Elissa played Ethel at LA’s Echo Theater this summer, in Abby Rosebrock’s jet-black comedy Dido in Idaho. The West Coast premiere was directed by Abigail Deser, and starred Alana Dietze, Julie Dretzin, Nicole LaPort and Joby Earle. LA Times theater critic Charles McNulty said, of Julie’s Julie and Elissa’s Ethel:

Dretzin’s Julie and Middleton’s Ethel have the close comfort of a lived-in pair of jeans. (Both actors are superb…)

LA theater critic Travis Michael Holder described Elissa, in what he called the “devilishly dark, enticingly warped, and often exhilarating new play Dido of Idaho…” as

Ethel, the play’s most levelheaded character beautifully played with a palpable wisdom and all-knowing patience by Elissa Middleton.

On film, Elissa plays junkie Lindsay in Niav Conty’s acclaimed Small Time, and Jeannie Berlin's dutiful daughter in Harry Greenberger’s Here After - both now streaming. View ELISSA MIDDLETON’s REEL here.

Elissa has also worked on Pinter (Ashes to Ashes and Old Times) with director Guy Zimmerman of Padua Playwrights in LA. In New York, she played Queen Emer in W. B. Yeats' The Only Jealousy of Emer directed by Dublin’s Ray Yeates in APT 929's production at Torn Page, NYC.  NewYorkArts.net had this to say about Elissa and the piece:  In the "convincing (indeed outstanding) production... mounted by Torn Page Apartment 929... Elissa Middleton was nuanced, colored, and eloquent as Emer, bringing off her social persona in the introduction with sophistication floating on a cloud of seasoned spiritual research, evoking thoughts of Georgie or perhaps Lady Gregory as well... This was an unforgettable immersion in Yeats’ poetry and Noh-inspired drama."

Elissa played the Baroness in the US Premiere of Lermontov's Masquerade, directed by Sam Helfrich, performed in concert with the 50-piece String Orchestra of Brooklyn, playing Aram Khachaturian's Masquerade Suite. Elissa directed and starred in the premiere of Meredith Anthony's grim noir, Murder on the Main Line at Manhattan Repertory Theater in the Fall of 2015. She directed the world premiere of Bambi Everson's Neither Here Noir There at Manhattan Rep in early 2017.

Elissa played Helena Marais Rosenthal in James Bosley's play BROAD CHANNEL with UP Theater Company in NYC in 2014. In January of that year she also revived William Leavengood’s one-woman play SPECIAL (about autism) at the American Stage in St. Petersburg, which she had premiered at Theatre Row on 42nd Street, NYC.

Other roles include Sunny in Sally Nemeth’s play MILL FIRE, in an Ivy Theater production that was part of two NYC festivals: EstroGenius and the Harvest Theater Festival. Elissa’s husband Clark directed her as the lead in Craig Lucas’ Reckless on East 4th St NYC with the wonderful actor Matthew Cowles playing her many shrinks.

Training includes Meisner work with William Esper and Maggie Flanigan; scene study with Austin Pendelton, Laura Esterman, Susan Aston, Jon Shear; voice, speech and Shakespeare with Shane-Ann Younts. In LA Elissa studies with Chris Fields.

Elissa also writes and has published nonfiction about travel, politics, film, and art in the NY Times and elsewhere. She helps edit The Lab Mag and recently published a history of drums called Spirit & Time.