Ani Rogers’s contributions to local theater span more than a dozen years. Rogers was raised in St. George. She attended Dixie High School where she participated in the drama program. Even then, she stood out as a theater student in the program directed by Russ Saxton. Upon graduating from high school, Rogers continued her education at Dixie State University. While there, she took every theater class she could fit into her schedule. She also attended classes at Southern Utah University. Rogers transferred to Brigham Young University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theater arts studies.
Rogers’ love for theater and southern Utah has remained constant. Upon graduating, Rogers started her teaching career at Dixie Middle School as a theater teacher from 2007-10. She took a year off to consider a career in the medical field. However, her love and passion for theater won out. Jumping back into teaching theater took her to Provo for a one-year stint at Dixon Middle School during the 2011-12 school year. But, she wasn’t gone for long. Ani Rogers returned to southern Utah to accept the theater director position at Pine View High School.
During the course of her position with PVHS from 2012-15, Rogers was able to take a program that had struggled for years and make it work. She found her own rhythm and way of working. Her resume includes directing and choreographing many one-act shows, musical theater revues, talent shows, and musicals with successful productions such as “Once On This Island,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Annie,” “High School Musical,” “The Sound of Music,” “The Rainmaker,” “The King and I,” and “Les Miserables.” Rogers has developed a reputation as serious contributor to the theater community. Rogers directed the high school premier performance of “Huebener” and was hired to direct St. George Musical Theater’s opening production of “The Sound of Music” after it had spent five years in the dark.
Always looking to learn, grow, and expand her experience, Rogers was offered the theater director position at Desert Hills High School. She enjoyed teaching at Pine View and the wonderful support she received from the school and community. However, she felt Desert Hills was an opportunity she could not pass up. Here she saw the chance to grow the program with facilities that would truly allow her to focus on her students.
“The auditorium [at Pine View] required me to work so hard to maintain it and get it up and working like I needed and wanted it to for my students and their performance productions,” Rogers shared. “I felt like 80 percent of my job and focus was on that auditorium instead of in the classroom on my students where I wanted it to be.”
Ani Rogers took the position with Desert Hills High School with forward-looking ideas. The first production under Rogers’ leadership is “Aida.” This contemporary musical take on the classic and tragic tale of love is certain to be a crowd pleaser with exuberant dancing, staging, and singing.
Varlo Davenport said that he can hardly wait to see what Rogers does next.
“Ani Rogers could be described as something of an overnight success—years in the making,” said Davenport. “And as her former teacher, I can say she was challenging in the best of ways. She questioned everything, wanting to understand what, why, and how she was being taught. It all goes back to her humility, her willingness to ask for help, while also empowering students and gaining support from parents. You couple those attributes with a very solid artistic vision, and you’ve got a winning combination.”
“Ani Rogers is one of the most talented young directors and not only in southern Utah but quite possibly in the country,” said St. George Musical Theater’s, executive director, Bruce Bennett. “I knew Ani from her days as a high school student working under Russ Saxton at Dixie High School, and it was apparent that she learned quite a bit from Russ Saxton and listened very carefully to his instruction and his example.”
“The first time I realized that Ani really had something very special as a director was when I saw her production at Pine View High of ‘The Sound of Music,” said Bennett. “So when it came time for SGMT to do our first show back after a five-year hiatus she was a natural choice and we were so fortunate that she agreed to direct our very first show back. Her attention to detail borders on obsessive but it’s that passion for detail that can make the difference between just an average production or a truly great and memorable production.”
“Because she was a talented actor herself she hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to be on stage or what is required of actors and how there has to be a very positive environment in order for an actor to demonstrate the self-confidence necessary to perform on stage,” Bennett said. “Her preparation is uniquely comprehensive for a high school director. We thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with Ani at St George Musical Theater. Community theater might be even harder in some ways than high school theater and we look forward to being able to utilize Ani’s many talents at some point again in the future. I just hope the students, parents, and faculty of Desert Hills High School realize how fortunate they are to have a director of such incredible dedication and talent as Ani Rogers.”
No doubt Ani Rogers will continue to make a splash with her presence in the theater community as she expands her horizons at Desert Hills High School.
