Anita Dashiell-Sparks
Lecturer

Anita Dashiell-Sparks is a graduate of the prestigious New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program. She is a Maryland Distinguished Scholar who pursued undergraduate work at the University of Maryland at College Park earning a degree in theatre.

As an actor based in New York and Los Angeles, she has graced the stage on Broadway in Night Must Fall starring Matthew Broderick and The Sunshine Boys starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. She has also appeared in numerous off-Broadway and regional theatre productions, including House of Bernada Alba with Chita Rivera at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Her recent television appearances include "Huff," "Friends," "The West Wing," "The Division" and the Hallmark film "McBride: The Doctor Is Out."

In support of her community service as a performing artist, she was awarded a 1998-1999 Fox Foundation Grant to mount a tour of her solo performance piece entitled "Resurrection" for youth and community organizations in New York City. Ms. Dashiell-Sparks is the founder and director of Building Bridges: Communication, Expression, Empowerment Theatre Arts Program which teaches self-expression, self-presentation, and self expression to at risk youth. Her program is supported by a University Neighborhood Outreach Grant at USC.

As an arts educator of theatre and dance Ms. Dashiell-Sparks has taught and developed arts and arts therapy curriculum for: the Dream Yard Drama Projects in both New York and L.A.; The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival; Vineyard Theatre; TADA! Theatre and Dance; and most recently for the National Foundation for the Emotionally Handicapped/Penny Lane here in Los Angeles.

In academia, Anita has taught at Barnard College, NY; guest lectured in undergraduate drama at New York University; and most recently performed and presented at conferences at St. Mary College of the Woods and DePauw University. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Performance at the University of Southern California School of Theatre.