Elise Hanson

Elise Hanson

Elise C. Hanson has been writing since she was a wee lass growing up in Utah, receiving encouragement from elementary teachers to compete in writing contests and explore her passion for the art form. She grew up to adore the craft, writing (and producing) plays, novels, blog posts, theatre criticism, and copy for both the fun of it and to put bread on the table. She lives in Salt Lake City where she runs some...
Elise C. Hanson has been writing since she was a wee lass growing up in Utah, receiving encouragement from elementary teachers to compete in writing contests and explore her passion for the art form. She grew up to adore the craft, writing (and producing) plays, novels, blog posts, theatre criticism, and copy for both the fun of it and to put bread on the table. She lives in Salt Lake City where she runs some theatre companies, participates in the local Fringe festival, and enjoys reading Shakespeare aloud with a group of nerds like her. She is supported in her creative endeavors by her cats Hermione, Mortimer Brewster, and Freddie Mercury.

Elise is an award-winning playwright whose work in the absurdist tradition and satirical genres have garnered praise and recognition in the Western united states. Her works THE SECRET SON OF HITLER, MY GAY BAPTISM, and THREE DRAG QUEENS DEFUSE A BOMB AT A TALK SHOW earned "Best of Fringe" and "Audience Favorite" at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. More of her works including KILL CLAUDIO!, TO WIT, and THE OPEN SYRUP have been well-received by audiences and critics alike.

Plays

  • Kill Claudio! by Elise Hanson
    Cast: 
    9
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, based on Shakespearean characters + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, based on Shakespearean characters, comedic philosophy, adult romantic comedy
    Starting right at the end of the would-be wedding between Hero and Claudio, Kill Claudio! takes a hard left turn into a surrealist, darkly comic foray into what might have been if revenge had been exacted against Claudio in the way Beatrice requests of Benedick in Act 4, scene 1 of Much Ado About Nothing:
    BEATRICE I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.
    BENEDICK Come, bid...
    Starting right at the end of the would-be wedding between Hero and Claudio, Kill Claudio! takes a hard left turn into a surrealist, darkly comic foray into what might have been if revenge had been exacted against Claudio in the way Beatrice requests of Benedick in Act 4, scene 1 of Much Ado About Nothing:
    BEATRICE I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.
    BENEDICK Come, bid me do anything for thee.
    BEATRICE Kill Claudio.
    This exploration of Shakespeare's text does for Much Ado About Nothing what Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead does for Hamlet, expanding on themes, probing character flaws, and throwing in a musical number here and there. Award-winning playwright Elise C. Hanson takes a second dip into the Shakespeare-adjacent realm after her turn with the beloved play To Wit, for which she was a finalist for the David Ross Fetzer Foundation for Emerging Artists in 2015. With Kill Claudio!, a vast knowledge of the bard's work mingles with a biting tongue and acerbic wit in this fanciful and frothy work.
  • The Secret Son of Hitler by Elise Hanson
    Cast: 
    12
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: american satire, absurd farce + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, period, satire
    Keyword: american satire, absurd farce, irreverent comedy
    In September of 1945—mere months after Adolf Hitler’s demise—the president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, gathers for a simple dinner party at the home of his friend Senator Donald Dinkle. With them is renowned novelist Barbara Bubemuenster and the new boyfriend of Margaret, the president’s daughter. Outside the house a bus of passengers is about to crash (in more ways than one). What will happen when...
    In September of 1945—mere months after Adolf Hitler’s demise—the president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, gathers for a simple dinner party at the home of his friend Senator Donald Dinkle. With them is renowned novelist Barbara Bubemuenster and the new boyfriend of Margaret, the president’s daughter. Outside the house a bus of passengers is about to crash (in more ways than one). What will happen when the identity of Margaret’s new beau is revealed? Will the mayonnaise heiress ever be able to repurpose her condiment? Can any of these people aspire to identify with their favorite actress, Margot VanHausenfeffer-Biggs? Find out all in: The Secret Son of Hitler!
  • To Wit by Elise Hanson
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, based on Shakespearean characters + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, based on Shakespearean characters, existential, absurd comedy, comic surrealism
    Playwright Elise C. Hanson has created a take on William Shakespeare unlike any other, and To Wit is brought to life at The Box by New World Shakespeare Company. The play gathers several survivors of Shakespeare’s plays to discuss their trauma. Hanson has a storied and award-winning career and is known for forward-thinking interpretations of Shakespeare. Hanson masterfully uses language as her weapon, weaving...
    Playwright Elise C. Hanson has created a take on William Shakespeare unlike any other, and To Wit is brought to life at The Box by New World Shakespeare Company. The play gathers several survivors of Shakespeare’s plays to discuss their trauma. Hanson has a storied and award-winning career and is known for forward-thinking interpretations of Shakespeare. Hanson masterfully uses language as her weapon, weaving complex clauses in modern English and sometimes even writing in sneaky, subtle iambic pentameter and verse.
    Act I sees Horatio (Hamlet), Perdita (A Winter’s Tale), Teufel (Titus Andronicus), Queen Bess (Henry VIII), and Bianca (Othello) united on one stage. Act II converges to another plane, where Horatio now guides some of those who didn’t quite make it (Cleopatra, Romeo, Ophelia, and Lady MacBeth), through their transition. In both acts, a headless body lies on the floor, seemingly without explanation or warrant. Existential quandaries are discussed, griefs are expressed, doughnuts are thrown, and blood and water (from Ophelia’s kiddie pool) splash everywhere.

    The most notable thing about this refreshing and remarkable work is the words themselves. Rather than relying on cheap tricks to emulate Shakespeare like using Old English “thou” and “thine” and so forth, the complex, tricky language remains. However, it is attainable, mimicking the Bard’s in an alarmingly robust and lyrical way while offering humor, heart, and pathos that everyone can connect with.

    But there’s pizza. Which they eat atop a dead body. Such are the metaphors to be found in this wickedly witty piece.