Elena Velasco is a theatre artist whose work encompasses many aspects of performance, production, activism and education. She firmly believes that through a redefined actor-audience relationship and a “multilingual” approach to performance, theatre can be the catalyst for change in society and identifying intersections in humanity. During her 25 year career she has devoted her time equally between performance and residency work. She has taught theatre through the lens of community engagement and education throughout the DC metro area, with a focus on Title 1, immigrant and marginalized populations. 

Ms. Velasco is the Artistic Director and Co-founder of Convergence Theatre, a multidisciplinary performance collective that creates work centered on social justice. She is also an affiliated artist and co-creator of Óyeme, Imagination Stage’s collaborative project that responds to the surge of refugee children fleeing violence from Central America who have arrived in Montgomery County. Her directing and choreography credits include Convergence Theatre, GALA Hispanic Theater, Synetic Theater, Source Theatre, Imagination Stage, Mead Theatre Lab, Young Playwrights’ Theater, Capital Fringe, Discovery Theater and the Kennedy Center’s New Visions New Voices Festival. She has choreographed for Avant Bard, Theatre J, Keegan Theatre and Catholic University. Ms. Velasco is a member of SAG, AFTRA, and AEA and has performed at the Kennedy Center, Theatre Alliance, Discovery Theatre, Imagination Stage, Signature Theatre STAGES, and in several films, commercials, and TV shows. She is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Theatre at Bowie State University and serves as the Co-Director of Multiculturalism and Diversity for the American Alliance of Theatre and Education. www.elenavelasco.net www.convergencetheatre.org 

Education: MFA in Directing and Bachelor of Arts in Drama (Magna Cum Laude), Catholic University of America. 

Awards: Anacostia Arts Center Residency 2017-2018 and ARCH Development grant; Southeastern Theatre Conference Professional Development Scholarship 2017; CulturalDC Grant, 2015-2017.