Magnet Theater

Instructor: Elana Fishbein

Elana Fishbein is an actress, improvisor, and teacher based in New York City. She has appeared in the original musical comedies “Girl Camp” and “Nightfall on Miranga Island” and can be seen performing around the City with the Story Pirates, a non-profit arts-in-education organization that takes stories written by kids and adapts them into crazy, hilarious sketches and songs. Her one-woman clown show, “Eleanor Is Sibling-Challenged,” has played for audiences of all ages.

Elana has been performing improv at the Magnet Theater since 2005 and is a proud member of Featherweight, Kiss Punch Poem, and the Magnet Theater TourCo. She has also performed with The Armando Diaz Experience, Hello Laser, Kid Cadaver, Flea Flurkus, and The Academy. Elana is the co-creator and director of the political comedy show, “The Great American Sketch Show” and has had the pleasure of directing such ensembles as Leviathan, Flower Girl, and The Bear Project.

In addition to directing the Youth Program at the Magnet Theater and coaching teams in New York City, Elana has taught improv classes and workshops at the University of Notre Dame, Vassar College, Packer Collegiate Institute, the Millbrook School, and at the Sivuyiseni Intermediate School in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. She has also co-created two professional development workshop series for teachers: “Beyond Winging It: Improv in the Classroom” and “Play.”

Elana earned her M.A. in Educational Theater from NYU and her B.A. in Drama from Vassar College. Her favorite succulent is jade.