Tara Branham is a director and producer in Chicago. Currently, Tara is the Resident Director with Opera San Jose and the National New Play Network Producer-in-Residence with Prop Thtrin Chicago. Most recently, she assistant directed the world premiere of Freedom Ride under Tazewell Thompson at Chicago Opera Theatre. An avid supporter of the development of new work in theatre and opera, Tara assisted James Robinson on the world premiere of Terrance Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis which will be the first opera composed by a Black person produced by the Met. Branham was also the assistant director for internationally renowned soprano Patricia Racette on her directing premiere of La Traviata at OTSL. Her direction of the US premiere production of OCTAGON starring Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk, The Old Guard) at Jackalope Theatre received a sold out extension. This was a culmination of three years of development and collaboration with playwright Kristiana Rae Colón where it was presented and won Polarity Ensemble’s Dionysus Cup Festival and received a staged reading at the National New Play Network annual conference.She also directed and co-produced the world premiere of GOOD FRIDAYby Kristiana Rae Colón with Oracle Productions. She submitted this play and directed it for Stage Left Theatre’s developmental workshop Leapfest and the play has also received an Honorable Mention for the Kilroys list. She received the Puffin Ltd grant for her commitment to sponsor the development and production of underproduced work. The play has gone on to be produced at colleges across America to raise awareness of the complex intersection of gun violence and rape culture. Tara is a teacher and creator of the Unbridled Sound -a physical/vocal technique for actors. She graduated cum laude from Ball State University and is a student of Black Box Acting Studio. www.tarabranham.com