Elise Maurine Milner, founder/playwright/producer/director… has now produced and directed over 300 theatrical performances from coast to coast. She has also been called “the NEW Neil LaBute!” She is currently licensing her shows to theaters and entertainment venues for national and international productions while she currently continues to write/produce NEW and original works for theatre, film, and television. She strives to create material that will be both thought provoking, entertaining, and always with a deeper meaningful life message, whether through comedy or serious subject matter.
ELISE MAURINE MILNER, CEO/Founder of Hanging Cow Productions is first a writer, then a producer and a director, occasionally an actress, always a comedienne, and lastly, a model… citizen that is! She began her humble creative endeavors in small town, rural, Virginia City, Nevada with a population of just 600 people. After conquering small town community theater production in high school and college, Elise went on to study writing, acting, theatre/TV production, and broadcasting for 3 years in San Francisco and for 5 years in Los Angeles. She has worked diligently and ambitiously in every aspect of the entertainment industry from performing on stage and on television and film, to being a disc jockey and news producer for KGLE/KPTL Radio (West Coast) and helped launch and develop a television pilot for Universal Studios, Hollywood. When she came to New York City in 1999, she joined a theater company where she helped develop and performed in original works on stage. In 2000, she left that company and began writing and producing her own work full time under her newly founded Hanging Cow Productions. Elise is completely self-made and started her company with 22 cents in the bank, and with no investors or trust funds, she personally raises the funds for each and every one of her productions she produces. She is self-taught in graphic and web design and many other theatrical business skills so she could live her dream on a minimal budget! Her first full scale, Off Off Broadway, holiday parody production, the “ButtCracker” was produced in 2002. After her first taste of production success, she then continued prolifically writing/producing/directing firstly, audience interactive, regional dinner theater shows. You may have heard of or seen the shows, “Who Killed Mama Souprano?” “Greased Lightning a 25 Year Comedy High School Reunion,” “My Big Fat Geek Wedding,” and “The Agagamy Award Show” performing around the NY/tri state area through 2010.
In 2014, Elise began writing/producing more traditionally staged Off Broadway plays. Her exciting and successful repertoire of dramatic plays include “The Sixth Session,” “The Answers to Apathy,” “Angels Among Us,” “All Because of Infidelity,” “An Awkward Inheritance,” and “The Accidental Awakening.” Her last scheduled play before the Pandemic hit in 2020 was “Ascension Underground,” which will hopefully be rescheduled in the near future. In 2016, Elise took on her biggest challenge yet when she decided to try her luck at writing songs and an all original, brand new MUSICAL called “12 Steps!” about addiction and recovery, and you guessed it, it was a success!
Elise has received critical acclaim from Tony award winning Broadway producer Hugh Hayes who called Elise “the real deal” and compared her to esteemed playwright Beth Henley (Crimes of the Heart.) From rags to ramen and to one day riches, Elise is a true inspiration and community business leader whose passion and drive is unmatched by most, yet she is humbled and SOO grateful for every step and every person she has encountered along the way to help make her art a success.
Why the affection for livestock? Elise has also been an accomplished, 4-H leader and professional horsewoman since the age of 14, having ridden, trained, & shown horses for over 20 years in English & Western riding, jumping, and equitation. In her spare time she enjoys her amazing long time husband Chris Berlino, travel abroad, spirituality, and collecting 80’s memorabilia. She is currently an ice dancer in training, still horseback rides, and currently owns a horse named One Tall Sully she keeps in the Hudson Valley.
Elise couldn’t do what she does without her loyal team below… the phenomenal artists that make up this company are highly regarded and deeply appreciated for all the talent they bring to our productions…
ELISA RENEE BOLDIZAR, CFO, is our Sr. Executive responsible for managing finances and marketing for Hanging Cow. Her emphasis is on economic strategies and forecasting while ensuring limited liability for the company. Elisha has a knack for keeping her finger on the pulse. California native, born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Elisa currently maintains residency in California with frequent commutes to New York during live productions. Elise and Elisa met in 1998, while both attending college in Los Angeles and have remained friends, business associates and partners (in crime!) ever since. Elisha has been involved in managing and investing in Real Estate for more than 18 years. Her hobbies include, concerts, daily romps at the beach with loyal companion and dog, “Mr. Wilson”, cooking for family and friends, skiing, and boating.
SUZANNE LYNN, production assistant, set designer, actress, and stage manager, has known Elise longer than just about anyone! Suzanne and Elise were childhood best friends and met in 1982! Now in 2022, they have finally fused their creative expertise to form a theatrical team for the Hanging Cow 2022 season! Suzanne, based in Reno, Nevada, is a full time artist who creates sculptures, signs, plaques, personalized keepsakes, and her own line of body care! Suzanne is so happy to revive her love and expertise in theater in 2022 for both our Nevada production AND our upcoming New York production!
VANESSA LONG is our in house choreographer. She is also an educator noted for her theatrical style and activism work. She has choreographed a total of seventeen Off- Broadway shows along with several short films and music videos. In October 2014 she founded the Vanessa Long Dance Company based in NYC. She is also the founder of Long2 which has companies in NYC and Philadelphia. Vanessa has received glowing reviews about her work and received several features in magazines such as Dance Teacher Magazine, DanceInforma, Yoga Magazine, ACT Magazine, and Broadwayworld. Her work has been performed across the United States, Peru, Canada, Italy in theaters such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, City Center, Alvin Ailey, Dixon Place, and The Tank Theater.
CHRISTOPHER BERLINO is our principal photographer & set builder. Originally a Studio Art major in college on Long Island where he was raised, his artistic expertise at the time was painting and sculpture. In 2001, he took a serious interest in photography and avidly began his photography business. Chris photographs everything and everyone in the NYC-tri state area and beyond in all areas of digital photography from glamour, weddings, red carpet/VIP events, acting/modeling portfolios, and travel and photo journalism. He has traveled the world from Europe to Australia honing his craft and he LOVES what he does. He enjoys dog walks, cat walks, and Chinese woks! He is happily married to his wife, founder of Hanging Cow, Elise Milner. Click here to view his website!
ROBERT MARK, company member and assistant director, has a degree in the performing arts and started his acting career in 1997 with musicals Bye Bye Birdie, Fiddler on the Roof, A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum, Best Little Whore House in Texas, and Damn Yankees. Robert was also cast in Can’noli Happen and the documentary Pleasant Days (An East Harlem Story) as a producer. Robert also starred in the Guido Monologues which had a tremendous off Broadway run and the originally written show The Smoking Section. Robert has performed in “12 Steps the Musical,” “The Sixth Session,” “An Awkward Inheritance,” “The Accidental Awakening” and “Who Killed Mama Souprano?!” all previous Hanging Cow, hit shows! Robert has had a long standing friendship with Elise Milner. Robert would like to thank Hanging Cow, his family, friends, and beautiful wife Kimberly for their support in Living his Dream!!!
DAHLIA BARAKAT, our stage manager, set designer, and director graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor’s degree in Set and Costume Design from Cairo, Egypt. She taught Art for two years, and since then has decided to focus all of her efforts into teaching herself, instead, what she loves to do most. She participated in several local productions and won an award for best set design. She spent the last year earning a Certificate in Theatre Studies at Northern Virginia Community College where she got to dabble in more set design and stage management. She now lives in New York City where she has worked with Hanging Cow Productions for 6 years now! To view her work, click here!