ilana Ransom Toeplitz
Director — Choreographer — Writer — Teaching Artist
Creativity. Collaboration. Curiosity. Comedy. Ilana Ransom Toeplitz (she/her) is a theatre director, choreographer, writer and teaching artist specializing in new musical development and musical comedy. Ilana has overseen the process of hundreds of new musicals, from idea to full production. Ilana has razor-sharp timing, a sensitive ear for musicality, and believes in the joy of a rehearsal room which brings out the best in her collaborators.
On Broadway, Ilana was the Assistant Director of "Violet'' (2014, Starring Sutton Foster -- Tony Nomination) and "The Prom" (2019, dir/choreo Casey Nicholaw -- Tony Nomination). Ilana was the Associate Director for the national tours of "A Christmas Story: the Musical!" and "Dirty Dancing", as well as the resident director for the TheatreWorksUSA tours of "A Christmas Carol" and "Click, Clack, Moo!"
Ilana has directed world premieres with Lincoln Center, The Drama League, NYMF, the Adrienne Arsht Center (Miami, FL), Drew Gasparini, Berkshire Theatre Group, York Theatre Company, NY Theatre Barn, Boston Center for the Arts, Keen Company, the Museum of Sex, the Ferguson Center & 54 Below. Ilana holds credits with Susan Stroman, Leigh Silverman, Sarna Lapine, Casey Nicholaw, Baayork Lee, Lincoln Center, New York City Center, Huntington Theatre Company, Second Stage, Signature Theatre (VA) & Pittsburgh CLO.
Ilana is a Drama League Directors Project Alum (Inaugural Leo Shull New Musicals Fellow), as well as the Stage Director and Choreographer Foundation's (SDCF) 2018 Mike Ockrent Directing Fellow. Ilana served as the Artistic Director of Musical Theatre & Dance at Musical Mentors Collaborative, a non-profit that matches under-served youths with top industry professionals for artistic coachings. Ilana was a co-founder and the 2021 Director-in-Residence of the New Musicals Lab at the Ferguson Center, a summer incubator for new musicals in development.
Ilana serves as an Assistant Professor with Emerson College in Boston, MA in their BFA Musical Theatre Program. At Emerson, Ilana directs annualy with EmersonStage, most recently directing “Cabaret” the Cutler Majestic in spring of 2023 and “Bat Boy” in the fall of ‘23 — a bucket-list show for Ilana. The latter was followed by a developmental reading with Laurence O’Keefe, working with him to premiere some rewrites to the beloved show.
When not absorbing and celebrating musical theatre, Ilana can be found exploring cities and new restaurants with her partner and friends, thrifting for the latest trends, doing yoga or spin, or plotting her next long-distance scenic train adventure ( ✅ Amtrak Coast Starlight, ✅ Amtrak JJ Empire Builder… recommendations welcome!).
Coming Up for IRT in Summer 2024!
It’s summer 2024! In addition to seeing James Taylor again and taking as many day trips as possible, Ilana will be:
Directing the 29h reading of a new musical, Late, in Boston, MA.
Associate Directing for Jason Daniely and the Boston Pops again
Traveling to London & Edinburgh, UK on a grant to study directing, theatre, and new musical development across the pond
Coming Up for IRT in 2025!
In addition to starting her third year at Emerson College as a director and assistant professor, Ilana will be:
Continuing to build and found a new musical development program with Emerson College
Directing Bright Star in Boston, MA
Directing Head Over Heels in Boston, MA
and Directing another exciting musical in Boston, MA — to be announced soon!
Direction & Choreography Reel
“Director Ilana Ransom Toeplitz has asked the actors to walk a fine line between exaggeration and over-the-top and they succeed….”
Can you keep a secret?
Well Ilana’s got some exciting announcements, but a lady never tells.
….Unless you give her a few martinis. Then she’ll probably tell you everything.
“You are easily the GREATEST person I have the privilege of emailing on a daily basis”
WE AREN’T KIDS ANYMORE
by Drew Gasparini
ALBUM DROP & LIBRETTO RELEASED FOR LICENSING
Ilana directed and choreographed the world premiere of Drew Gasparini’s new song cycle WE AREN'T KIDS ANYMORE. The Original Cast Album (Feat: Bonnie Milligan, Raymond J. Lee, Lilli Cooper, Nickolas Christopher & Colton Ryan) dropped on April 12th. The Libretto will be released for licensing by Concord Theatricals.
WE AREN'T KIDS ANYMORE is a reflection on adulting. Drew pulls from personal experience about navigating relationships, trying to carve a name for oneself as an artist, and the fine line between wanting more and the dangers of excess. When each moment feels so big and important as it comes, how do you keep sight of meaning and balance in your art and in your life?
“Director and choreographer Ilana Ransom Toeplitz has taken this show to the very heights and you will be thrilled with her astonishing, totally inspired and shockingly fresh outcomes.”
“Everything about my museum was spectacular” - Barnum (the musical)
In February 2019, Ilana was featured by Eloquii, her favorite clothing line.
An Eloquii exhibit will open at the Walmart Museum (in Bentonville, AK) Fall of 2019 to celebrate the Eloquii/Walmart collaboration, and Ilana’s image above in the red dress has been selected as the main image of the exhibit!
If you’re at the Walmart Museum in Bentonville, AK, be sure to send Ilana a picture.
Note: Ilana’s modeling images can also be found in the NYC Subway, gently haunting her ex boyfriends.