A little about me…
Alyssa is a theatre director, intimacy director, facilitator, and cultural strategist dedicated to dreaming — and living into — a liberated world.
For more than 15 years, Alyssa has directed, devised, and co-written many plays and workshops for audiences of all ages throughout Chicago and its suburbs, with tours to Austin, New Orleans, Detroit, and more. Her artistic work explores themes of reproductive justice, racial justice, advocacy for sexual violence survivors, decolonization, collective learning and resistance, her Puerto Rican heritage, and getting in right relationship with ancestors and each other— all through a participatory and pleasure-based lens. Recent directing credits include We Could Be (About Face Theatre at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble), Tacos LA Brooklyn (staged reading at UrbanTheater Company), and You Can’t Cover the Sky with Your Hand(s) (excerpt at Pivot Arts). She recently intimacy directed Never Better (Theo Ubique).
Alyssa deeply believes that cultural problems demand cultural solutions: a philosophy which guided her over 7 years of youth organizing and artistic collaborations at reproductive justice, culture shift organization Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH). Alyssa is a previous Artistic Director of ICAH’s resident theatre company For Youth Inquiry (FYI), creating participatory theatre experiences centering on the sexual health, rights, and identities of young people. Alyssa also had the honor of serving as ICAH’s Co-Director during their re:Birth transition as an organization. As a cultural strategy consultant and facilitator of gatherings focused on group ideation, you can hire Alyssa at The Practice or Murmur Collaborative. Recent clients include Bridges to Brighter Futures at the Kindred Foundation, Arts Ed Chi, Arts Force Iowa, and Chicago Public Schools.
Alyssa has been awarded grants for her artwork from 3Arts, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and others. Of note is her involvement as founding member of artistic collective FEMelanin, whose work is documented in the text Ensemble-Made Chicago, and was selected for the Latinx Theatre Commons’ Sin Fronteras TYA Festival for Epic Tales from the Land of Melanin, which she directed. You can read about (and practice) Alyssa’s work with The Sex Ed Playbook: Participatory Theatre for Health Education, which she co-authored, or the chapter she co-wrote in Into Abolitionist Theatre: A Guidebook for Liberatory Theatre-making. Presently, Alyssa is an organizer of Swarm Artist Residency, where she focuses on curating healing and racial justice experiences for Midwestern-based artists.
Alyssa holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Social Work Sexual Health Certificate Program. As an intimacy professional, she studied with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators, Inc. (IDC - Certification Pending), Theatrical Intimacy Eduaction (TIE), and others. A lifelong learner, she has trained in community accountability with Just Practice and in applied theatre and civic engagement through performance at Sojourn Theatre Institute, The Center for Performance & Civic Practice, Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed, Inc., and Cardboard Citizens-UK. She is also dedicated to her work as a bomba drumming and dance student at La Escuelita Bombera de Corazón.
Alyssa is based in Chicago, IL — and is always willing to travel.