Elise Greig
Elise is an actor and playwright and has been recognized by the Matilda Awards on four occasions for her outstanding contribution to Queensland theatre. She is an acting graduate from USQ and an Honours and Masters graduate from QUT, where she was awarded the University Medal for Academic Achievement. Elise also trained with Shakespeare & Company in Boston, USA. Elise was recently awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Her research focuses on utilising yoga as a framework for creative practice.
As a playwright Elise’s first play, The Romany Project was presented as part of Metro’s Year of Independents, supported by the Australia Council and Arts Queensland. Elise’s next play, Crèche and Burn was a box office and critical success as part of La Boite Theatre’s 2005 main-stage season and then received an extensive 10-week national tour. This was followed by The Sweet Science of Bruising, which was shortlisted for the 2010 Playwriting Australia Festival, Hopelessly Devoted (Glen Street Sydney) and Flood. Elise’s work, Magpie was longlisted for the QPDA 2018 and had a critically successful season at Brisbane Powerhouse in 2019, presented in partnership with Playlab, Metro Arts and supported by the Australia Council, Arts Queensland and MatchLab (Creative Partnerships Australia).
Other writing credits include: Are My Balls Still in the Air? Brisbane Cabaret Festival, and Mornings with Maryanne Merrily, also for the 2006 Brisbane Cabaret Festival. Arts Queensland and The Australia Council supported the writing and development of Elise’s one-woman show, The Romany Project at Metro Arts.
Elise has adapted and written a number of works for the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University Acting and Music Theatre students, including: Night Sky Over Our Town, which she also directed, Working Localised, Putting it Together and It’s Only Life.
Elise’s work as a dramaturg includes the Matilda Award-winning Wilbur the Optical Whale by Karen Lee Roberts for Indelibility Arts, Untitled by Peter Matheson and Dating Disasters by Karen Lee Roberts.
Elise is currently exploring an adaptation of her play Magpie for screen. She is also developing a new music theatre work, Florence, based on Helen O’Neill’s award-winning book, Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret and Extraordinary Lives.