Hi, I’m Ella Harpaz-Joralemon (sometimes Ella Joralemon)! I have a bachelor’s degree in Classics and a master’s in Film and Screen Studies, both from the University of Cambridge. I began my career in the performing and visual arts at university, with involvement in historic groups such as the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, The Marlowe Society and the Cambridge Greek Play. Since then, I have begun directing and writing for productions outside of the university sphere, including taking a brand new musical to Edinburgh Fringe 2022.

My goal in the creative world is to be able to help bring ancient theatre to life on stage and screen, making it more accessible to audiences everywhere. As ancient theatre influences so many of the stories we still tell today, I believe it is something that we should be actively engaging with more frequently. Besides, these timeless stories have endless potential and are great fun to play around with! I have had the privilege of directing adaptations of Sophocles’ Antigone and Oedipus Tyrannus in the past, as well as leading a workshop with charity Classics for All on the history and staging of ancient Greek tragedy.

I am currently in the process of founding my own theatre company committed to this vision. For its debut production, I am also currently writing and directing an adaptation of Euripides’ Bacchae. This one-man piece, titled Pentheus, is set in the psychedelic 60s and attempts to dismantle the worldview of a young man struggling with the conflict between his own identity and the confines of his hyper-traditional upbringing. Oh and, of course, there’s a Bacchic cult on his doorstep! This play is set to debut in summer 2025 - more details to come.