Actress & Dramaturg
About Shinji Elspeth
A recent grad of the VCUarts Theatre Performance Program at Virginia Commonwealth University, Shinji split her time between her involvement in the program's mainstage productions, her role as an Event Coordinator for VCU's student-run production organization, SALT (Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre), and her work with local theatres such as The Conciliation Lab and Richmond Triangle Players. Though musical theatre started her acting journey, recently her focus of study has been on Shakespeare, Greek theatre, and other classics, an interest that began when she studied theatre history in Athens during her Freshman year.
She pursues this interest in some of her other work as a Teaching Assistant for David Emmerson Toney's acting classes at VCU, where she's been developing her skills and love of teaching others, all while deepening her understanding of acting and Shakespeare.
When she's not in the theatre, Shinji is at home with her two cats, Pancho and Lefty, or working with dogs and other animals at her day job. When she can, she focuses on her second love: travel. This past year, she took trips to Berlin and Prague to work with the Prague Shakespeare Company. This summer, she is in Washington D.C., where she is currently working with the Folger Theatre in A Midsummer Night's Dream.