Elisaveta Alekumova '23
Theatre
Rostov-on-don, Russia
Although she was born in Russia, Elisaveta Alekumova ’23 lived most of her life in Dubai but was homeschooled remotely via Lancaster, Pennsylvania. That’s how she learned about Messiah. She wanted a Christian university with a theatre major.
“With theater, there were certain things I didn’t want to compromise on because of my faith,” she explained. “My faith is part of my identity. It’s so deeply rooted into who I am as a Christian. My parents built that core in me.”
She arrived at Messiah with no theater experience.
“I learned so much coming from nothing into this. I started from scratch. Theatre was not as prominent in Dubai,” she said. “I was comparing myself to other theater majors who have directed something huge and have always gotten the lead. I had no idea what a stage manager was.”
She jumped right in, working on costumes, sets, props, hair and makeup for productions such as “Into the Woods,” “Crimes of the Heart,” “Silent Sky” and “Frog and Toad.” She also found a passion for directing.
“Directing is the biggest thing I’ve done,” she said. “My entire journey of directing was an accomplishment,” she said.
In her final semester, she and other Messiah theatre students participated in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. She was one of six student directors picked to direct a 10-minute stage reading.
“They paired us off with playwrights and actors, and we had two hours to direct before presenting our work in front of the whole festival,”she said. “As a director, how would I direct this play? You learn how to work with choreographers, how to work with a playwright.”
Out of the six, she was named a runner-up.
“It was cool to present my work to a bunch of strangers and be validated,” she said.
She says Messiah provided her with more than the faith-based education she wanted.
“When it comes to having conversations with people, I became more open. You can have some really great relationships even if you’re not great friends. There are so many different perspectives at Messiah, different denominations. I grew in character,” she said. “I don’t know if I left a huge mark or not, but I know that Messiah has left a mark on me.”
After Commencement, she landed a summer job at the Texas Shakespeare Festival, which provided room, board and salary.
“Not only is it a professional setting where you get to learn from and be around these incredible artists, but you also are integrated into a wonderful community and develop new friendships,” she said.
She now has a contract as a production assistant with The Acting Company in New York City, her next U.S. adventure.
“My parents said, ‘You have your whole life ahead of you to learn. You are ready to go out there. I’m excited for my whole life ahead of me.”
— Anna Seip