Ann Mandrella was born in Besançon, France on August 3rd. Her family moved to the town of Koblenz in Germany when Ann was a young child. From the beginning, Ann showed an aptitude for the performing arts. Her family encouraged her talent and she was enrolled in dancing and singing classes outside of school (the school she attended did not offer an arts program) and she participated in the local children's community theatre productions. After completing her secondary school education, Ann attended Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Germany for three years. There, she obtained a degree in musical theatre performance. After she graduated, she moved to Vienna, Austria to pursue further studies in the performing arts at the Gesangsstudio Theater. During her time in school, Ann supported herself through modeling work and by doing ballet/dance for local television shows.
Just before she completed her studies in Gesangsstudio, Ann was cast as Cha Cha in Grease (Vienna production), and she performed on the original cast album for the show. After her successful run in Grease, other roles would follow, including Babette in Beauty and the Beast, Anita in West Side Story, Roxie in Chicago, and Queenie in The Wild Party. She performed in several cities and countries throughout Europe, including Vienna (Austria), Amstetten (Austria), Stuttgart (Germany), Berlin (Germany), and Bern (Switzerland). Though she traveled often in order to perform, Vienna remained Ann's primary city of residence, where she maintains an apartment to this day.
During her time working in Europe, Ann met and married Drew Sarich, an American musical theatre actor and musician. In late 2005, Drew's career brought him to San Francisco. Ann, who was working on Show Boat in Switzerland, joined her husband in New York in February of 2006. In September of that year, Ann made her American stage debut in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway revival of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. In May of 2007, Ann made her Broadway debut as Babette in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. In October of that year, Ann returned to her apartment in Vienna, where she currently resides with her husband, their two children and the family cat.
In 2009, Ann returned to the European stage in the title role of Evita. She recently played Gitta in Pardon My English (Dresden), and Lisa Wartberg in the Raimund Theater's production of Ich War Noch Niemals In New York.
(From an interview conducted by amandrella.com)