Today we’d like to introduce you to Elise Hanson.
Hi Elise, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started acting all over the valley in my early twenties. I learned a lot about comedy and direction at The Off-Broadway Theater and cut my teeth on their stage. Soon, I discovered I liked being in charge, something I had a bit of experience in from my high school theater days. I started directing and writing and soon looked to produce my shows.
I was a director for a few different theater companies around Salt Lake, forming relationships with various local artists. As I worked on my novels, a friend asked: “Why aren’t you a playwright, Elise?” I told him I had no idea and penned my first full-length play in 2014. Wasatch Theater Company produced another short play I wrote. I caught the bug and threw myself into playwriting, earning awards at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival and gleaning attention from local theaters.
My directing, acting, and writing prowess have awarded me many unique opportunities, such as starting my own theater company, Kallisti Theatre Company, serving on the board of another theater company, New World Shakespeare Company, and offering my expertise as a creative director for The Box in downtown Salt Lake City. This black box theater welcomes all sorts of projects.
I was commissioned to do a serial play called The Open Syrup, the first of its kind. I’m now working in a Utah Variety Artist Conclave to create a conference for performance artists to learn and connect in the Wasatch Valley. I cover Utah theatrical events in my blog Utah Theatre Chat, and I work as a theater critic for Front Row Reviewers.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road? There are always obstacles to being in charge, particularly when there’s no money. The guilt I feel over watching my actors purchase their costumes for plays is palpable, and I wish I could give them the set pieces and lighting systems they deserve.
There’s also the challenge of the audience. There is a wide variety of Grassroots Theater in Salt Lake City. Still, Giant Theaters like Hale Center Theater and CenterPoint eat up a lot of potential audiences, some of whom do not even realize there are other options in the valley.
The amount of creativity we see here is astounding and record-breaking, meaning that anyone and everyone can put on a show, but we need people to see it. (Especially, so we can afford to put on another one).
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
These days, I’m mostly known for my writing, particularly comedy, which makes me proud. I’ve been a writer all my life, encouraged by parents and teachers to expand and pursue my gifts.
I won awards three years in a row at the Fringe Festival and my success in pulling in devoted actors who genuinely believe in my work so much that they are willing to do it for free means so very much to me. I am launching seven plays I wrote this year alone, and they love people (some I don’t even know). Show for my work fills me with so much joy.
Anyone in the arts can attest that comedy is the most difficult to execute, and my strength in the genre is something I’ve worked hard for. I am a whimsical, absurd, and satirical student, and I love to use my voice to make people laugh.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Hardly any at all. I feel that extremely hard work, consistency, and reliability on my part have led people to trust me, and my abilities as a writer have inspired people to showcase what I have to offer, both as producers and performers.
I am blessed enough to have parents who provide constant encouragement and positive reinforcement, and their support has helped bolster me toward a dogged and passionate pursuit.
Pricing:
- Tickets to shows are $15-20
Contact Info:
- Email: elise.kallistitheatrecompany@gmail.com
- Website: http://www.newworldshakespeare.com/
- Instagram: instagram.com/kallistitheatreco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KallistiTheatreCo/
