Meet Ellyn Essig

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ellyn Essig a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ellyn, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I have had many chapters in my life, some good, some great and some that tested whether I could recover from complete financial and/or emotional devastation. It’s easy to weather the clouds when you’re life is generally good. When you suffer true loss, there are only two options: accept your circumstances and give up thinking things can get better, or dig down in your gut, create a plan to climb out of the muck and take the necessary steps to do it. It took 10 years to complete the plan and I know now that I can survive anything that life throws at me. I developed true inner strength from hardship, no longer fear taking risks. Resilience must come from within you. You would be surprised how resilient you can be when you have to.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

For most of my working life, I’ve been an attorney, first in private practice and then for a large corporation. For the last 25 years, I’ve developed a kind of parallel career in theater and Film/TV. I started as an actor and joined SAG-AFTRA. I joined a local theater group, of course, to act. I never acted there but what I did is to learn every aspect of stagecraft. I learned artistic painting, stonework, textures and working within a space under a budget to create over 40 sets in this one theater alone. Later on I thought, I’d really like to try my hand in directing. I took a directing class and started with workshops eventually working my way up to large musicals and main stage plays. I’ve directed in many non-equity theaters over the years. I ran a wonderful youth theater for five years. Two years ago I was accepted into the SDC union and now I am able to direct Equity theater. My goal is to direct equity productions in NYC. I just concluded a run of ‘WITCH’ by Jen Silverman at the Antrim Playhouse, Tappan NY. My upcoming musical, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ will be at the Players Guild of Leonia (NJ) in May 2026.

The most exciting, or should I say fulfilling part of directing is creating a production in which my creative hands in all aspects of that show. What will the set be and how can it serve as a character in the show. How can I provide a complete vision to my tech and design teams to create time, place, mood and visual beauty. Working with the actors to bring out the best in them and giving them a space to create, explore and take risks with their characters. Find the right balance to lead and collaborate with the cast so they can function as a cohesive ensemble. All of these things are essential to executing a vision of even a well-known show but in a way that’s original and exciting.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Certainly having legal knowledge has been a great asset as I could afford a free and expensive “hobby” before I considered directing/theater/acting as more than that. Understanding contracts, especially when you start out, can be a great skill to know what you are getting into. The mindset of being willing to take a risk and putting yourself out there for the world to see, criticize or appreciate is a BIG step…scary for sure, but when you realize how much more there is to you, hidden skills perhaps, it’s worth the risk. It’s not always easy but the thought of not creating is just not in my purview. My advice to people starting out is first, don’t base life decisions on fear…fear to fail, fear to move from what you know, fear that family or friends will not support your decisions. It’s your life and only you can make those choices. Also…keep learning and building on what you learn. I believe that so long as you are doing something you love, it’s legal and you can support yourself, you are on the right path.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

Never underestimate the power of a few great friends. My theater squad has been invaluable to me over the years for practical and emotional support, design and keeping me going when pressures mount. My theater rock is my set and lighting designer who has taught me invaluable lessons of artistry, function and true professionalism. When I ask the impossible and “can we do this?”, inevitably he will say “Ellyn, this is not Broadway” and then “yes, we can do it”.. My husband is my sound guru who has the patience of a saint, putting up with my moods, my absence from home when I’m in rehearsals and is my top cheerleader. When you venture into new things, surrounding yourself with the most qualified and supportive people is your biggest asset. And of course…be nice to people; you will indoubtedly see them again.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellyn.essig
• Youtube: My Directing channel is private. Write for access.

Image Credits

Jennie Marino