We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Summers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Allison , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I worked on was a pilot I made with my friends in Nashville. It’s a fictional story set in the town where Andrew Jackson grew up, and is about the docents that work in the village in our modern day world. I had a budget of $3000.00 and had no clue what I was doing but I was blessed with an amazing community of actors and friends that went along with me for the ride. We managed to make an amazingly funny film, that included rain, animals, and children; no easy feat as a first time filmmaker. We shot in three days and had a blast. There were over 42 people willing to do anything and everything from makeup/costumes/craft services/pa work to make it happen. I’m very proud of that film because I wrote, produced it, and made it happen on a teeny budget.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, I’m Allison Summers: a stand up comedian, improviser, actor, writer, and filmmaker. After getting my BFA from University of Maryland, I studied at The Second City, UCB and The Annoyance Theater. I’m sober and my hope is that anyone struggling with addiction can find hope that life can change for them and they can have a future that they never imagined. My sobriety has brought me deeper into the community and I teach improv to people in recovery, women in prison, and for many non profit organizations to give back. Any work that I’m in is part of my process, whether it be a commercial I am acting in, a film I have written, or a bit that I am performing on stage. While I have dealt with a great deal of sexism and gaslighting by men closest to me in this industry, it has empowered me to be an advocate for myself and to surround myself with women who support other women.When it comes to comedy, I am prolific, I love collaboration, I love the process, and I’m proud of all I have accomplished.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was working a very high powered corporate job and acting in Atlanta, GA, but then went to rehab in Nashville because I needed to get sober in order to stay alive. After maintaining my sobriety for a few months, I decided to move to Nashville despite the fact that it might mean leaving my job or losing acting opportunities. While I was fully confident in my decision to move, I was pretty bummed out because I didn’t think there was anything comedy-wise happening in Nashville. As it turned out, it was the best decision I could have made. I immediately started doing improv and found a community of people who were into comedy as much as I was in Nashville! A couple years later, I started doing stand up and that has proven to be the most challenging work to date. It’s a constant roller coaster ride but I loved the Screamin Delta Demon growing up! I trusted myself to make the pivot and move and it worked out. I love living and creating here in Nashville; it’s where I was born and raised. There’s no better place to be creative than home.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Put as much money into art as they do into sports.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @allisonsummersinsti