Pesha Rudnick started her career as a theater director and actor at the age of 7 in her backyard in Venice, CA. She is currently the founding artistic director of Local Theater Company in Boulder, CO, where she pursues the company’s mission to discover and develop new American plays. For Local, Pesha has directed 5 world premiere productions and curates Local Lab, a new play festival that attracts playwrights (near and far) to grow their work with audience collaboration.

As a freelance director, Pesha has directed over 30 new plays including the world premiere of O.P.C. by Eve Ensler at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. She has also worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Signature Theater, Creede Repertory Theater, Curious Theater Company, Florida Stage and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Pesha is the former associate artistic director of the National MFA Playwright's Festival (59E59, Atlantic Stage 2, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Theatre Row and the Aspen Institute). For six years, she served as the associate director of education at Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree from New York University. Her thesis, on theater as a tool to promote literacy, self-expression and empathy in middle school, was selected and presented at the IDEAS Conference in Hong Kong in 2007. Pesha is Drama League Directing Fellow and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Pesha is the mother of two super humans.