LATEST PROJECTS
Directing The Laramie Project
October 2020 | Honoring the 20th Anniversary of The Laramie Project
Elise directed a filmed version of the play The Laramie Project to commemorate the 20th anniversary of this play and the 22nd anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death. To encourage critical examination of The Laramie Project and its relevance in 2020, this production draws heavily upon Brechtian theatre techniques. Pandemic precautions created artistic opportunities and kept the ensemble safe. For example, the use of masks and socially distant blocking remind the audience they're watching a play and solidly ground this historic play in 2020. In addition to pandemic precautions, Elise prioritized physical, psychological, and emotional safety during the rehearsal process. (If you would like to discuss best practices for creating theatre during COVID, Elise would be glad to discuss this experience.) The show is streaming from Friday, October 30th to Friday, November 6th.
Assistant Directing at the American Shakespeare Center
Summer 2020 | Safely Creating Theatre During a Pandemic
This past summer, Elise had the honor of Assistant Directing Othello under the guidance of Tony Award Nominee Ethan McSweeney. During the pandemic, the American Shakespeare Center was one of the first companies to create theatre in North America. Elise helped implement their innovative SafeStart plan by setting up their new outdoor venue, creating forums for dialogue, and ensuring that company members were following all SafeStart protocols. She learned about innovative directing approaches and how to stay flexible in a rapidly changing environment.
Workshopping a New Play
April 2019 | Directing Lesson Two by Alika Magas at the CU New Play Festival
An avid fan of new works, Elise enjoyed participating in the CU New Play Festival for the third time. She has directed, performed, and showcased her own work at the festival over the last three years. Lesson Two - a suspenseful short play by Alika Magas - was a thrilling challenge. Elise loves creating compelling stage pictures showcasing shifting power dynamics. It was a joy staging this captivating script.
Performing in Falstaff in Love
March 2019 | Performing in an Academic Premiere!
Elise originated the role of Queen Mary in Scott Kaiser's play Falstaff in Love. A prequel to Shakespeare's Henry IV Part I, Falstaff in Love follows a young Falstaff as he falls in love and grows into the character audiences have loved for centuries. Elise and the acting company earned a "Meritious Achievement Award for Ensemble" from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
Co-organizing a New Play Competition
December 2018 - July 2019 | Playoffs: A Playwriting Slam
Elise Collins and George Lopercio co-organized a monthly playwriting competition at Denver's Dangerous Theatre. Playwrights would bring in their works, actors would have 10 minutes to do a staged reading, and the audience would vote on the winner. The winning play would get a full staged reading at Dangerous Theatre at a later date. Elise enjoyed serving as emcee, promoter, and stage manager for this competition.
Directing
Photograph 51
October 2017 | A Summa Cum Laude Worthy Production
Photograph 51 tells the story of Rosalind Franklin and her role in the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA. Elise directed, stage-managed, and designed the costumes, lights, sound, and projections for this production. She used interpersonal communication theory to inform all of the design elements and the rehearsal process. She earned a summa cum laude designation for her honors thesis analyzing this production. This honors thesis along with production photos can be found here.
Christmas Eve Puppet Show
December 24, 2016 | Rod-Arm Puppeteer
For the 10th year, Elise will be a puppeteer for the children's Christmas Eve services at St. Lukes UMC. The On Our Knees Puppet Team specializes in rod arm puppetry, mono hand puppets, and some shadow puppetry. From adding vamping sheep in sunglasses into the nativity to manipulating angel puppets that can fly through the audience, these performances always manage to inspire and awe audiences. Elise greatly enjoys watching the looks on the children's faces when they see the puppets for the first time. It's one of her favorite parts of the holiday season!
The Empowerment Project
Fall 2017 | A School Tour About Successful ​Women
The Empowerment Project was a devised theatre piece for high school and college students that cohesively combines performance, a Theatre of the Oppressed workshop, and creative writing. The project shares stories of successful women from the past, creates opportunities for the audience to rehearse how they would act if faced with adverse situations in the present, and encourages the audience to craft their own narratives of future success. The show focused on cis and trans women from different races, classes, sexualities, religions, abilities, and professions. Elise led a talented team of performers and teaching artists through the process of devising, directing, and performing this work.
Advanced Movement Mask Salon
December 11, 2016 | An Improvised Mask Performance
Elise and her peers in Tamara Meneghini's Advanced Movement class created a 45-minute improvised performance with masks. Elise utilized clay, paper mache, and paint to create an upbeat character called Sunny. She greatly enjoyed playing with this form and making a wedding cake with very silly ingredients.
Directing 9 Circles by Bill Cain
December 7, 2016 | Finding Humanity within a Villain
Ever since Elise saw War Horse on Broadway and performed in Carolyn Howarth's Henry V at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Elise has been fascinated by the human side to war stories. Elise decided to adapt 9 Circles by Bill Cain as her final directing project for Dr. Cecilia Pang. 9 Circles follows the story of Private Daniel E. Reeves from his conviction for war crimes during Operation Iraqi Freedom to his eventual execution by lethal injection. Elise enjoyed finding the essence of the story - helping the audience have a sympathetic reaction as they come to understand Reeves' perspective on his actions.
CU's New Play Festival
December 4, 2016 | Directing a Staged Reading of The Fat Phoenix by Eddy Jordan
Since Elise is interested in producing her own original work in the future, she helped direct for CU's Second Annual New Play Festival to be part of the process. She enjoyed the challenge of minimal staging, working on character development with her two talented actors, and accentuating the play's language.
All Female Twelfth Night
November 4-13, 2016 | Malvolio in Twelfth Night (Directed by Lisa Wolpe)
Elise had the incredible opportunity to perform as Malvolio in CU's all-female production of Twelfth Night. As this is her favorite Shakespeare play and her ninth time playing a gender-bent character, it was an incredibly fun experience. She really enjoyed embracing the challenge of this complex character with such an incredible ensemble. Lisa Wolpe, the Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company, had incredible insights into the play and how to play a man onstage.
CU Fringe Festival 2016
April 22-23, 2016 | Running A Theatre Festival
As President of CU OnStage, a student organization that creates performance opportunities for CU Students, Elise helped run and organize an entire weekend of free student-created performance art. Due to budget cuts, she ran the festival on a quarter of its previous budget, applying for funding from many sources and starting a crowdfunding campaign. As President, she arranged costume rentals, acquired set pieces, hired technicians, drafted contracts, advertised through multiple mediums, organized an opening gala, arranged for security personnel, and facilitated clear communications with professors, actors, directors, and technicians. She is very proud of the team of people she worked with that helped make the festival possible.