Eli Holliday (they/them) is an interdisciplinary performing artist, librarian, archivist, bookseller, and writer originally from Coast Salish Territories (unceded “Vancouver”). Since 2019, they have been living & working in Tkaronto on the Territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples.
Performing Arts
A two-time Dora Mavor Moore nominated theatre artist and graduate of the American Musical & Dramatic Academy program for Integrated Theatre, Eli has been pursuing their love of unique and dynamic theatrical works for over a decade, working across Turtle Island in New York, Vancouver, and Toronto.
Their work in One Day in the Life of Henri Shnuffle (Spratt Theatre, 2013) inspired a love of both immersive theatre and storytelling with a social justice centre, which they have gone on to explore in works such as Trace (ReDefine Arts, 2023), and Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls (Roseneath Theatre, 2024), both of which earned them Dora Mavor Moore award nominations for ensemble work. They have also lent their vocal and acting talents to a variety of commercial and voiceover engagements, with past contracts including Kraft, Facebook, American Express, Fanduel Casino, and George Brown Polytechnic.
Since 2018, Eli has performed as Dank Sinatra, a singing non-binary drag clown. In this persona, they take inspiration from cabaret and vaudeville performance traditions to create campy, irreverent, and emotional performance pieces in venues from nightclubs to Rare Book Libraries. In 2023, Dank was 1st Runner Up to the Absolut Empires Ball crown with their team the House of Faith. That year, they also performed on the Pride Toronto Drag Ball stage for thousands of spectators, and became the first non-binary drag performer to walk the Toronto Pride Parade alongside the Toronto Public Library. In addition to performances for adult audiences, Dank regularly works at the intersections of drag, children’s entertainment, and youth literature, working closely with Vancouver’s Storytelling with Drag Queens Foundation, and running their own drag story time programming at local independent bookstores and branches across the Toronto Public Library system.
Libraries, Archives, & Books
Eli is a librarian, archivist, and bookseller passionate about social justice, who specializes in LGBTQ+, film, and performing arts literature and collections. They hold a Masters of Information in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information. Prior to this, they completed their BA at the University of British Columbia, where they specialized in Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice, with a minor in English Literature.
Eli has worked with libraries and archives across Turtle Island, getting their professional start at the library of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Throughout their career, they have worked in a variety of multimedia collections, both circulating and reference, with a focus on LGBTQ+ and performing arts archives & libraries. They are noted for their friendly, open, and responsive approach to reference services, and are passionate about community work and public engagement through libraries.
Eli’s bookselling career has focused on work with independent bookstores with a social justice focus, selling new, used, and rare literature across all genres. From working as Media Manager at Vancouver’s Massy Books, to Assistant Manager in charge of Bookstore Curation and Community Partnerships at Glad Day Bookshop, to Bookseller at Another Story Bookshop, Eli has developed a deep knowledge of a wide range of literatures and contemporary publishers. Following their passion for rare books, they have recently launched The Pansy Pages, an online bookstore selling rare, vintage, and unique LGBTQ+ literature. Check them out at thepansypages.com or @thepansypages on Instagram.
Eli Holliday 