We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chris Fontanes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chris below.

Chris, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

The idea really was pretty simple — I wanted to do theatre and at the time no one would hire me to do it (which is fair because no one knew me at the time) so I just did it myself. That’s probably where the DIY ethos of Bottle Alley came from. And when you strip away all of the reasons why you CAN’T do a show — no venue, no money, etc etc — then you realize that you’re free to do whatever you want. It is just a change of perspective. We rented out this underground punk venue called The Broken Neck — it was this abandoned looking warehouse in East Austin that used to be a DIY skatepark but was turned punk venue — for like $500 from a guy who I only knew as John. For the whole run! And it was all so bad but you know what? It was fun! Fun in the way that can only be experienced when you’re in your early 20’s and don’t know what the hell you’re doing.

Chris, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a playwright and director based in Austin, TX. I founded Bottle Alley Theatre which is a DIY and punk influenced company that specializes in site-specific performance (which started off as a necessity, not being able to afford a “real” venue but turned into a hey, this is kinda great thing so we kept it). Bottle Alley was founded in 2012 so that means that this company is about to become a teenager this year! Which is wild to me. I’m also a company member and an Associate Artistic Director at The VORTEX which is significantly older than Bottle Alley but just as weird, only in a different way. I love it there, especially at night — it is full of all these weird pockets of light and shadow. There’s a bar, there’s a pasta food truck and there’s four cats. Oh and not to mention an incredible theatre space!

I’m most proud to still be here! I don’t think anyone who saw my work a decade ago would have guessed I’d still be here and still going (granted at a much slower pace). I like to think that what sets me apart from a lot of other directors is I’m always constantly thinking about performance from the perspective of the person experiencing it. I think that gets lost. When we create art it is all about us — it is about us but it is also about the person receiving it. Both. It can be both.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Saying “you have to unlearn all of the things you were taught in theatre school” is too vague and it isn’t true. It is more like keep all of the good lessons you were taught and discard the rest. It is more like be willing to be adaptable — not all of the spaces that you’ll work in afterwards will have the resources of university spaces, you have to be adapt on the fly.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

This is going to sound cheesy but it is honestly the long-lasting relationships that form as the result of doing a show. It is kind of wild — you meet as strangers and then a few months later you have a lifelong friend.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bottlealleytheatre.com/
• Instagram: @chrisfontanes
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-fontanes/

Image Credits

@halloweenpartyart