SUSAN CLAASSEN is celebrating her thirty-first anniversary with the Invisible Theatre (IT) and has been a resident of Tucson since 1972. As Managing Artistic Director, she has produced more than 350 productions and directed more than fifty. Susan has been a member of Actors Equity Association (the professional actors’ union) since 1969. Some of her most memorable roles have been Bella in LOST IN YONKERS, Alice B. Toklas in GERTRUDE STEIN AND A COMPANION, Hannah in CROSSING DELANCEY, Shirley in SHIRLEY VALENTINE and Trudy in THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE. In addition to her work with the Invisible Theatre she has been a consultant and director for the Waterfront Playhouse and The Red Barn Theatre in Key West, Florida, and directed I WON’T DANCE at New York’s famed Rainbow and Stars Cabaret and St. Paul's prestigious Ordway Theatre. Susan is a national board member of PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY–A Constitutional Liberties Organization. She is the recipient of the 1985 Governor’s Award for Women Who Create, the 1993 Humanitarian Torch Award for her efforts on behalf of people living with AIDS and a 1996 Distinguished Service Award from the State Federation for Exceptional Children for her commitment to arts education for special populations. Susan was the 1999 City of Hope “Spirit of Life” recipient, and performs as a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She was recently selected as one of Tucson Lifestyle’s 10 Most Admired Women.
