The Ghostlight Stage Company
Some of you may not know that I recently took on the role of being the Visual Arts Director for the Ghostlight Stage Company! I thought I’d tell you a little bit more about the non-profit organization that's close to my heart, and one I've had the privilege of helping to start up. Together with my sister, Alyssa, and our friend, Aiden, we combined our love for the arts and community by creating a new nonprofit arts organization.
Alyssa, Eliana, and Aiden at Eliana Batsakis x Ghostlight Stage Company’s “Storytelling Through Garment” workshop in May of 2023.
Here’s a blurb from our website about our founding:
“After years of dreaming up a company while living on the East Coast she (Alyssa) found there was not a better place to make her vision come to life than in her hometown of Cincinnati. In the fall of 2022 Alyssa moved back to the Cincinnati area after almost a decade away working professionally as an actor, host and acting coach on the East Coast and got to work brainstorming. She met Aiden in September of 2022 while working on a show together and found they both, along with her sister Eliana, all had similar goals and visions for what the future of the Cincinnati arts scene, and even the arts industries at large, could be. They all got to work once April 2023 rolled around The Ghostlight Stage Company officially became recognized as a tax exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We established our first Board of Directors after meeting with many amazing Cincinnati artists and nonprofit professionals, and our first event was scheduled for May of 2023.”
Our journey with Ghostlight has been nothing short of fun. We've undertaken a variety of workshops and events, all with the goal of making a positive impact on the lives of those in our community. Here’s some of the events I helped lead so far:
“Storytelling Through Garment” : Costume Design Workshop with ARCO
In May, we partnered with another local nonprofit organization ARCO to offer a free costume design workshop to the community. We collaborated with my brand, Eliana Batsakis, to spread the love of fashion and story-telling to young creatives in our community. I was so excited to bring this unique workshop to Cincinnati. The three hour workshop included a presentation on some costume design history, a demo of costume design illustration, building our own stories and characters together, as well as time to illustrate our ideas and share with the group. It felt good to expose students to costume skills I didn’t get to learn until I was in college, especially when they didn’t have to pay a sky-high tuition.
My students and I at our “Storytelling Through Garment” workshop holding up our costume design illustrations.
Summer Camps with Cincinnati Public Schools
Throughout the summer, we had the privilege of leading summer art camps in collaboration with several Cincinnati Public Schools. These camps provided students with a diverse range of workshops, led by local professional artists who shared their expertise in various art forms. It was amazing to witness the students' creativity and watch a new passion form as they explored different mediums.
The hands of little artists working on their oil pastel projects at a summer camp workshop led by local artist, Lucy Osborne, and co-taught by me.
Clothing Swap with The Boys and Girls Club
In August, we joined forces with The Boys and Girls Club of West Chester, OH, to host our very first community clothing swap. This event not only promoted sustainability but also provided students with an opportunity to refresh their wardrobes just in time to go back to school! It was an awesome community event complete with music, snacks, free food, professional stylists, and of course free clothing! I worked as one of the stylists and got to help so many young people revamp their wardrobes and help them find their personal style. It was a fantastic experience to see people come together to donate clothing, get styled, enter a raffle, and leave with smiles on their faces as they carried out bags of clothing. Clothing swaps are just the best!
The stylists of the Community Clothing Swap event! Myself, Naimah, and Rebecca - these two are incredible women in the fashion industry!!
4. Plus, so much more!! See our other events here.
The Ghostlight Stage Company believes in the power of the arts to inspire, uplift, and connect. I’m so excited to be the Visual Arts Director for a company committed to creating a space where artists and communities can come together to learn, grow, and make a difference.
Learn how to donate here.
If you're passionate about the arts and community too, be sure to follow us on social media to stay updated on our latest events, workshops, and future projects.
Check out our website and social media!
xo, Eliana