Meet the 26-27 Converse Opera Guest Director Elizabeth Margolius ’90
Converse University’s Petrie School of Music welcomes back Elizabeth Margolius ‘90 for a second term as Alumni Guest Opera Director for the 26-27 school year.
Converse alumna and Jeff Award-winning stage and movement director Elizabeth Margolius, most recently won Best Director/Musical for Shattered Globe Theatre’s London Road. A five-time Joseph Jefferson Award nominee, Elizabeth’s selected directorial credits also include: The Da Vinci Code for Drury Lane Theatre, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk for Northlight Theatre, Fiddler on the Roof for Drury Lane Theatre, Tidy and Rose for Renaissance Theaterworks, Crimes of the Heart for American Stage, Le Loup-garou for Opera Southwest, I and You, Silent Sky, MissHolmes, and The Bridges of Madison County for Peninsula Players, Queen of the Mist for Firebrand Theatre, The Scarlet Ibis for Chicago Opera Theater, Machinal (Movement Director) and Uncle Philip’s Coat for Greenhouse Theater, Haymarket: The Anarchist’s Songbook for Underscore Theatre, The Girl in the Train for Chicago Folks Operetta, Goldstar, Ohio for American Theater Company, The Merry Wives of Windsor for Chicago Shakespeare Theater Assistant Director), Opus 1861 for City Lit Theater, Violet for Bailiwick Chicago, and Bernarda Alba and Songs for a New World for Bohemian Theatre Ensemble.
Elizabeth has been a guest director, principal artist, and adjunct professor at numerous colleges and universities including Longy School of Music (MA), DePaul University, Viterbo University (WI), University of Northern Iowa, University of Nebraska, South Carolina’s Petrie School of Music at Converse University, SUNY Albany, and Skidmore College (NY).
Elizabeth is an alumna of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, a recipient of a full directorial scholarship for the Wesley Balk Opera-Music Theater Institute, and a finalist for the Charles Abbott Fellowship. Elizabeth has a degree in classical flute and has trained in movement techniques from around the world including Qigong, the Frantic Method, Axis Syllabus, and Fighting Monkey.
She is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director Emerita of DirectorsLabChicago, and currently an Artistic Associate with Shattered Globe Theatre. Elizabeth is a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC).
Margolius received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and minored in Flute Performance at Converse University. She will serve as the Guest Director of Opera for the 2026-2027 season.
Since 1952, Converse Opera Theatre has been a jewel in the crown of the Petrie School of Music. Today’s Converse Opera Theatre continues the tradition of excellence by offering professional-quality, fully-staged productions and beautiful sets and costumes.