Meet Emelie O’Hara

Experience: A Life on Stage (and Screen)

Emelie O’Hara is a classically trained actor with a career spanning over 50 stage productions, a handful of television and film appearances, and a resume that reads like a love letter to Shakespeare and storytelling.

• Training Grounds: Emelie’s passion for Shakespeare was ignited at Theatricum Botanicum, where she first immersed herself in the Bard’s world, studying text analysis, rhetoric, Elizabethan dance, and stage combat. Since then, she has expanded her expertise through years of independent study with master teachers, deepening her ability to unlock the emotional and technical nuances of Shakespeare’s work. Her training at the Moscow Art Theatre further enriched her approach, where she mastered the Dražnin and Zaseev movement techniques and studied Mikhail Chekhov with an emphasis on verbatim—a method that sharpens emotional authenticity and precision. At Dublin’s Gaiety School of Acting, she explored the emotional depth and rhythmic precision of Irish playwrights like Beckett and Synge, skills she now applies to teaching the musicality and emotional truth of Shakespeare’s verse.

• Shakespearean Chops: Emelie started her acting career as an elephant yearning to top the Christmas tree in her preschool nativity production. From there, she’s gone on to bring to life some of Shakespeare’s most complex and contrasting characters, including the brooding ambition of Richard III, the razor-sharp wit of Mercutio, the playful chaos of Puck, and the heartfelt resilience of Viola in Twelfth Night. Her roles span the fierce Lady Macbeth, the dim-witted Dromio, and the dynamic Jailer’s Daughter in Two Noble Kinsmen, showcasing her ability to navigate the Bard’s vast emotional and stylistic range. With over 50 stage plays under her belt, including performances at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Theatricum Botanicum, and beyond, Emelie’s depth of experience makes her a dynamic and insightful Shakespeare coach.
• Global Performer: Emelie’s work has taken her from Los Angeles to New York, London to Moscow, and even to the Tate Modern, where she debuted a unique performance piece called Critical Mass that toured the globe.
• Film & TV: While Shakespeare is her first love, Emelie has also made her mark on screen, appearing in television and feature films across genres like martial arts, coming-of-age dramas, and horror. Her credits include work with legendary actor Dennis Hopper and appearances on networks like Lifetime, Starz, and USA. This diverse on-screen experience informs her coaching, helping actors bridge the gap between classical training and the demands of modern film and television.
• Teaching Roots: Emelie has brought Shakespeare to life for high school students across Los Angeles, leading dynamic seminars on rhetoric, scansion, and character building. In her private coaching, she’s helped students evolve in just one session, often leaving them surprised by how deeply and quickly they connect to the text. Since 2019, she has adjudicated for the Utah Shakespeare Competition, where she’s helped young artists flourish—even inspiring some to pursue theater in their college careers. This competition has been one of the most meaningful teaching experiences of her life, sparking her passion for helping others break into the Bard and discover the power of his words.