Artistic Statement
My primary focus is directing contemporary non-traditional music theater, opera and plays as well as re-imagining the classics. I am most drawn to dramatic, multi-layered stories, non-linear work and pieces that lend themselves to exploring, deconstructing and creating visually stunning symbolism through movement as part of the storytelling.
Biography
Four-time Joseph Jefferson Award nominee, stage and movement director Elizabeth Margolius’ selected directorial credits include Silent Sky for Peninsula Players (Door County, Wisconsin), Queen of the Mist for Firebrand Theatre, The Scarlet Ibis for Chicago Opera Theater, Miss Holmes for Peninsula Players, Machinal for Greenhouse Theater (Movement Director), The Bridges of Madison County for Peninsula Players, Uncle Philip’s Coat for Greenhouse Theater, Haymarket: The Anarchist’s Songbook for Underscore Theatre, Twelfth Night for DePaul Opera Theatre, The Girl in the Train for Chicago Folks Operetta, Goldstar, Ohio for American Theater Company, The Last Cyclist for Genesis Theatrical Productions, Death Takes a Holiday for Circle Theatre, Opus 1861 for City Lit Theater, Violet for Bailiwick Chicago, and Bernarda Alba and Songs for a New World for Bohemian Theatre Ensemble.
Elizabeth has been a guest director, master artist, and adjunct professor at numerous colleges and universities including Wisconsin’s Viterbo University, University of Northern Iowa, University of Nebraska, South Carolina’s Converse School of Music, DePaul University, SUNY Albany, and Skidmore College. Elizabeth is an alumna of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, a recipient of a full directorial scholarship for the Wesley Balk Opera-Music Theater Institute, and a finalist for the Charles Abbott Fellowship.
Elizabeth has a degree in classical flute and has trained in movement techniques from around the world including Qigong, the Frantic Method, and Axis Syllabus. She is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of DirectorsLabChicago, and a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC).