Emily Michelle Walton (she/her) is an actor and graphic designer originally from Kansas City. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and recently spent a year in France studying with master clown Philippe Gaulier, whose irreverent, joy-forward training continues to inform her work as a performer.

Emily’s design work is rooted in visual storytelling, texture, and mood. As Art Director of A Short Leap, she has helped shape the company’s visual identity from the ground up—designing the logo, website, season artwork, print collateral, and merchandise for its inaugural year.

Recent acting credits include Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, Measure for Measure, and The Three Musketeers (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks); Shaw! Shaw! Shaw! and A Christmas Carol (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey); Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (STNJ Shakespeare Live!); Verily Madly Thine (STNJ Shrewd Mechanicals); and The Hunchback of Seville (Know Theatre of Cincinnati).

After five years in New York, Emily is newly based in Chicago and grateful to be finding community through A Short Leap. She’s excited about the space the company is carving out, and is eager to connect, collaborate, and contribute to the creative energy in this city. Outside of work, she’s often thrifting for vintage treasures, museum-hopping, or on a very unscientific quest to find Chicago’s best dirty martini.

You can check out her design portfolio at emilywaltondesign.com