Maria Rita Meli is an Arizona native who grew up between the hot, arid desert and the Mediterranean coastal life in Sicily, Italy. In 2012, she earned her MA in Italian Studies from the University of Toronto, where she completed course work in Renaissance theatre and post-Tridentine drama. The year prior, Maria Rita completed her BA in linguistics and Italian language & literature at the University of Arizona, where she took part in a reading of Machiavelli's "La Mandragola." Currently, she lectures to students while frantically waving her arms and hands, like most Italians do.
Most importantly, she is an avid theatre fan and a lover of the arts who cannot think of a better way to spend an evening, or afternoon, than in the theatre.