We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elissa Wolf a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elissa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I think every artist at some point thinks about who they would thank after they’ve won an award, the people in their lives who deserve public acknowledgment. I immediately always think of my parents.

I grew up with two siblings, an older brother and a twin sister. We were all passionate about different things. For my brother, it was sports, for my sister it was photography, and I loved performing. Our passions were fueled by my parents, “You like golf, great! We will convert part of the garage so you can practice.” “You’re interested in photography. I think I still have my old camera from high school you can use.” “You want to act, let’s look into classes.” What my parents did right was show an interest in our interests.

When I was younger, I was pretty shy and lacked self-confidence, but I loved telling stories. I think that was something my parents realized, and they wanted me to do something so I could gain confidence in myself. I remember my mom signed me up for student improv classes when I was in 4th grade, and it meant I got to leave school 30 minutes early on Mondays. I got to be around other kids just like me. Theatre was a place where I felt comfortable, it was a place I felt accepted, and it was a place I had a voice. I know my parents saw what theatre gave me and so they never discouraged me from pursuing a career in the arts.

Theatre was my saving grace in high school. The first play I was in was “The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie. I played Mollie Ralston. My mom made my costume and drove me to every rehearsal. I was not much of a singer, but in junior year I somehow got cast in “Beauty and the Beast.” My parents came to every show, even though I was just a dancing plate in “Be Our Guest” and a tavern dancer in “Gaston.” In college, it was the same. It didn’t matter what part I had, if I was in a show they would come and see it. Honestly, even if I wasn’t in a show but my friends were, they would go and see it. And they would usually show up with flowers, not for me, but for my friends. They knew how much their support could mean to others.

There are two sayings/phrases my parents said all the time that are guiding principles in my life. My mom always said, “Don’t let school get in the way of an education,” meaning that there are experiences in life that will teach you more than school ever can. And when I’m struggling to make a decision that might push me out of my comfort zone, I think of my dad asking, “Why not?” He had this mentality to just go for it and had the willingness to take risks. He knew risks were scary, but they could also be rewarding.

The principles they taught me, encourage me to pursue opportunities that are fulfilling and that push me to grow. I know I would not be where am today without the support of my parents and I know I would not be the person I am today without the lessons they taught me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a director, dramaturg, and Equity actor, so I usually just roll that all together and say I am a creative practitioner. Most of my time is split between the Midwest and the East Coast, working on a variety of projects. I’ve been fortunate to work with organizations such as Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Two River Theater, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, just to name a few. I’ve worked as a teaching artist and educator, hosting workshops focused on understanding linguistic clues in Shakespeare’s texts. I’ve had the honor of sharing my work at many Shakespeare conferences including the Wooden O Symposium at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference, BritGrad, the Blackfriars Conference at the American Shakespeare Center, and the Australian and New Zealand Shakespeare Association Conference. I’m sure you’ve started to notice the subject that connects a majority of my work.

When I was 10 years old my uncle gave me a children’s book of Shakespeare’s plays and I was hooked. The first play I read in the book was “The Merchant of Venice” and I still vividly remember reading the casket scene while riding the bus to school. Shakespeare’s stories further ignited my passion for performing. That summer my mom signed me up for an acting camp and we put on “Shake it up Shakespeare.” It was a collection of scenes from various Shakespeare plays. I played the Gentlewoman during Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene. Next year at camp we did “Twelfth Night,” and I was cast as Sebastian. At this point, there was really no turning back. Jumping forward a bit to college where my summers were filled with Shakespeare. I worked with Shakespeare at the Centre, performing Shakespeare in the courtyard at the Batavia Fine Arts Center. The first show I did with them was “Much Ado About Nothing,” the next summer was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” then “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” and lastly “The Tempest.” My Shakespearean acting skills grew so much by working with Shakespeare at the Centre and it is where I met some of my favorite people. After college, I focused on getting work as an actor and auditioned for anything and everything. I did project after project, but I was missing Shakespeare. I remember talking with my brother and he mentioned there was a university in England that offered an MA in Shakespeare and Creativity. If you had asked me at the start of college if I would pursue a master’s I would have laughed and said you were out of your mind. It’s funny how things change. I looked into the program, which was at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. Truly, without giving it another thought, at midnight sometime in October 2018 I submitted an application to the Shakespeare Institute. In 2019 I moved to Stratford and began attending classes. The Shakespeare and Creativity program is partnered with the Royal Shakespeare Company and offers guidance from RSC practitioners in research, acting techniques, language, and community outreach. Deciding to pursue a master’s is the best decision I ever made. I grew not only as an artist but found a new love in research and how it contributes to storytelling. During my MA we had to write a dissertation. I wrote a 14,997-word dissertation that explored the use of asides in Shakespeare, analyzing how their various functions and deliveries affect performance choices. I graduated in 2020, which was when the world was at a standstill. I spent the pandemic reaching out to theatre artists I greatly admired, having conversations about the way forward, and gaining career advice. Those conversations are the reason I stayed focused and energized. Talking with other creators at a time when everything felt so uncertain was a gift. It was also during this time I realized I could be more than just an actor. I could be a multi-faceted artist and a scholar. I didn’t have to be one or the other. My passion for Shakespeare and theatre is the reason I’ll be starting a PhD at King’s College London in January 2025. Looking back, I truly never thought my love for theatre would lead me to pursue a doctorate, but if I’ve learned anything it’s that things rarely go as planned and that certain opportunities will present themselves at the right time.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I always joke that a healthy dose of spite is my motivator, but I suppose it is somewhat true. Those who know me will likely have heard this story before.

I was taking a class where we had to perform a Shakespearean monologue as part of our final assessment. I chose to perform a monologue delivered by a male character. I was so excited to tackle the piece, ecstatic even. However, when I shared my monologue selection with the instructor, he discouraged my choice and said I should select a female monologue instead. But I wasn’t passionate about any other pieces, so I decided to stick with my original monologue. The assessment was set up so that each student performed their monologue and then received feedback in front of the whole class. I remember I performed first that day. After completing my monologue our instructor exclaimed, “Do I think you mastered Shakespeare? No. Do I think you gave it the old college try? Yes.” That was it, then he moved on to the next student. This was a defining moment for me. As a teaching artist and educator, my job is to lift students up. Gatekeeping Shakespeare cuts off the opportunity for new discoveries and limits accessibility. My goal throughout my creative journey has been to create positive environments where I can nurture creative expression and where others can feel comfortable sharing their ideas and trying new things.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I suppose I’m putting my directing cap on when answering this question. I think one of the most rewarding things is when you are working with a performer and they’ve been working really hard on a scene, and then BOOM, something clicks. There is this spark in their eye and all of a sudden everything comes together for them. I don’t think there is anything more rewarding than seeing someone put their heart and soul into something and then getting a front-row seat to watch them succeed. I think that’s why, for me, rehearsals are my favorite part of putting a show together. As a director, my aim is to connect and collaborate with actors so they feel ownership over what they’ve created. I’m not interested in just telling someone how to do something. This is a collaborative process, and I want to make sure others have a say in the project we are working on. It’s important to have a sense of community when piecing a show together.

I’ve had the chance to work on some amazing projects this past year, but the two that stick out the most are “Love’s Labour’s Lost” at Two River Theater and “Shakespeare in Love” at Quincy Community Theatre. Two River has a program called A Little Shakespeare. Through this program, they produce a Shakespeare adaptation directed and designed by theater professionals, and performed and supported backstage by high school students. I worked as the dramaturg for this production, providing research for the creative team and students. I’m always excited to see how the research will be integrated into the show and used by the performers, and that’s what made Tech Week for this production so fulfilling. I got to see how the students used the research, while also crafting characters that were unique to them.

“Shakespeare in Love” was one of the biggest shows I’ve directed (27 actors and a dog!), but it will stand out as one of the most rewarding experiences. I could not have asked for a more supportive group of designers, actors, and volunteers, who all helped bring the show to life. Every day I looked forward to going to rehearsal and working with actors who were so invested in the story we were telling. Quincy Community Theatre has been around since 1923, and you can tell the productions they produce mean so much to the community. It was an honor to be a part of the QCT community, even if it was for a short time.

There are so many rewarding aspects of being a director, but seeing others grow and flourish in an environment you’ve helped cultivate is definitely up there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elissawolf.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliwolf007/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elissa-wolf-59b7b5163/

Image Credits

First Headshot – Ian Mclaren
Second Headshot – Esther Boston Photography
Shakespeare in Love Cast Photo and Director Interview – Burgundy Hill (Quincy Community Theatre)
Presenter and Workshop Participant- Blackfriars Conference 2023
Lady Macduff and Audrey – Kingsmen Shakespeare Comapny 2022