Actor, producer and co-founder of health & wellness tech company Hey Lemonade, Elise is most well-known for originating the role of ‘Miss Honey’ in the Australian production of Matilda, for which she won the 2016 Helpmann Award, the 2015 Sydney Theatre Award and was nominated for the 2016 Green Room Award; as ‘Donna’ in the 20th Anniversary production of MAMMA MIA! and as Rita Hansen in the Australian premiere of Groundhog Day the Musical, for which she received 2025 Green Room Best Performance in a Musical and Time Out Arts & Culture Best Performance in a Musical Award nominations. Most recently Elise has been seen staring as Barbara Maitland in Melbourne’s exclusive season of Beetlejuice the Musical alongside composer Eddie Perfect!
Other theatre credits include: Mary Flynn in Merrily We Roll Along (2022 Sydney Theatre Award nomination), Lucille Ball in Everybody Loves Lucy (2015 Sydney Theatre Award nomination), Cathy in The Last Five Years (Ensemble Theatre), Julia Guglia in The Wedding Singer (DVP), Ado Annie in Oklahoma and Meg Brockie in Brigadoon (The Production Company), Cordelia in Falsettos (Darlinghurst Theatre), Ali in MAMMA MIA! 2009/10 (LWA), South Pacific (OA/Lincoln Centre), Florinda in Into The Woods (Vic Opera), Doctor Zhivago (orig cast) (GFO/Anita Waxman), Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof (TML Enterprises), Little Women (Kookaburra), My Fair Lady (Opera Australia).
For television Elise appeared as Celia Fowler in Law & Order SVU (NBC/ Universal), Lynne Woolnough in Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door (Seven Network/Shine), Louise McPherson in Tumbling (Two Little Films) and Spicks & Specks (ABC).
A regular performer in concert and for charity highlights include In Conversation with Stephen Schwartz; Beyond the Barricade for Lunchbox Theatricals UK; To Barbra with Love (Live Nation & MSO), Burt Bacharach What the World Needs Now (Make my Mark/ SSO), Carols by Candlelight, Carols in the Domain, Light the Night, Twisted Broadway, Hats Off!, the Mission Australia Charity Gala, Westmead Children’s Hospital Charity Ball, The Awakening Concert, The Sydney Women’s Fund Annual Charity Gala, the ACON Worlds AIDS Day Concert, the From Sydney with Love Concert and the annual Hayes Theatre Christmas Carols raising money for the Wayside Chapel, the Sydney Theatre Awards, New Musicals Australia Launch, Australian Ethic Small Business Awards, the Australian MO Awards, All Star Cabaret for the Sydney Theatre Company, Up Close and Musical for Kookaburra, Home Grown Melbourne, Broadway Unplugged. as well as the National Anthem for the 2018 Bledisloe Cup and anthems for Cricket Australia.
Elise’s debut album Dahlesque was released internationally under ABC/ Universal Music and performed in concert with the Adelaide Cabaret Festival (2017), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (2018) and the Auckland Philarmonia (2019).
As a producer, Elise has worked as a dramaturge, content developer, script editor and writer’s researcher both locally and internationally. Elise spent 2019 working in New York under a producer placement at Sarah Jessica Parker’s all female production company Pretty Matches Productions. Elise was lead producer on the Screen Australia funded 6x10 comedy mockumentary series The Power of the Dream for Chips and Gravy Films, lead producer of short Rhyme Time starring William McInnes released in June 2023 and is currently working in development across two feature films for Award winning and Emmy Nominated producer Dan Wigutow; as well as in development on a new Australian children’s series and observational documentary series.
Elise is the Co-Founder of health and wellness company Hey Lemonade with long time friend and fellow actor Lucy Durack. Hey Lemonade was Winner of 2023 Best New Business in Australian Women’s Small Business Awards & 2024 NSW Telstra Best of Business Award.
