Ella Olesen is an Island actor currently living and working in one of the epicentres of live theatre, New York City.
Right now she’s performing in the Ensemble Shakespeare Company’s production of Julius Caesar.
“This is my dream come true,” she says. “I can’t believe that I get to go downtown in Manhattan, in New York and play a principal character in a Shakespeare play.”
“I get to play Marc Antony who has some of the most iconic lines in the Shakespearean canon, such as ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears.’ That scene is a miracle,” says Olesen.
Olesen graduated from the prestigious musical theatre program at the University of Michigan, but her love of performance was born in her hometown of Nanaimo.
Watch the story in the video below:
“I grew up dancing and singing and doing musicals in high school and at my dance studio, and the level in Nanaimo is really high,” she says.
Ella thought she would be a dentist, just like both her parents, but thought she’d give theatre a try. The rest, as they say, is history.
“As brilliant as she is, it’s never about her, it’s always about what moves the story forward or what serves the other characters in the room,” says Dylan Diehl, director at the Ensemble Shakespeare Company.
Dylan says Ella embraces the lyrical quality and rhythm of Shakespeare so well because of her background in musical theatre.
“She’s my secret weapon, right? She is a secret weapon because the depths of her are so tremendous and when she brings that all on stage she roars, she’s badass,” she says.
Perhaps that’s why New York is such a good fit for Ella. She’s had steady work since arriving in 2022, but Vancouver Island is never too far away.
“She’s told me a little about where she comes from and how it has built her work ethic and the way she approaches her job and they way she approaches life as a human. So I just assume it’s a very special place and I think she comes from a very special family, so I salute you,” says Dylan.
Work ethic is what Ella says is her key message to aspiring performers back home.
“If you love it, work hard,” she says.
She added that while Nanaimo will always be her roots, she’s not coming back any time soon, with a few exciting opportunities coming up in the Big Apple.
“I would say I’m grateful to come from Nanaimo because we have a rich artist scene. So go Nanaimo!” she says.