Teresa Willis grew up in Louisville, Kentucky where she began writing, singing and acting at an obnoxiously early age. This was somewhat irritating to her family as there wasn’t an audience in sight. Undeterred by this sad fact, she received a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Kentucky then moved to New York post-haste. As an actor (theatre, film and television) she has performed in over 50 productions from Kentucky to New York to Los Angeles, including “Forgiving the Franklins” in which she plays Betty Franklin (2006 Sundance, SXSW, available on DVD.) As a playwright, her one-act play, The Roof, has enjoyed 5 productions, including one on New York’s famed Theater Row. Her one-act, The Funeral, was performed by the Tartan Palm Theatre Company in 1997 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. As a poet, Ms. Willis has been published in several journals including Beyond the Valley of the Contemporary Poets 2002 Anthology, Caffeine, Pearl, The Moment and Blue Satellite. Her poem “I Saw You Walk Upright in the Rain” from her 1999 collection of poetry, Heartcloset, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Ms. Willis has been featured in many major poetry performance venues, including the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Zen Garden at The Elixir, Highways, UCLA, UCSB, Highland Grounds, The Improv and The Iguana Café. An accomplished vocalist, musical projects have included Third Door Down, an alternative rock group and Vox Femina Los Angeles, L.A.’s premiere women’s chorus as well as her stand-up act with original comedic songs. She is a member of The Open Fist Theatre Company and has been seen there in 365 days/365 plays, Macbeth, the world premiere of Michael Franco’s “The Room,” and the musical adaptation of James Joyce’s “The Dead.” Currently, Ms. Willis is presenting her original work, Eenie Meanie, one woman’s struggle to rid herself of conditioned racism. Since 2003, she has toured Eenie Meanie to Edinburgh, New York, Cincinnati, Louisville and many Los Angeles area venues. Teresa is also a certified Pilates Instructor and yoga practitioner. She now lives in Burbank, California.