Everyone knows that El Schader lives and breathes theater, but how did they start?

“Ever since I was a kid I was doing theater, I like to think it’s because I was so loud and extra that little me wanted to go on stage and make everyone watch me be loud and extra. But the truth is, it’s become a lot more since then, I just kind of never left. Theatre has always been a part of my life, and it’s always been where I found my people, where I found my friends.”

At the height of Covid in 2020, El discovered a teen center called Levels at the Great Neck Library. “Everyone was home, everyone was seeking connection.”  Levels was hosting short play festivals, but the whole thing was run by teens. They were writing, and directing, and in charge of the entire production. In El’s second show they got to direct an online zoom production.

“I was like, that’s cool, but I still love performing.” Once everything was back in person, El started to fall more and more in love with the deck side of things. Then El got the chance to direct their second full production “And I was like wait, this is it. This is what I love… I  don’t think I love directing because I love bossing people around, even though I do, I think I love directing because I’ve done all of these jobs. I’ve done lighting, I’ve done audio, and costumes, so I have such a deep appreciation for the process.” 

Now you know how the theater loving El Schader came to be!