Elon Sloan

Name: Elon Sloan

City/State: I grew up in Oak Park, Il, but now I live in Chicago

Age: 24

Racial / Ethnic Identity: Black and Nigerian-American

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation: Queer Enby

Why do you want to write for Rescripted?: I love that Rescripted gives artists a chance to create a dialogue about one another’s work. Taking conversations that might only happen between theatre professionals or artists and making them public and accessible invites people to think about criticism in a whole new way. I also love that Rescripted writes about the shows and artists that otherwise might not get the spotlight.

What are your artistic disciplines?: Who really knows but mostly writing and solo performance. I’m also learning the ropes of audio art.

What “lenses” do you bring with you when you go to a show?: I bring queer, Black, non-binary, anti-colonial, anti-racist, anti-ableism lenses. I also bring some recent college grad, tarot reading, indecisive millenial, am I a millenial or gen-z, slightly bored of realism lenses.

Who is your favorite theatre artist and why?: There is no singular artist. I fell in love with playwriting through Chekhov and Tennessee Williams. I went to theatre school because of Tarell Alvin McCraney and Steppenwolf. In school I went through big Sarah Kane and Claude Cahun phases as well as learning to take inspiration from fine art and performance art. I also learned to appreciate directing as an art form in a way I never had before. Nowadays, I think my favorite theatre artists are everyone I know, all of my peers. Everyone around me is doing such great things and taking them really far and its amazing. Its my peers more than anyone from the past or of current theatre fame who keep me inspired and in love with all the potential of this art form.

Bio: Elon Sloan is a Black and non-binary writer, artist, and educator based in Chicago who is committed to using a trans-affiming, anti-racist, and anti-colonial framework in their work. The recently graduated from DePaul University with a BFA in Theatre Arts with a focus on Playwrighting, and a double minor in Gender Studies and LGBTQIA Studies. Elon worked for 3.5 years as a LGBTQIA Student Programming Coordinator where they created and facilitated programming for LGBTQIA+ students. Elon also worked as a sex educator with the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health for several years as well as a freelance facilitator creating customized workshops on LGBTQIA+ history, social justice, and oppression. Elon’s most recent play, Gray Area, co-written with Micah Bernstein, is a participatory play which helps young people understand the nuances of consent in all areas of their lives. Elon will soon be starting a blog on their site elonsloan.com, which also has links to all of their most recent work.

‘Bury Me’ A World Premiere at Dandelion Theatre – 08/09/2019

Nature Reckons with Power, History, and Violence in ‘Strange Heart Beating’ – 08/01/2019

‘Wolf Play’ Raises the Complexities of Adoption – 07/26/2019

‘Ada and The Engine’ Doesn’t Get Where It’s Going – 07/17/2019

‘EthiopianAmerica’ Offers A New Perspective on the American Drama – 06/05/2019