Elena Velasco
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  • Theatre resumé
  • Artist bio and CV
  • Convergence Theatre
  • Reviews and Articles
  • What's up and where's elena?
  • Central Square Theater - Alma
  • Convergence Theatre production photos
    • A New Nation
    • This is All Just Temporary
    • Witch
    • Bhavi the Avenger
  • GALA Hispanic production photos
    • Gallery - 2022 La Llamada de Sylvia Mendez (nuevo)
    • Gallery - La Llamada de Sylvia Méndez
    • Gallery - Entre la Tierra y el Cielo
  • Keegan Theatre production photos
    • Gallery - The Magical Piñata
    • Gallery - Hands on a Hardbody
    • Gallery - The Amazing Adventures of Dr. Wonderful
  • Synetic Theatre production photos
  • BSU Theatre production photos
    • Dreamgirls
    • Little Shop of Horrors
    • #metoo
    • Godspell
  • La Perdida production photos
  • Production photos - Earlier works
REVIEWS
Alma de Benjamin Benne 
Central Square Theatre, Cambridge, MA 
Dirigida de Elena Velasco

"There is much to admire and moments of considerable power in “Alma,” directed at Central Square Theater by Elena Velasco.
The director has devised a haunting visual finale to the production."  - Don Aucoin, Boston Globe. 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/27/arts/alma-an-uncertain-future-mother-daughter-caught-political-crossfire/ 
"Under Velasco’s taut direction, the action never stops." - Michele Markarian, Theatre Mirror.  www.theatermirror.net/?p=6295
"Energetic direction" - David Greenham, The Arts Fuse. 
https://artsfuse.org/268978/theater-review-alma-a-matter-of-justice/
 

La Llamada de Sylvia Mendez: Separate is Never Equal de Cornelia Cody; new music by Camilo Linares
Produced by GALA Hispanic Theater
Diridiga y coreografiado de Elena Velasco 

"Expertly directed by Elena Velasco, and skillfully acted, the show is eminently watchable...Elena Velasco’s direction is especially inventive in combining movement, dance, and music." - Sophie Howes, DC Theatre Arts. 
https://dctheaterarts.org/2022/10/10/galas-separate-is-never-equal-honors-a-girl-who-changed-the-world/
 
The Amazing Adventures of Dr. Wonderful (and her dog!) by Lauren Gunderson y Bree Lowdermilk
Produced by Keegan Theater

Directed and Choreographed by Elena Velasco 
"One of the last songs is “Wow,” a pretty song that aptly describes the audience’s reaction to this offbeat and educational musical...a fun and nerdy musical." - Sarah Shah, DC Theatre Arts 
dctheaterarts.org/2022/07/15/a-fun-and-nerdy-musical-for-kids-dr-wonderful-and-her-dog-at-keegan/

"The Washington area is rich in quality children’s theatre… Keegan PLAY-RAH-KA fits right in with that company. “The Amazing Adventures of Dr. Wonderful (and Her Dog!)” is the sort of staged show we need more of — a mix of education and entertainment that the young people who surrounded me during a weekend matinee found fully satisfying." - Peter Orvetti, MD Theatre Guide. 
mdtheatreguide.com/2022/07/theatre-review-the-amazing-adventures-of-dr-wonderful-and-her-dog-at-the-keegan-theatre/


The Decameron - Digital Adaptation 
Produced by Synetic Theater

Directed, Adapted and Performed by Elena Velasco
Release date July 10, 2020
synetictheater.org/event_pages/the-decameron/
"
Elena Velasco is a strong local director and performer in her own right and brings to this fellowship that is Synetic her most serious lens on theatre for social justice....The work is full of restrained sorrow and rage." - Susan Galbraith, DC Theatre Scene. 
dctheatrescene.com/2020/07/12/review-synetic-theaters-the-decameron-day-three-from-somber-to-sexy/

The Magical Piñata 
by Karen Zacarías y Deborah Wicks la Puma
Directed and Choreographed by Elena Velasco

Produced by Keegan Theatre

"Director and Choreographer Elena Velasco does a magnificent job with this cast of four....Keegan Theatre’s PLAY-RAH-KA program has created a gem with a strong cast and dynamite creative team." - Kendall Mostafavi, DC Metro Theatre Arts
dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2019/12/19/the-magical-pinata-at-the-keegan-theatre-celebrates-mexican-culture-and-teaches-valuable-lessons-about-sharing/

"Five Stars - 
The Magical Piñata at Keegan Theatre is a fun-filled romp that fits the holiday season with lessons for all to treasure and enjoy." - Deborah Minter Jackson, DC Theatre Scene.
https://dctheatrescene.com/2019/12/16/review-the-magical-pinata/

Guerrilla Theatre Works:  A New Nation
Helen Hayes Recommended!
DCMTA 2018 Outstanding Professional Performance 

Directed and Choreographed by Elena Velasco
dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2018/12/21/dcmta-2018-staff-favorites-outstanding-overall-productions-in-professional-theater/?fbclid=IwAR0STVm-iI1krULZR3PyC0-KvtDvbdxd1uoQ1FrD4f66rRgBV0oCiGhpAAI
Produced by Convergence Theatre
Co-directed by Elena Velasco and Natalia Nagy-Gleason; Choreographed by Elena Velasco

"… a vital, vibrant examination of the immigrant story, and an unforgettable evening of theatre....painfully effective sequence that draws a direct line to family separation and the devaluation of human life." - Norah Dick, MD Theatre Guide. 
mdtheatreguide.com/2018/07/theatre-review-guerilla-theatre-works-a-new-nation-by-convergence-theatre/

"A New Nation has found the right city, the right moment and the right place at the Anacostia Arts Center this month. As national headlines bear down on this administration’s Muslim travel ban, zero tolerance immigration policy, and withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council, this collection of vignettes about immigration, family, and home speaks truth to power." - Kate Colwell, DC Theatre Scene.  dctheatrescene.com/2018/07/12/review-guerilla-theatre-works-a-new-nation/

"For the Convergence group, telling stories that illuminate not just the facts, but the emotions, of real people – stories that are told with bodies as well as words – has great power.  A New Nation displays that power, and does so in a way that is as theatrically vivid as it is substantively meaningful. This is a production that is very worth seeing, and even more worth thought and action on what is a key issue of our time, having much to do with how we define ourselves as individuals and a nation." - Bob Ashby, DC Metro Theatre Arts.  dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2018/07/10/review-guerrilla-theater-works-a-new-nation-by-convergence-theatre/


This Is All Just Temporary  by Olivia Haller
Produced by Convergence Theatre
Directed by Elena Velasco


​FIVE STARS!  - "Director Elena Velasco guides her cast adeptly through the small space....Using projections, movement, and some classic storytelling techniques, this production puts a new spin on the theme that the people we love the most can also make us feel the most “stuck."...This Is All Just Temporary deftly highlights the strength of the feelings of both love and guilt a family can elicit in us, and how we sometimes must come together to make impossible choices." - Jon Bavoso, DC Theatre Scene
dctheatrescene.com/2018/01/22/just-temporary-convergence-theatre-review/
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"Elena Velasco guides her actors through the timeline of the play, which includes frequent moments of memory and suspensions of reality when music and movement take over to reflect unspoken thoughts, feelings, and connections.This is All Just Temporary breaks your heart and then puts you back together even stronger than before." - Kendall Mostafavi, DC Metro Theater Arts 
dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2018/01/24/review-just-temporary-convergence-theatre-womens-voices-theater-festival/

HANSEL AND GRETEL - adapted, directed and choreographed by Elena Velasco and Tori Bertocci - Helen Hayes Recommended!
Produced by Synetic Theater
"Directed and choreographed by co-adaptors Tori Bertocci and Elena Velasco, this exciting production manages to speak volumes without uttering a single word...Hansel and Gretel encourages imagination, and through its creative delivery allows room for endless interpretations." - Julia L. Exline, DCMetroTheaterArts
dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2017/12/03/review-hansel-gretel-synetic-theater/
 

WITCH    adapted by the Convergence Theatre Collective 
Produced by Convergence Theatre
Directed and Choreographed by Elena Velasco

​"....Mesmerizing to watch, and movingly performed." - Ravelle Brickman, DC Metro Theatre Arts. 
dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2016/10/17/review-witch-convergence-theatre-mead-theatre-lab-flashpoint/

"...Spiritual and all-encompassing."  - Stephanie House, MD Theatre Guide
mdtheatreguide.com/2016/10/theatre-review-witch-at-convergence-theatre/

"The game cast of director Elena Velasco's Witch knits together shades of The Crucible and The Exorcist to provide an arresting experience that serves as a dark morality play and timely reminder of women's ongoing fight for safety and equality." - Ben Demers, DC Theatre Scene
dctheatrescene.com/2016/10/17/witch-potent-brew-convergence-theatre/


GUERRILLA THEATRE WORKS: AT WHAT COST?    devised by the Convergence Theatre Collective
Produced by Convergence Theatre
Directed and Choreographed by Elena Velasco

"...Bold artistic work..." - Evan Hoffman, Artistic Director, NextStop Theatre
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2016/jun/15/herndon-theater-inspire-conversation/

Bhavi the Avenger by Tearrance Chisholm
Produced by Convergence Theatre
Directed by Elena Velasco

"Whimsical, resourceful..." - Celia Wren, Washington Post. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/theater-dance/inaugural-offering-from-convergence-theatre-is-whimsical-and-resourceful/2015/09/30/3b0c3bda-66be-11e5-8325-a42b5a459b1e_story.html
​

"Director Elena Velasco’s spare staging puts the audience right in the action...the result is engrossing....this enigmatic play will stay with you long after."  - John Stoltenberg, DCMetroTheaterArts.
DCMetroTheaterArts. http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2015/09/27/bhavi-the-avenger-at-convergence-theatre/
 
Córiolanas
Read why Córiolanas was rated "Best of Capital Fringe"

"Elena Velasco has created a visually striking meditation on the very nature of gender itself." - Sophia Howes, DC Metro Theater Arts
http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2014/07/13/capital-fringe-2014-review-coriolanas/

"With tons of shows at the Fringe Fest and limited time to see them all, Córiolanas would be welcome near the top of any list....Elysian Theatre's muscular adaptation fo Shakespeare's  Córiolanas,  is well-acted, well-directed, well-designed and well worth the time.  - Daniel Parisi, City Paper
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/fringe/2014/07/16/hip-shot-coriolanas/

"On a visceral level, the production sparkles." - Maegan Clearwood, DC Theater Scene

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La Perdida, the Mexican musical Winter's Tale
Book and Lyrics by Kathleen Cahill; music by Deborah Wicks la Puma

Now available through Dramatic Publishing - www.dramaticpublishing.com/p3878/Perdida/product_info.html

Five stars for the premiere musical, La Perdida! 


"The unique element of the production was the inclusion of dance among the main action by three omniscient characters on stage. The dancing, brilliantly choreographed by Velasco as well, was artfully executed by dancers Angeleaza Anderson and Kira Burri as the Spirit of Life and the the Spirit of Death." - Johnna Leary, DCMetroTheaterArts. 

http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2014/11/21/la-perdida-catholic-university/

​ARTICLES:

"Taking Action through Song and Dance at Women's Theatre Festival" by Evelyn McCauley
chathamlifeandstyle.com/features-%26-reviews/f/taking-action-through-song-and-dance-at-womens-theatre-festival

"The Decameron at Synetic Theater" by Celia Wren
www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/theater-dance/the-decameron-at-synetic-theater/2020/06/02/fe467afa-a108-11ea-9590-1858a893bd59_story.html

"Lessons in Creative Coping during COVID-19: Bowie State Theatre and Dance Faculty Tell How It's Going" by David Siegel
dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2020/05/07/lessons-in-creative-coping-during-covid-19-bowie-state-university-theater-and-dance-faculty-tell-how-its-going/

PODCAST INTERVIEWS: 

American Theatre Artists Online hosted by Stefan Sittig
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/elena-velasco/id1517333279?i=1000477118554


Embracing Arlington Arts hosted by Janet Kopenhaver
directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/embracing-arlington-arts/id/14712599


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CONVERGENCE THEATRE AND ELENA VELASCO honored by DCMetroTheaterArts Best of 2018 and 2015

Outstanding Professional Productions of 2018 - A New Nation 
 
dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2018/12/21/dcmta-2018-staff-favorites-outstanding-overall-productions-in-professional-theater/?fbclid=IwAR0STVm-iI1krULZR3PyC0-KvtDvbdxd1uoQ1FrD4f66rRgBV0oCiGhpAAI

Best Directors of a Play in Professional Theaters - Bhavi the Avenger
Best Plays in Professional Theaters - Bhavi the Avenger
Best Performances - Bhavi the Avenger

http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2015/01/04/dcmetrotheaterarts-best-of-2015-18-directors-play-in-professional-theatres/
http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2015/12/21/dcmetrotheaterarts-best-of-2015-best-plays-in-professional-theaters4/
http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2015/12/26/dcmetrotheaterarts-best-2015-8-best-performances-play-professional-theatres1/

La Perdida, directed and choreographed by Elena Velasco, named by DC MetroTheaterArts as one of 2014's Best University Productions.
http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2015/01/08/dcmetrotheaterarts-best-2014-university-productions-performances/
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