About Me

My name is Eliana Joy Spitler and I am a junior BFA Acting major at Illinois Wesleyan University. I was born and raised in Northern Indiana, ending up in Goshen, Indiana in late elementary school. Before moving to Goshen, I lived on a hobby farm with my parents, two dogs, a plethora of barn cats, and more sheep and chickens than countable. Growing up on the farm, I developed a love of animals of all kinds, especially the smelly and unappreciated. When my parents divorced, my mom and I moved to the Goshen area and we’ve lived here ever since! After I graduate, I am hoping to make my way to Chicago.

Sensory Processing Disorder

At nine, I was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), a disorder heavily associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It affects everyone differently, but for me, it mostly affects my movement. Along with having issues with my sense of balance, it causes my brain and body to work against each other. Though my brain knows what I’m supposed to do physically, my body doesn’t react properly. The example my mom always uses is that I didn’t jump properly until I was around six. I could go through the steps of a jump: bending and straightening my knees and pushing up with my feet, but my feet never actually left the ground. Because I was diagnosed so late, any kind of physical therapy has been unhelpful. This has made dancing the most difficult aspect of performing for me. In spite of this, I have been trying my hardest to dance and move my body since I was little!

My Inspiration!

Around when I finally figured out how to properly jump, my mom introduced me to something life changing: The Muppet Show. Through The Muppet Show, I fell in love with music, especially folksy pop music and that of Paul Williams. I started taking violin lessons shortly after, focusing on American Folk, Celtic, Klezmer, and fiddle tunes. The Muppet Show also introduced me to the joys of theater, and as a child, I couldn’t wait to try it out myself. When I performed in my first musical in sixth grade, I was hooked! More recently, I have rediscovered my love of the Muppets through puppet making.

Proud IWU Titan

I struggled at first to decide what I wanted to pursue in college. I have been writing stories since I was in fourth grade, but I also am madly in love with theater. On top of that, I have always had a love of crafting, regularly participating in the sewing category at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair, and had a long curiosity in the props industry. During the pandemic, I became obsessed with the art of puppet making. I was lucky enough to discover a program that would allow me to dip my toes into all of my interests: Illinois Wesleyan University’s BFA in Acting! After my first year, I decided to pick up a minor in Theatrical Design & Technologies. While here, I have focused on acting, but have also written short films and prop designed for several shows. I could not have asked for a better fitting program!

Storytelling

Through all of my interests, I have found a common thread: the love of storytelling. My favorite part of prop design is putting together a group of objects that make a story come alive. Acting and writing allow me to create a story from the ground up. As a queer Mennonite (an ethno-religion similar in values to the Amish. I know being a lesbian and Mennonite sounds contradictory, but it’s more common than you’d think!), telling the stories of the persecuted and voiceless are incredibly important to me. I believe in peacemaking and inclusivity, and I want every aspect of my work to reflect that.

Outside of the Industry

Outside of the theater, I am likely to be found writing, reading, making personal puppets, or volunteering with animals. In the late spring of 2020, my mom and I discovered an abandoned baby possum in our backyard. We took her to the nearest wildlife rehabilitator, who told us that aside from being hungry and dehydrated, she was completely healthy. She offered us a subpermit to rehabilitate and release possums! The first possum we released was Ophelia, but since then we’ve rehabbed and released Dipper, Grunkle, Orion, and Blossom!