Eliyana Abraham is a New York based director of musicals, plays, and opera. Her practice is rooted in the belief that humor, music, and movement are some of the best tools for exploring difficult subjects and amplifying marginalized experiences. She is passionate about directing new musicals and plays, with a particular interest in fast-paced comedies, sweeping love stories, and work which uplifts queer and gender-marginalized voices.

She is currently a member of the Roundabout Directors Group (Cohort 8) and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) Emerging Artists program. She is an alum of the SDCF (Stage Directors & Choreographers Foundation) Fellowship program, through which she served as the Directing Observer for the world premiere of I & You: The Musical (dir. Sarah Rasmussen) at Olney Theatre Center. 

She recently directed the Off-Broadway festival premiere of the new musical Bury Your Gays by Sam Melton at SheNYC (CSC Lynn F. Angelson Theatre), which received four awards including Best Production. She has extensive experience developing new work alongside playwrights — select developmental presentations include Jungle Restaurant (SoHo Playhouse, Caveat); Affecting Expression (The Tank, Princeton University); and Bury Your Gays (SheNYC, FRIGID NY, Ring of Keys/Bechdel Project). 

Additional directing credits: The Bridges of Madison County (Princeton Summer Theater), ULTIMATE by N. Kolman (The Tank), The Last Five Years (Princeton Summer Theater), Peerless (Princeton Summer Theater), Shrek the Musical (Princeton University). Assistant directing and choreography: Street Scene (Queens College) and Le nozze di Figaro (Hofstra University) dir. Alex Paul Sheerin. 

Proud member: Ring of Keys Coalition, Asian American Theatre Artists Collective. 

B. A. Princeton University. (Princeton Triangle Club, Theatre Intime, Princeton University Players)

Local hire: NYC and Greater Philadelphia area.