ABOUT ME
My friends call me Verla, you can too. Any pronouns are fine with me.
I was born in a Southern California beach town to Detroit transplant parents. There was a lot of denim, and a long lasting bowl cut.
Moved to New York to attend NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (primarily the Stella Adler Studio of Acting), and graduated with a BFA in Drama and - just as practical - minor in Religious Studies with a focus on ritual's role in community building. While at NYU I took a work-study job as a scenic carpenter and welder, and was a scenic painter and theatrical electrician for The Stella Adler Studio.
I'm a proud member of the Queer community, and was an active Marshall (on the Bike Brigade) for the DYKE MARCH NYC and ACT UP.
As an environmental advocate - helped to build BK ROT - the first major community composting project in Bushwick Brooklyn.
And I ran the food pantry at Masbia of Flatbush on Wednesdays from 2022-2024.
I'm also an amateur potter and baker, I try to get out into nature as much as possible, bike (though the Seattle hills are humbling me), read a ton of fiction, collect National Parks Passport cancelation and Lighthouse stamps, and fill my camera roll with cat and bug photos.
Local hire in NYC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Seattle, Louisville, Denver and the Bay Area
I was born in a Southern California beach town to Detroit transplant parents. There was a lot of denim, and a long lasting bowl cut.
Moved to New York to attend NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (primarily the Stella Adler Studio of Acting), and graduated with a BFA in Drama and - just as practical - minor in Religious Studies with a focus on ritual's role in community building. While at NYU I took a work-study job as a scenic carpenter and welder, and was a scenic painter and theatrical electrician for The Stella Adler Studio.
I'm a proud member of the Queer community, and was an active Marshall (on the Bike Brigade) for the DYKE MARCH NYC and ACT UP.
As an environmental advocate - helped to build BK ROT - the first major community composting project in Bushwick Brooklyn.
And I ran the food pantry at Masbia of Flatbush on Wednesdays from 2022-2024.
I'm also an amateur potter and baker, I try to get out into nature as much as possible, bike (though the Seattle hills are humbling me), read a ton of fiction, collect National Parks Passport cancelation and Lighthouse stamps, and fill my camera roll with cat and bug photos.
Local hire in NYC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Seattle, Louisville, Denver and the Bay Area
PRESS
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Yankee Tavern: Riverside Theatre"Emily Verla brings such believability to Janet, taking her through a range of emotions. She fleshes out Janet as a most likable, strong but wounded creature, who frets over the safety of Adam."
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The Wolves: Boise Contemporary Theater"The play is filled with compelling performances by all, but particularly Verla’s #46, the quirky outsider who strives to prove herself and belong."
- Dana Oland: Idaho Statesman "Endearingly guiless, Verla throws herself into the play and makes her character a person apart, sniggldy laugh and wild dance and all" - Ben Kemper: Storytellers |
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A Name For A Ghost To Mutter: Theatre East
"An excellent cast of nine give us glimpses of Lala, her cousin Lucretia, the three younger siblings, and drop-ins from four generations of the deceased. Absorbing, sort of like watching someone work out a puzzle."
-Richard Seff: DC Metro Arts "...the cast breathe life into multi-faceted characters superbly"
-Laurie Lawson: ELJ "The able cast is skillfully directed by Judson Jones, and the use of carefully detailed touches makes for a lovingly imagined production."
-Howard Miller: Talkin' Broadway "...It goes down slowly, like a cool glass of sweet iced tea... the cast and design team draw our attention the entire show."
-Sarah Weber: Theatre Is Easy |
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The Tall Girls: Luna Stage "Verla, on the other hand, who was so good in Tammy Ryan's "Tar Beach" at Luna last spring, fluidly reveals both passion and humor." "Emily Verla is genuine and empathetic as Jean" "Emily Verla is excellent as the tortured Jean, harboring a secret and clearly a better player than the others—" |
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Tar Beach: Luna Stage"The play is one of the best "Generation Jones" plays you might ever see...Verla's mercurial shifts are touching" "Emily Verla's portrayal of Mary Claire is equally as fine. She alternately cajoles and mocks her little sister, knowing that the only way she will get out of the house (and get up to some teenage mischief) is if she takes Reenie with her. Despite her bravado and big talk, Verla's Mary Claire is still a child; her anguish at her sister's disappearance is palpable." "The shy Reenie and Mary Claire, her older, boy-crazy sister (a terrific high-energy performance by Emily Verla) are dealing with sibling issues and fighting with their parents" "Emily Verla (Mary Claire) and Alanna Monte (Mary Frances) provide well grounded, evocative performances" "All five actors deliver strong performances.For all its intensity, this play never crosses the line into melodrama, and though there are poetic moments, it stays rooted in real-life struggles." |
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As You Like It: New York Classical Theatre
"Emily Verla is a vital and revivifyingly hilarious Audrey – finally, a production where it is clear as a summer’s day in the park why she falls for the unscrupulous Touchstone." |
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