It's true for many actors that if they began in the theatre, they can never truly leave it. It's a workshop, a gym, a studio, a spotlight, a moment. An addiction.
Eli acts, writes and directs for the stage, and in his time has produced, sound designed and pretty much everything else too, much of it with Orange Tea Theatre, latterly Orange Theatre company. Below you can find a few examples of each discipline. But as so much with theatre, if you really want to understand, you have to be there.
ACTOR
Michael in Pillowman, by Martin McDonagh
In McDonagh's tale of murder and short fiction, Michael is the brain-damaged brother of a suspected child-killer, brought in for questioning by the police in an totalitarian state.
Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
Puck is responsible for creating, and then eventually solving most of what goes on in Shakespeare's comedy classic. Energetic, mischievous and a delight to play.
Alt.Sam in I Am I by Mike Czuba
This Amsterdam Fringe Festival hit tears one man in two, and lets him fight it out over who's going to eventually get the girl. An anti-narrative exploration of modern manhood.
DIRECTOR
Borderlands by Mona Z. Smith
When a civil war breaks out, two young women must navigate it choosing very different paths. An earthen stage, live music, the smell of burning hair, and a decided Brechtian aesthetic.
Volts by Sam Morris
Stanley Milgram is confronted by the results of his infamous experiments on obedience and authority. Using his very own machine, he must uncover the memories he sought to keep hidden, even from himself.
Maurice LeNoir Presents Untitled: A Conflict In Concretism by Loveday Smith
An artists assistant has finally had enough when the artist himself can't be bothered to turn up to do his own show. Slowly venting to the audience, she must come to terms with what's really bothering her.
WRITER
Speechless (with Spindlevine)
A storytelling show, weaving three tales through each other, and all within a fourth frame story. Performed with live music and devised with members of Spindlevine.
Icarus & Daedalus (with The Theatre Alchemists)
A re-telling of the greek classic, examining what it means to be a hero, and what's required to achieve that status. Performed on a three-storey scaffold in a church, incorporating puppetry and animation.
Lux (with Orange Theatre Company)
In an unknown future, humanity lives underground, with light as the currency. An ex-addict is dragged toward revolution as he finally understands what it takes to make the world work.
