ELYSE
EDELMAN
Hi, I'm Elyse!
Thanks for stopping by.
I do what I love, and I thank my lucky stars for it. I’m a professional theatre artist—director, actor, and arts leader. Trained at The Guthrie Theater BFA program under Ken Washington’s tenure, I’ve built a body of work spanning national tours, contemporary material, regional Shakespeare festivals, new plays, musicals, and theatre for young audiences, often blending my musicianship with storytelling.
I serve as Artistic Associate at Next Act Theatre in Milwaukee and on the Advisory Company at Forward Theater in Madison—roles that complement my freelance work and allow me to be an integral contributor to season programming and strategic planning.
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As a theater artist, my focus is on serving the play and its narrative over any individual performance or extraneous idea. I’m drawn to stories where people are really, really talking to one another. I think about plays existing in three time periods—the time they were written, the time they’re set, and the moment they’re being watched—and I’m interested in projects that feel worthwhile in that context.
​As a director, my work explodes passionately, moves fast, and challenges the expectations of how a theatrical space is “supposed” to behave. My approach is warm and playful in the room, creating an environment where deep, rigorous exploration with designers and actors allows the play to speak for itself.
As an actor, whether I’m playing Viola in Twelfth Night or a whimsical mouse in Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, I approach each role with the same craft, preparedness, and care.
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As a teaching artist, I believe in the reciprocal exchange of knowledge between myself and my students.
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Personally, I see the world as a place in need of more compassion and joy, and I strive to reflect these qualities in my work.
"Edelman is particularly good at playing overlooked and undervalued
women, conveying her characters' intrinsic worth to us even as those characters remain oblivious to it themselves. Her ability to channel her characters' ensuing awakening to the barely believed prospect that they might indeed be special is alternatively funny and poignant. She's the best reason to see this show."
MIKE FISHER / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL THEATER CRITIC
Upcoming Projects
February 2024
Featured on PBS's The Arts' Page Special for direction of The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe.
January 2022
Madison Ithmus: Best of critic Gwendolyn Rice's 2021 Performances List. Acknowledged for role in 46 Plays for America's First Ladies by the Neo Futurists at Forward Theater Company.
June 2022
Selected for Stephen McKinley Henderson's private class at Ten Chimneys. Nominated to participate by three Artistic Directors in Wisconsin.
2021/22 Theatrical Season
Recipient of Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's Ruth Schudson Leading Lady Award for the 2021/2022 Season