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Eliza Martin is a Toronto-based actor, writer, artist educator and award-winning solo performer.
Eliza was born and raised in Toronto's east end. She graduated from Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts with a Drama Specialist before attending the Theatre and Drama Studies program at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts (Theatre Specialist, English Major) from the University of Toronto and an Acting Diploma from Sheridan College. Eliza's recent acting credits include Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Shakespeare BASH'd, Nora in BLOOM, a workshop with Bad Hats Theatre, Leigh in O at the United Solo Festival in New York City, Mimi in Harvey and The Extraordinary, at Toronto Fringe, Liza in Theatre By Committee's Best Kept Secrets, Isabella in The Changeling -a staged reading with Shakespeare BASH'd, Molly in the Lower Ossington Theatre's Peter and The Starcatcher, Petandra in Paul and Petandra in the 2016 InspiraTO Festival (Peoples' Choice Award), Gloria in Hart House Theatre's Boeing Boeing, Hedvig in Re:Current Theatre's the Wild Duck Project, Cecily in Hart House Theatre's The Importance of Being Earnest, Messala in Spur-Of-The-Moment Shakespeare Collective's Julius Caesar Project (2014 Toronto Fringe Festival), Hellena in The Rover, Mary Warren in The Crucible (Theatre Erindale) as well as u/s Louise in Gypsy (Hangar Theatre), Emily in Bodies and Patricia in Hiding Like Elephants (Hangar Wedge Series). Eliza starred in Seven to Forty Cinema's short film No Connection, which was an Official Selection of 2016 GCN Film Festival, 2016 Future of Film Showcase and 2016 Korean International Expat Film Festival. |
As a creator, Eliza is interested in work that is inclusive, accessible and celebrates life, creativity and storytelling. She aims to create work which explores the profound beauty in small moments and fill it with imagination, elements of magic and good madness. She operates on the belief that in our world today the greatest gift artists can give aside from an accepting place to express and connect, is art that is ultimately hopeful, at its core joyful, and leaves others better than they came.
Eliza workshopped her one-woman show O, an exploration of Hamlet’s Ophelia as an early version in 2014 before creating and developing O in partnership with Ali Joy Richardson in the 15th annual Paprika Festival in 2016. The show has since been performed at Artscape Wychwood Barns in 2017 before heading to New York City in 2018 as a part of the United Solo Festival (United Solo Award Best Satire, All About Solo, Critics' Choice). Her second solo show Harvey & The Extraordinary was workshopped in July 2017 under the direction and dramaturgical support of Neil Silcox, and returned to rave reviews and a sold out run in the 2018 Toronto Fringe Festival (My Entertainment World - 2018 Critics' Pick Award Nominee, Outstanding Solo Performance). Eliza developed her third solo show BLOOM, as the New Bad Ideas 2019 Creator in Residence with Bad Hats Theatre. Eliza is a co-founder of Re:Current Theatre, a Toronto Monologue Slam Champion, and an alumna of the 2013 Hangar Theatre Lab Academy in Ithaca, New York. When not on-stage she can be found working with children and youth as an Enhanced Support Educator in Early Childhood Education, teaching as an arts educator with companies such as Shakespeare in Action and Purple Carrots Drama Studio, or running her own initiative Queen Bees Arts Education. Eliza’s other interests include yoga, art, camping, ballet and semi-constant tea drinking. She enjoys spending time reading, being outdoors, hanging out with friends or any of her five siblings, and giving love to her grumpy rescue cat, Tilly.
Eliza workshopped her one-woman show O, an exploration of Hamlet’s Ophelia as an early version in 2014 before creating and developing O in partnership with Ali Joy Richardson in the 15th annual Paprika Festival in 2016. The show has since been performed at Artscape Wychwood Barns in 2017 before heading to New York City in 2018 as a part of the United Solo Festival (United Solo Award Best Satire, All About Solo, Critics' Choice). Her second solo show Harvey & The Extraordinary was workshopped in July 2017 under the direction and dramaturgical support of Neil Silcox, and returned to rave reviews and a sold out run in the 2018 Toronto Fringe Festival (My Entertainment World - 2018 Critics' Pick Award Nominee, Outstanding Solo Performance). Eliza developed her third solo show BLOOM, as the New Bad Ideas 2019 Creator in Residence with Bad Hats Theatre. Eliza is a co-founder of Re:Current Theatre, a Toronto Monologue Slam Champion, and an alumna of the 2013 Hangar Theatre Lab Academy in Ithaca, New York. When not on-stage she can be found working with children and youth as an Enhanced Support Educator in Early Childhood Education, teaching as an arts educator with companies such as Shakespeare in Action and Purple Carrots Drama Studio, or running her own initiative Queen Bees Arts Education. Eliza’s other interests include yoga, art, camping, ballet and semi-constant tea drinking. She enjoys spending time reading, being outdoors, hanging out with friends or any of her five siblings, and giving love to her grumpy rescue cat, Tilly.
