Annalise Guidry is a non-binary theater anthropologist -playwright, director, educator and resident artist - based in Boston with a devotion to theater as a vehicle for communion.

With The Theater Offensive, Annalise is crafting a praxis for theater- one that emphasizes process over product inspired by anthropological approaches, a love ethic and through their years growing up sharing stories as ways of sharing their self. Annalise is most interested in lineage and how we pass down our selves to future generations and in the way we honor our past lineage whether or not they were meant to include us. Annalise believes that by honoring lineage, we honor ourselves. By honoring ourselves, we open ourselves to greater love and communion within multiplicity.

Previously, Annalise started this journey of lineage during their time with Volt Lab for their play HomeComing which features the story of a young adult, Magnolia as she attempts to find herself by strengthening her relationship with herself, her paternal grandmother, and her paternal ancestors. Explored through a series of monologues emphasizing storytelling of New Orleans history and invitation to listen deeply, this play explores a family’s understanding and experience of New Orleans to create a mosaic understanding of New Orleans today. As Magnolia comes to know herself, New Orleans comes home to itself too.

Most recently, Annalise explored lineage during their time as a teaching artist with Hyde Square Task Force by crafting a performance of Caribbean myths and folktales adapted and told through the individual stories of the youth. This performance adapted the myths of Lasiren, Oshun, Kianda, Yemaya, and Bees told through the traditional Haitian form of storytelling- Krik, Krak. If you would like videos of this performance, please contact Annalise directly for a private link.

In a personal project in collaboration with Rachael Duarte Hunt, Annalise hopes to continue to nurture the intersection of anthropology and theater with an original play, Espiritu, a collection of myths and stories collected during their time in the Caribbean.

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