Eli Newell

Eli Newell

Eli Newell is an artist & organizer whose work encompasses live storytelling, environmental justice, and multicultural faith-building. His newest play, COLD TOWN / HOTLINE, made its world premiere in 2019 at Raven Theatre. Newell has previously directed Short Shakespeare! THE COMEDY OF ERRORS at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, MASQUE MACABRE at Strawdog Theatre Company, as well as several readings and...
Eli Newell is an artist & organizer whose work encompasses live storytelling, environmental justice, and multicultural faith-building. His newest play, COLD TOWN / HOTLINE, made its world premiere in 2019 at Raven Theatre. Newell has previously directed Short Shakespeare! THE COMEDY OF ERRORS at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, MASQUE MACABRE at Strawdog Theatre Company, as well as several readings and workshops at Raven Theatre. He has been proud to serve as assistant and associate on Chicago productions at Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Northlight Theatre, Windy City Playhouse, Emerald City Theatre, Haven Theatre and Strawdog Theatre Company. His Minneapolis credits include: Guthrie Theater, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Children’s Theatre Company and the Playwrights’ Center. As a literary assistant, Newell has collaborated with writers Doug Wright, Michael Korie, David H. Bell and Dolly Parton. As an educator, he works with individuals navigating their Jewish journeys through Mishkan Chicago, Emanuel Congregation, and independently with students all over the world! A current Avodah Justice Fellow, he is also the Hub Coordinator of Sunrise Movement Chicago, having organized with Illinois Green New Deal Network & Grassroots Collaborative, completed organizer training with Increase the Peace, and facilitated content around human rights with UNSILENCE. Newell holds a B.A. from Northwestern University.

Plays

  • Cold Town / Hotline by Eli Newell
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: holiday, Chicago + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic, holiday, young audiences
    Keyword: holiday, Chicago, period, family, comedy, diverse cast, local story, dramedy
    December, 1983. Five volunteers have come together to answer calls for a hotline created to help fellow Chicagoans cope with the holiday blues. But with a record-breaking cold front sweeping across Chicago, these good samaritans are forced to hunker down for a long night together. When an unexpected visitor bursts through the doors, everyone must work to embody the season’s most valuable lessons and transform...
    December, 1983. Five volunteers have come together to answer calls for a hotline created to help fellow Chicagoans cope with the holiday blues. But with a record-breaking cold front sweeping across Chicago, these good samaritans are forced to hunker down for a long night together. When an unexpected visitor bursts through the doors, everyone must work to embody the season’s most valuable lessons and transform their humble hotline into a home for the holidays. Having made its world premiere at Raven Theatre in 2019, COLD TOWN / HOTLINE is a heartwarming comedy about what it means to be a family and the complex truths behind the adage: “It’s better to give than to receive.”
  • FAIR GAME: A Chicago Spectacle by Eli Newell
    Cast: 
    17–20
    ·
    Genre: adventure, docudrama/historic + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: immersive, site-responsive + 7 more
    Genre: adventure, docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, immersive, mystery/thriller, pageant
    Keyword: immersive, site-responsive, Site-inspired, docudrama/historic, interactive, period, local history, 19th century melodrama with a 21st century spin, instruments
    An interactive retelling of the 1893 World’s Fair, FAIR GAME places its audience at the center of the action. Guided by 17 historical figures with starkly contrasting relationships to the Expo, this is a site-adaptive, text-based play. It takes on the structure of its venue, harnessing atmospheric and essential design elements to conjure the gilded spectacle of the 1890s. Participants may choose to follow...
    An interactive retelling of the 1893 World’s Fair, FAIR GAME places its audience at the center of the action. Guided by 17 historical figures with starkly contrasting relationships to the Expo, this is a site-adaptive, text-based play. It takes on the structure of its venue, harnessing atmospheric and essential design elements to conjure the gilded spectacle of the 1890s. Participants may choose to follow stories of ambition, danger, love, politics, revolution and more. Along the way, they encounter secret passageways, hidden histories, mysterious puzzles and strange encounters.