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Elena is an actor, director, producer and writer for film and theatre. A former Junior Olympic Volleyball player, she incorporates the shared athletic and creative values in her process and training: preparation, teamwork, passion, and play.
Elena led the University of Lynchburg's varsity volleyball team as floor captain and team captain while earning a B.A. in Theatre, with Westover Honors Distinction. To kickstart her career post-grad, she attended the American Theatre Wing's Springboard NYC program, then enrolled in the 2-Year Full-Time Meisner Training Program at the William Esper Studio in New York City. She acted in plays and films, and was soon inspired to take up directing and producing. She met collaborators and together they founded Trinacria Theatre Company, whose aim was to use theatre as a means of economic and social revitalization in Messina, Sicily. She modeled Trinacria's creative process for Ground Rush Productions original play, "Night Witches", the story of the world's first female combat pilots, in an airplane hangar in Virginia. During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, Elena enrolled in American University's M.A. Film & Media Production program, while simultaneously working at Woodberry Forest School. While there, she completed her capstone project,"Not Everyone's So Lucky", and wrote an award winning short film about her family history called "The Peach". She is currently writing a western drama set in her hometown. When not creating, Elena can be found running long distances, working on her family farm, or wearing nice hats. |