Denise Stewart is a writer/director/actor/coach who produces film, theatre and grant-driven creative work. Recent projects include writing and directing short films for the UVA Healthsystem, and directing I NEVER SAW IT COMING through a grant with Live Arts. She recently played Mrs. Bennet in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE at Heritage Theatre Festival, and her new one-woman show, NIGHTCLEANING, opened at the Gallery at Studio IX in April 2020. Denise speaks to groups on the subjects of storytelling, public speaking, presence, reducing stress, and self-care. She emceed the 2nd annual DisruptHR and recent audiences have included the Women in Internal Medicine Network, and the Darden School of Business. A past speaker for Charlottesville Tedx and a current Tedx speaker coach, Denise was a lecturer in the UVA Department of Drama for 6 years, teaching courses in public speaking, acting, and improv. Her corporate clients have included Crutchfield Corp., MicroAire Surgical, Martha Jefferson Hospital, Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center, and CFA Institute. Denise toured her one-woman show, DIRTY BARBIE AND OTHER GIRLHOOD TALES, at Assembly Hall at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, the 59E59 East to Edinburgh Festival in New York City, and the Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville, NC, among other venues. She has an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Virginia and a Certificate in Nutrition from Cornell University.