Emily Lyon

About Emily Lyon

As a social impact storyteller, I love helping writers and producers craft stories that connect deeply with audiences and inspire conversations about who we are as a society and what kind of world we want to have and build. I do this as a director, dramaturg/story editor, artistic director, podcast host, strategist, consultant, and occasionally funny person.My work focuses on the poetry and politics of language. Endlessly passionate about media\'s power and influence on society, I ignite bold discussions about social issues and the way we communicate by choosing funny, dark, socio-political stories. With empathy at the core of my practice, I challenge audiences to engage with unfamiliar perspectives, probe their assumptions, and take action.In 2020, I co-founded Expand the Canon with Hedgepig’s Founding Artistic Director, Mary Candler. Expand the Canon advocates for the legacy of historic women playwrights as acknowledged classics. Each year, we curate a list of 9 excellent, relevant, producible plays that span centuries, topics, and countries of origin. We want theatre professionals and educators to slot these plays into their seasons, their syllabi, and permanently cement these writers in our understanding of history. No one needs to be a “first.” Women have always been writing, and reframing our understanding of our existing history by acknowledging the work of women and non-binary writers ensures that current and future generations don’t need to turn themselves into pretzels to see themselves reflected on stage – even in the classics. History is just the stories we tell and repeat and they’re so much of how we frame our understanding.Like many artists and storytellers, I have worn many hats: primarily as a theatre director, dramaturg, and artistic director and curator of Hedgepig/Expand the Canon. But I have also been a media associate and graphic designer for theatres of many sizes, an entrepreneur founding a comedic social impact film company and the Social Impact Writers Lab, an environmental advocate with Creative Climate Leadership, the Hollywood Climate Summit, and creating an environmental justice card game, and at times a strategist, consultant, problem solver, program manager, zine editor, performer, and comedian.

Experience

1. Artistic Director

   Expand The Canon

   Jan 2022 — Present · New York, NY, US

   As Artistic Director, I spearhead the Expand the Canon, and ensuring programs and events align with our mission: bringing gender equity to the classics. Creating community around ETC is my chief mandate, as well as managing our database of titles of plays by historic women. Generating partnerships across the country has been one of my major wins for the company, including with the Folger Shakespeare Theatre, American Shakespeare Center, Classic Stage Company, Ma-Yi Theatre, Classical Theatre of Harlem, INTAR, The Sol Project, and more.

Education

• Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London

  Theatre/Theater

• University of Michigan

  Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)

• Parsons School of Design

  Graphic Design

Skills

• Drama
• Script Doctoring
• Video Editing
• Copywriting
• Premiere
• Directing
• Microsoft Office
• Editing
• Teaching
• Plays
• Creative Direction
• Public Speaking
• Acting
• Photography
• Creative Problem Solving
• Client Liaison
• Script Editing
• Creative Writing
• Shakespeare
• Project Management
• Script Analysis
• Theatre
• Photoshop
• Copy Editing
• Video
• Graphic Design
• Film
• Playwriting
• Organization
• Coaching
• Scriptwriting
• Entertainment
• Stage
• Writing
• Storytelling
• Film Production
• Performing Arts
• Event Planning