theatre, SecondStory Rep, and Macha Theatre Works and completed Producing and Artistic Directing practicums with the Seattle Theatre Group, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and ACT Theatre.
Always an academic, Ana earned her B.A. in Theatre Arts from Concordia College; obtained a Music Industry minor and took some Directing classes from MSUM; collected an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Theatre Management, Production, and Design from Lesley University (Cambridge, MA); and took Publishing and Directing courses at NDSU while serving as Administrative Assistant and Production Facilities Manager (and Box Office Manager) for the Division of Performing Arts for 15 years.
Producing creative projects, photography, and spending time outdoors with her partner and family are her biggest passions. She is currently working on publishing an article on the emerging concept of "Internal Creative Placemaking," consulting with and revamping the Seattle Public Theatre's Chart of Accounts, and renovating her fourth generation lake home near Perham, MN so it can eventually serve as an artist retreat (definitely a multi-year project!). She enjoys running, hiking (especially in the mountains around Seattle), bbq-ing (although she's been a vegetarian for almost 30 years), experimenting with ceramics, and consulting with nonprofit arts organizations about their leadership approaches, organizational culture and processes, and budget structure.
She will probably never retire. #CreativeCollaborationsForever!
