My name is Emily M. Shaffer and I'm a theatre artist that wears many hats. I enjoy engaging with theatre as much as I can, but some of my favorite ways are through Directing, Playwriting, Acting, and Dramaturgy. You can occasionally find me dabbling with some Sound and Light Design.
I'm a New Play Development Enthusiast through and through. I've participated in two New Play Development residencies as an actor and dramaturg. I've also facilitated and took part in as both playwright and director a New Play Development process for the production of my play, You Make Your Own Family. This part of theatre is something that is so new, but is so important for playwrights and the developments of their worlds. A playwright can learn so much about the world of their play by hearing it read out loud by a company of actors and seeing it on its feet at music stands. I love this process because you get to watch a play grow through a hands on experience. It is thrilling.
Theatre is an inviting community where I've found my home, and I think that's why I love it so much. I feel okay to take up space and say my ideas. I feel welcome to be my authentic self and celebrate that. I get exposure to different kinds of theatre, which always leaves me thinking about it for days after. The experience I have with theatre is what motivates me to actively pursue a career in it, because I want to help aspiring artists have a similar experience.
I enjoy art that centers female characters and characters of the LGBTQIA+ community. Themes I enjoy engaging with as an audience member and as a maker are family dynamics, coming of age, gender, play within a play, rebellion, and supernatural. Honestly if anything has an alien or a spaceship in it, I'm sold.
When I'm not working in the theatre or writing plays in my hidey hole, you can typically find me playing with my cat Garnet, watching Dr. Who, or reading MoonKnight comic books!My name is Emily M. Shaffer and I'm a theatre artist that wears many hats. I enjoy engaging with theatre as much as I can, but some of my favorite ways are through Directing, Playwriting, Acting, and Dramaturgy. You can occasionally find me dabbling with some Sound and Light Design.
I'm a New Play Development Enthusiast through and through. I've participated in two New Play Development residencies as an actor and dramaturg. I've also facilitated and took part in as both playwright and director a New Play Development process for the production of my play, You Make Your Own Family. This part of theatre is something that is so new, but is so important for playwrights and the developments of their worlds. A playwright can learn so much about the world of their play by hearing it read out loud by a company of actors and seeing it on its feet at music stands. I love this process because you get to watch a play grow through a hands on experience. It is thrilling.
Theatre is an inviting community where I've found my home, and I think that's why I love it so
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Preferred communication is through business@emilymshaffer.com.