Meridith C. Grundei is an actor, director, improviser, coach, and voice-over artist. She holds an M.F.A. in Contemporary Performance from Naropa University in Boulder, CO and was recently awarded the 2017 True West Award with her husband, Gary Grundei and Henry nominated for her work as director on Beowulf, A Thousand Years of Baggage with the Boulder company, The Catamounts. In 2016 she was recognized in the Westword as one of Colorado's 100 Creatives. She is an Associate Artist of LOCAL Theatre Company in Boulder, CO and has been a member of Playback Theatre West for the past 10 years.
Meridith has performed with many companies throughout the United States including:
Sweet & Lucky, FRANKENSTEIN (Denver Center for the Performing Arts), Taming of the Shrew (Colorado Shakespeare Festival), FAITH (LOCAL Theatre Company), The
Misanthrope (American Conservatory Theatre), iO Chicago, Baby Wants Candy, ABOUND (Sprung Movement Theatre), Strawdog Theatre Company, House of Yes (square product theatre), God's Ear (Recipient
of the 2011 Camera Eye Award for Best Actress in a Drama), The Three Faces of Dr. Crippen, Messenger #1(Nominated as Best Actress in a Comedy for the 2012 Culture West, True West Awards),
Failure...A Love Story, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play and Spirits to Enforce (The Catamounts).
As a director, Meridith's credits include: Under Construction by Charles Mee (Naropa University, MFA), Beowulf, A Thousand Years of Baggage by Jason Craig and Dave
Malloy, There is A Happiness That Morning Is by Mickle Maher and FUTURA by Jordan Harrison (The Catamounts), A Christmas Carol by Patrick Barlow (Miners Alley Playhouse), Escanaba in Da Moonlight
by Jeff Daniels and Paul Sills' Story Theatre (Evergreen Players), Moulin Scrooge by Peter Gwinn (The Catamounts in collaboration with The Band of Toughs), One Act: a fully improvised play
(Boulder International Fringe Festival), and Normal Heights in collaboration with Jim Walker and Gary Grundei.
Prior to moving to Colorado, Meridith worked as Associate Faculty for The Second City Training Center in Chicago, IL. She has worked as Adjunct Faculty at Naropa
University in Boulder, Colorado in the undergraduate program and as a Guest Director and Instructor in the Masters Program. In 2013 Meridith was invited as a Guest Artist to work at the
CounterPulse in San Francisco, CA. where she collaborated with war veterans and performers for an original performance for ECHOTHEATRESUTCASE. She has taught improvisation at the Omega Institute
in Upstate NY and is now working on her own project with the working title, The Father Project. This fall she is curating and directing Bite-Size, a micro-theatre
production in collaboration with Off-Center at The Denver Center.
Meridith is also a professional voice over artist, film actor, talent coach and producer.
When she isn't creating work, Meridith is helping business professionals connect to their most powerful and authentic selves through her business, Red Ball Speaks, LLC. Past and present clients include CU LEEDS School of Business, CEAVCO Audio Visual,
Network Affiliates, Mercer, SurveyGizmo, and many others.
Meridith is presently working on the road while touring the country and Mexico with her husband, 6-year-old daughter, dog, and cat.