My name is Emily M. Shaffer and I'm a theatre maker who wears many hats. I put a high value on diversity and inclusion. Diversity of ideas, collaborators, and backgrounds. Inclusion of newness and the unknown. I enjoy engaging with theatre as much as I can, but some of my favorite ways are through Directing, Playwriting, Acting, and Dramaturgy. Recently, I've become a member of the Dramatists Guild and LMDA.
I'm a New Play Development Enthusiast through and through. I've participated in three New Play Development residencies as an actor and one as a dramaturg. I've also facilitated and took part in as both playwright and director a New Play Development process for the production of my play, You Make Your Own Family. I really enjoy this process because I find myself engaging with the values I previously mentioned in a way that fulfills my artistry and creates a welcoming environment to explore.
Theatre is an inviting community where I've found my home, and I think that's why I love it so much. I feel okay to take up space and share my ideas. I feel welcome to be my authentic self and celebrate that. I get exposure to different kinds of theatre, which always leaves me thinking about it for days.
I enjoy art that centers female characters and characters of the LGBTQIA+ community. Themes I enjoy engaging with as an audience member and as a maker are family dynamics, coming of age, gender, play within a play, rebellion, and supernatural. Honestly if anything has an alien or a spaceship in it, I'm sold.
When I'm not working in the theatre or writing plays in my hidey hole, you can typically find me playing with my cat Garnet, watching Dr. Who, or reading MoonKnight comic books!
Emily's parents are their rock. Their mother, Janeen, and father, Darrell, support Emily in everything. They come to every show, help when its move in time at college, and frequently remind Emily of what true role models are.
Throughout Emily's life, their parents drove them everywhere. Every sports game, and they were at one point on two soccer teams at once, every movie they all wanted to see, every friends' house- you name it.
They offer the best advice. When Emily is going through a rough patch, they always turn to their parents. They speak to Emily with full transparency and offer them advice.
Emily strives to be half the person their parents are.
Emily and Gavin started dating in August of 2018 when they were sophomores in high school. They've grown together. Emily and Gavin have supported each other throughout high school and college, despite the three hour distance.
On August 1, 2022, Gavin proposed to Emily at Cheesecake Factory in King of Prussia.
In the spring of 2019, Emily attended HOBY. This seminar teaches high school students ways to become an effective leader and collaborator. It offers opportunities to practice these skills by invoking small group tasks as well as an entire day spent doing community service.
In the spring of 2022, Emily went back to HOBY as a Facilitator. Facilitators are mentors for the attendants. They offer advice, help the attendants problem solve, and get to further deepen their understanding of leadership and collaboration in a hands on manner.
HOBY is an organization Emily continues to keep in touch with and volunteers for when they can.
Emily has found a new love for working with Young Performers through their role of Assistant Director on Lionel Bart's Oliver! with Riverstage Community Theatre and Dramaturg/Asisstant Stage Manager on The Velveteen Rabbit with Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble.
Working with Young Performers is exciting, because Emily gets to help introduce a new generation to the world of theatre, and show them how magical and supportive it can be!
April of 2024, Emily was inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success, where they can continue to hone their leadership skills.
In the spring of 2021, Emily held their senior art exhibit. Work from all four years of high school was displayed on their own table. Emily took 3 years of advanced art classes. In those three years, Emily developed their own character Zarp. Zarp first appeared in a comic strip, then developed into sculptures, and finally a 4 foot by 5 foot mixed media painting.
Emily brought Zarp to college. Zarp appears in a full length play, The Zarp Saga: Battle of Trust, which you can find on their NewPlayExchange profile.
Emily M. Shaffer
Copyright © 2024 Emily M. Shaffer - All Rights Reserved.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.