Meet Tony-Elias Choufani | Artistic Director & TheatreMaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tony-Elias Choufani and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tony-Elias, what inspires you?
Inspiration is hard to pin down. As early as I can remember I had a fascination with the anime Sailor Moon. I would pretend I was one of the Sailor Scouts, with their celestial powers and stunning costumes. When I was twelve, a restaurant magician came to our table and showed me a card trick that broke my brain. The Arabic music my Lebanese mother would play in the car: Shereen was my favorite. A novel called The Passage by Justin Cronin: a deep, dark vampire epic. It was biblical, mythic. It hinted at greater forces and greater mysteries than we were capable of understanding.

I am obsessed with the unknowable. The bleeding edge of space just beyond our reach. The void where we place our hopes, dreams, and nightmares. Where our fantasies promise salvation. Where we can imagine brand new worlds on the other side of “What if?”.

Theatre is a place to probe these mysteries. That is why I’ve dedicated my life to it. We all gather in a room and ask “What if?” until we are changed for the better. To me there is no greater function for an artist.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was an extremely shy, anxious kid for most of my childhood (and adulthood) and honestly never thought that a career in the performing arts would be my calling. I had trouble making friends and speaking up in class. I avoided the spotlight like a plague. It wasn’t until middle-school that I discovered my first passion for performing: sleight of hand magic.

I became so endlessly obsessed with magic tricks that when I wasn’t at school, I was at home practicing with a deck of cards. At first, I wasn’t very good. But I was tenacious. And despite my sometimes crippling social anxiety, I pushed through in order to share my newfound skill with family and friends.

Despite this, public performance still terrified me. My freshman year of high school I would have to walk past the theatre building every morning on my way to class. I would imagine what took place inside and thought, “I would never get on a stage in a million years.” I began taking health classes and volunteering at the hospital – my plan was to go to college for pre-med and eventually become a pediatrician.

Fast-forward to senior year of high school. I was called into the counselor’s office because the arts elective I had chosen, AP Art History, was being cancelled due to low enrollment. I was told I needed to pick another elective in order to graduate. The options? Painting or drama. A deep, far away feeling began stirring inside me. I swallowed and looked at my guidance counselor: “I think I’ll try drama.”

Over 15 years later, I have worked as an actor, director, and writer in dozens of stage productions, ranging from Shakespeare to sketch comedy. I am now the founder and Artistic Director of Sihr Theatre in Wilmington, NC, an ensemble theatre company that was recently nominated for 8 Wilmington Theatre Awards. We specialize in contemporary plays that explore the magical, fantastical, and altogether unfathomable.

My time in the theatre has taught me there is no “right” way to be an artist. Many well-intentioned people have discouraged me because I was too shy, too ambitious, too strong-willed, too fat, too gay, too ethnically ambiguous. Every insult and condescension imaginable offered under the guise of “realistic advice”. I wasted a lot of time trying to fit into boxes that others had made for me. UK voice teacher Patsy Rodenburg once said, “I train for a theatre that doesn’t exist.” I have since sought to follow her sentiment. Every time I enter a rehearsal room or walk upon the stage, I endeavor to bring that theatre into existence. A theatre that excites me and includes me. A theatre that reflects abundant joy and imagination.

The art inside you is yours and yours alone. Never let the world dim you. Share your gifts like a beacon in the dark. Those that are lost will be grateful to you.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Eat a big sandwich at Cheese Smith, catch a play downtown, and then ice cream at Kilwins!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be here without my mother. She was the first person I came out to at 9 years old. She was the first person to take me seriously as I started suffering from severe depression and OCD. She was the first to champion me as I excelled in school and the performing arts. She was the shoulder I always cried on and the only one I ever wanted to call after every achievement. She is my sounding board and my diary. My therapist. Confidant. Best friend in the whole world. I am constantly in awe of her strength and resilience.

She is the one who taught me to believe in myself. My compassion, my intelligence, even my righteous anger were all given to me by my mother. She makes me believe in a love greater and deeper than words and sense. She makes me believe I am strong enough to withstand this life, soft enough to embrace those who harm me, and audacious enough to fight for my dreams.

I owe all that I am or will be – to her.

Website: https://www.sihrtheatre.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sihrtheatre/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/people/Sihr-Theatre/100092389351441/

Image Credits
Jess Rose – RoseWorks Photography