Emily grew up in Northeastern Wisconsin, half a block from Lake Michigan, writing, riding horses, dancing, singing, playing the cello, and being a sieve of a soccer goalie. With a Canadian Dad and a Wisco Mom, Emily and her older brother were spoiled with amazing bedtime stories full of very rounded "O's." She credits this for her deep love of story-telling and blames it for her addiction to poutine.
A multi-hyphenate theatre artist, Emily studied Theatre and Literature at Grinnell College in Iowa and received her Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama.
As an actor, Emily has lived and worked in over a dozen states and has acted on screen (in films, television, and commercials), on stage (from Bway stages to Tony Award Winning Regional houses- classical, contemporary, musical, new work, devised theatre, dance/movement), and as a voice-over artist.
She is an award-winning director and has experience at each stage of the development process in New York, regionally and academically. As a dramaturg and literary manager, she has adapted classical texts, developed new works, and served as a production dramaturg. Her own plays have been seen in NYC and on tour, and her poetry and essays have been published in journals in the United States and internationally.
Emily spent almost 8 years on the Central Coast with the Pacific Conservatory Theatre - PCPA where she served as a Resident Artist, on faculty, and as Associate Artistic Director.
She recently returned to her home state of Wisconsin to lead Renaissance Theaterworks as Artistic Director.
She lives with her husband, with her husband, their dog and two cats (three rescue animals known as The Pawsta Pack) in Milwaukee's oldest neighborhood - Walkers Point.
Emily is a proud member of the Actor's Equity Union and SAG-Aftra.