Lewis and Clark: If all the world’s a stage, Ella Wissing is ready for her close up

For Ella Wissing, the theater stage is more than a place to be seen.

“I think it’s the most honest way of expressing yourself, and showcasing empathy at its truest point,” said Wissing, a senior at Lewis and Clark High School.

“It really does make the world a better place when you understand what other people are going through,” Wissing said.

If that’s the case, Wissing has already done her part. She loves to act but derives even more joy from helping others succeed.

Wissing has performed at LC, Spokane Civic Theatre and other venues, but she’s also worked as a director, videographer, and currently serves as an officer for the Washington State Thespians, where she leads workshops and other events for students across the state.

She’s “giving voice to young students across the state and building community involvement,” said Greg Pschirrer, LC’s drama teacher.

She is also a filmmaker, and last year she earned a scholarship to the Anthony Quinn Foundation Prodigy Camp. When it was over, she earned high praise from the foundation for “drawing from a myriad of sources, such as songs, people, locations, and vivid mental images. Ella believes in the power of stories to provide solace, escape and connection, and she feels a deep calling to bring these narratives to life. ”

Wissing will continue her work – though it hardly feels like it – this fall in the nationally ranked film program at Cal State University, Northridge. She already has a head start on her degree after taking community college classes in Spokane.

“My whole family (parents Erin and Jeremy and younger brother Eli) did theater,” said Wissing, who said she was captivated by age 6. “I really love storytelling in general, and theater is a way to express that.”

Wissing has appeared in numerous plays at LC and at Civic , where at age 11 she appeared in “A Christmas Story, the Musical.”

This year she played the lead in Lewis and Clark’s production of “Mean Girls.”

However, Wissing quickly appreciated the bigger picture, as seen through the eyes of the writer and director.

Transferring two years ago from Grace Alliance Christian School in Spokane Valley, she was a quick study at LC, Pschirrer said.

“She’s a very accomplished young woman, especially as a young filmmaker,” Pschirrer said. “I really appreciate that she has a unique voice and finds multiple ways of telling stories.”