about me (alyssa):

I am a writer, actor, teaching artist, and storyteller.

Welcome to the site, and thanks for checking it out!

A bit about me:

I’m an Idaho girl through and through, born and raised in Boise. I love the mountains, the wide open sky, the clouds, the river, the colors, the way the air feels in the morning, and sure, I love potatoes. But not anymore than the next girl.

I’ve lived in Chicago (where I studied music and theater at Wheaton College), San Jose (where I worked with AmeriCorps tutoring in the East Side), Pittsburgh (where I taught music and theater to little humans with big feelings), and have made my way back (perhaps more permanently this time) to Boise, where I teach, act, and write.

I teach all over the city, but you can usually find me here:
- Boise Contemporary Theater (classes for kids age 7-18)
- Sage International School (performing arts for kinder and 1st grade)
- Freelance classes based in Boise (music theater, acting, and writing)
- Outreach through BCT (free 2-week workshops for Title I schools in the Treasure Valley)

Want to learn more, have BCT come to you, or take a class from me? Click here, or contact me here.

Click here to see the other places I’m writing and telling stories, and here to subscribe and get all the latest writings straight to your inbox.

 

some things that fill my soul:

God. being outside in the sunshine. my boyfriend Casey. writing poetry & essays. riding bikes. going to the market. acting. playing piano. writing songs. teaching theater. being with people I love. teaching. the ocean. traveling. reading books. coffee shops. cooking delicious food. journaling. my family. camping. dancing. singing (loudly). poetry. swimming in the river. baths. candles. hikes in the mountains. ice cream. tea. bagels. a really good jacket.

bird songs

Birds are one of the most physical ways that I believe God speaks to me. In a number of different ways- physical and mystical encounters through theater ensemble work in college, work on a beloved play called The Sparrow, and the appearance and sounds of birds singing each time I desperately need to hear from God (hiding in bushes, along rooftops, surrounding second story apartments, patterns on shirts, earrings from a London flea market), birds have become for me, tiny angels, tiny reminders of God's presence in my life.

saints

When we graduate from the theater program at Wheaton college, our professor gives us medals with St. Genesius on them, the patron saint of artists and actors. The medal reminds me that being an artist is inside me, not something that comes out of my environment. I am inspired by the ordinary lives of the saints we revere, of the way that they sought Jesus every day, every where, and found him there, waiting to be noticed.


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contact me

Have ideas? Want to collaborate? Looking to have a conversation about things you’ve read? Reach out! I love hearing from you.