ELANA
SWARTZ
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I am a playful and vibrant Virginian now based in the Bay Area. I grew up adventuring in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains. I love to spend my time listening 80's power ballads, cooking new recipes, and traveling to devour local cuisine.
I've been told I'm a young feisty Marissa Tomei mixed with a relentless Emmy Rossum, served straight up with a twist of the charming Reese Witherspoon.
I am your ultimate ride-or-die accomplice, your steadfast best friend that makes killer home cooked meals, or a precocious new lawyer on ‘How To Get Away With Murder'--
I'm a ball of energy and ready to play!
A LITTLE ABOUT ME . . .
Commercial Reel
Acting Reel
“Elana is a director’s dream – she is specific, smart, driven, and always working. Her positivity shines through in rehearsal and performance. I look forward to working with her again in the future!”
- Patrick Pearson
Professor at Sam Houston State University / Former Director of Artistic Programming at Ford's Theatre
VOLUNTEER WORK
After traveling and doing theatre in over six countries, I appreciate a fusion between the intimate human experience and the craftsmanship of storytelling. I have written, performed, and taught theatre in Thailand with young children, lead local branches of national theatre movements like The Ghost Light Project, and volunteered with local public high school productions as everything from a makeup designer, playwright, and choreographer, to an assistant director. I am always looking for opportunities to give back using the arts.
AWARDS
I was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Play by The Bay Area Broadway World for my Cordelia/Fool in King Lear with Berkeley Shakespeare Company's 2023 production!
I received an Irene Ryan Nomination for my role as Madge Owens in JMU's Mainstage production of Picnic. I was also recognized for my work as an assistant director on JMU's Mainstage production of School for Scandal, receiving a Certificate of Merit for Directing from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Most recently, I received a Distinguished Senior Award from the JMU School of Theatre and Dance.