E L I O W E N S
(he/him/his) is a New York based actor, singer, writer and graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) BFA musical theatre program.
He grew up in Rochester, New York and originally discovered his passion for music after his mother forced him to audition for the Bach Children's Choir when he was in second grade. He sang Bist Du Bei Mir and they accepted him on the spot because, in addition to his unparalleled boy soprano, they thought his German song choice was super unique for a 7 year old boy.. (guess he's always been good at picking rep).
In high-school, Eli studied classical voice and theory at the Eastman School of Music, graduating from their diploma program while also attending public school in Penfield. Junior year, he began his dance training, studying tap, ballet, and musical theatre styles with Linda Goebel. He spent his summers studying classical and contemporary theatre at the Geva Theatre Summer Academy. His summer after graduating high-school, Eli competed in and placed 2nd overall in the National Shakespeare Competition at Lincoln Center.
In addition to theatre, Eli spent most of his senior year at CCM honing his passion for screenwriting. Spring of 2022, he debuted his first feature film BOOKED in which he both wrote and starred in. The film, produced by 35th Parallel Productions (Come From Away, Hadestown, Tuck Everlasting), premiered at The Esquire Theatre on April 15th, 2022 after two months of post-production. It is now an official selection of nine festivals and has taken home awards for Best Feature, Best Score, Excellence in Film, Best of Fest, Best Student Feature, Audience Choice for Best Comedy Feature, the Poppy Jasper Juror's Top Ten Award, and Best Actor Duo for Eli's work alongside his co-star Chesney Mitchell. He also garnered nominations for Best Actor at the Sky Arts Film Fest and Seattle Film Fest (where he was nominated alongside Steve Buscemi, Dennis Haysbert, Jon Bass, and others). Eli hopes to further his career in TV/film, both in writing and acting.
Currently, he studies acting in New York with Joan Rosenfels.
When he's not doing anything else, you can find him spending time with his bunny, Moose, or inviting friends over for a wine and charcuterie night. He can make a mean cheese board. A solid goat cheese is his absolute favorite, but he's more than content with a block of extra sharp white cheddar. It's what he grew up on. Eli's less flexible when it comes to the cracker though. It's Wheat-Thins or bust for him. He can't comprehend why someone would ever choose a Triscuit.