We were lucky to catch up with Allison Price recently and have shared our conversation below.

Allison, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

When I was little, about 7 or 8, I was really anxious and shy. Then one night, my mother decided to take me to see a production of West Side Story in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. This was a risk since she didn’t know if I would enjoy it or even be able to get through it all without getting too anxious and having to leave. However, the moment the music started, a feeling washed over me and I felt brave for the first time. At that moment, in the fifth row, I told myself that I would create theatre for the rest of my life. I would help others feel brave. Ever since then, I have been directing non-stop. From plays in a living room, student plays in undergrad, an MFA in directing, developing new work with the Kennedy Center, directing operas in Italy and Turkey, and independently producing theatre. Storytelling through theatre has always felt so natural to me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a director based in Austin, TX with a focus on works that are intimate and have a bite; with a specialization in new work development, opera, queer performance, and performance exploring the female experience.

I have been awarded the Kennedy Center SDC Directing Fellowship and the Stage Directors & Choreographer’s National Directing Award (Kennedy Center). I have my MFA in Directing from Texas State University. Recent credits include A Collective Noise, How I Learned to Drive, What We Scream Underwater When No One Can Hear Us, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and A Leauge of Her Own.

I also direct opera and am a directing faculty member with the Vocal Academy of Opera based in Bodrum, Turkey. My opera credits include Il Giuoco del Quadriglio, Cendrillon, Don Giovanni, and Carmen which will go up in July.

I believe that everyone is in the room for a reason and that together we can all create art in a healthy way that does not sacrifice anyone’s wellbeing. The arts should not have any gatekeepers and instead of fearing the unknown, we should embrace one another for what we each have to offer.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When artists are young and going through their training programs, especially in theatre, they are told to be prepared to make great sacrifices. They are told that they will have to miss funerals, weddings, birthdays, and things that bring them joy. Young artists are conditioned to believe that their health and happiness come second to the art/the job. And I took that very seriously. I missed my grandfather’s funeral for a rehearsal, I would work through illness, and I had no idea what my hobbies were outside of theatre. Had it not been for a group of wonderful friends and advocates, I never would have seen that I had neglected one of the most important parts of my life, a part that actually helps to fuel even better art; I had neglected myself. Since then I have worked hard to create rooms and spaces that allow for people to nurture themselves and their lives along with the art that we are making. However, this type of unlearning takes industry-wide action. It can start by making it possible to have 5 days of rehearsal a week instead of 6, employing more understudies and swings, making sure that people feel supported when they do need to take a day off, etc. Healthy artists make even better art.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Sometimes as an artist it can feel like you are on your own little island totally isolated. I wish that, earlier in my education, I had been shown that that is not the case. One of the best resources you have as a theatre creator are those around you. You do not have to be alone should you not want to be. A phrase I learned and love is “circles rise”, meaning that it’s those around you that can help you to succeed and that you all can succeed together. You don’t have to wait for someone who you feel is above you to grace with you an opportunity. You and your peers can make your own opportunities and you can succeed as one. So there is no need for gatekeeping or viewing one another as adversaries, we are all on the same team.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://allisonpricedirector.com/
• Instagram: allisonjean_price
• Other: https://ctxlivetheatre.com/reviews/20220520-review-a-league-of-her-own-by-bottle-alle/