Director

Leslie has directed in a variety of venues, from professional companies and University theatres to
workshops and schools, and from black box theatres to large proscenium houses.

She has taken on material ranging from Shakespeare and the classics to modern plays and premieres of new scripts.

Directing credits include the Ensemble Studio Theatre West, the Broadway Playhouse, and the Pacific Resident Theatre Ensemble in LA; the Eureka Theatre in San Francisco; SRT in Santa Rosa, and a number of university theatres, including UC Davis, Santa Monica College, Stanford University, and CSU, Pomona, where she has directed dozens of productions.

Most recently, she directed her play, Shadow Dance, and Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful for Sierra Stages’ Theater By The Book series, as well as an acclaimed version of The King and I at the Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra.

Leslie Ann Rivers Directing Resume

Directing Reviews

”The King and I’ dazzles. What a delightful production. The music, costumes, and, of course, a wonderful cast made this a mesmerizing show.”
Carol Guild, THE UNION

“This year’s project is an elaborate staging of ‘The King and I’....The production values are at a high standard and the show’s quite charming....The take on traditional Asian vs. colonial British values is more pointed than usual, albeit in the cushioned context of a musical, which makes this a delightful departure from more traditional productions.”
Jeff Hudson, SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW

“In the 25 years that I have been going to productions at Cal Poly, the quality has been remarkably high. One of the best is ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’....Under the direction of Leslie Ann Rivers, the production is striking and the acting remarkable. Drawn from the community, and from other schools besides Cal Poly, all 26 performers are excellent, and the leads are outstanding.”
Robert E. Morsberger, CLAREMONT COURIER

“The tiny stage space encloses king-sized quality....The current offering at the Broadway Playhouse can be quite a challenge. ‘The Corn is Green’ demands a cast not only capable of making the process of learning dramatic, but one which can speak and sing in the Welsh dialect. This story can have real power if its demands are met. They are. Thanks to considerable research on the part of director Leslie Ann Rivers, one is transported into not only another time, but truly another world.”
Frances Baum Nicholson, PASADENA STAR-NEWS

“Director Leslie Rivers is meticulous in her approach to this production of ‘The Time of Your Life.’ She knows every ring left on the bar by wet beer glasses, and each spot on the sawdust floor where a tear dropped. She has assembled a group of accomplished actors and imbued the entire production with a spirit of authenticity.”
Linda Steele Cozyris, THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

“Handsome staging and outstanding acting make Summer Repertory Theatre’s ‘Anastasia’ a visually stunning and emotionally satisfying achievement.”
Dan Taylor, SANTA ROSA PRESS DEMOCRAT