Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Vincent.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story starts back in Elmhurst. I was a tomboy who was incredibly active, loved school, and was fairly shy. My parents went through a difficult divorce when I was eleven and that drove me deeper into school and all the activities surrounding that world; sports, music, volunteering, and student government. As long as it kept me at school, I wanted to participate. I can’t thank those poor teachers enough for putting up with me, literally all day.
Because I always loved English, I decided to give the annual speech competition a try. I chose Poe’s “The Raven” as my piece and was abysmal. I mean, truly terrible. I think at one point, I just stopped talking. Somehow, I got my first bite of the drama bug in the midst of that embarrassing disaster. The next year, I entered a different category where I could write and deliver my own speech. I tied for first. Despite my shyness, there was something there for me in crafting and sharing stories. But, I was still too chicken to actually act.
When I got to high school, I continued with speech immediately. All my speech friends were also rabid theatre kids, so I eventually followed them into the terrifying world of performance. It wasn’t until my junior year I finally got the courage to audition for my first play, The Crucible. I was cast as “Jail Inmate #2,” and from that point on, I was hopelessly in love with theater.
As I was planning for college, I knew I wanted to try to go out on my own. The University of Minnesota has an excellent Theatre Arts and Dance program as well as a stellar English department and since I didn’t know anyone in the Twin Cities, it was my top pick. My years at the U were some of the most wonderful of my life. I learned that I am a clown after spending five minutes with the Lecoq-trained faculty. I was surrounded by professors and peers who loved making theatre and was immersed in the world of devising. In my senior year, I met Jon Ferguson in a workshop he was running on buffoon performance. Jon became my mentor as a theatre teacher and director. We collaborated on several shows and eventually, I started tagging along to co-teach workshops with him. Our relationship was very much like the old apprentice model. Jon would teach, I would observe and assist, and eventually, he started transitioning responsibility to me until I could teach my own workshop. This paved the way for my theatrical teaching career. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching at Stages, HUGE, the University of Minnesota, and am a current teaching artist at the Guthrie Theater.
Jon also led me to the connection that would shape a major part of my artistry, I met the wonderful Isabel Nelson in the cast of a silly Christmas show Jon was directing. Isabel reached out a few months later about a bizarre physical theatre piece about selkie women she wanted to put together for the Fringe, and I signed on. That group of artists, style, and leadership from Isabel just clicked. We decided after the Fringe to start our own company and Transatlantic Love Affair was born. The company is focused on collaboration, devising, and using the human body as the ultimate theatrical instrument, We’ve been making ensemble-driven, devised theatre for over ten years together. I call Transatlantic my “artistic family.”
I’ve been performing, directing, teaching, and writing around the Twin Cities since 2010. I’ve made the most incredible friends and connections engaging with our vibrant arts community. I even met my wife through a “showmance” in the 2016 production of The Umbrella Collective’s play, June. Theatre has always led me to my people, and that’s a huge reason why I do it.
In addition to acting and teaching theatre, I’ve been an English teacher for about twelve years. I am so grateful for all my incredible colleagues and students. In the last two years, I’ve been teaching College in the Schools (CIS) Writing through the University and next year I’m joining the University of Minnesota First-Year Writing staff full-time to continue teaching WRIT 1301 for students on campus.
So, there’s a clear pattern to my story- a strong connection to teaching and learning, a love for creative collaboration, and a deep passion for theatre and storytelling.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I mentioned my parents went through a difficult divorce. My father suffered from several undiagnosed mental illnesses. Towards the end of his life, he developed dementia, and I made the choice to take over for him as his guardian in 2017. I moved him to Minnesota to be closer to me and ensure he received the care he needed. My dad and I had a bizarre relationship. We never really engaged with each other on a deep level. He knew nothing of my personal life. I never told him I was gay, or about who I was dating. He saw me in one play in high school and after helping me move in my sophomore year, he never came to visit me in Minnesota. Even though we were not emotionally close, I still loved my dad and he loved me. As his condition worsened, I wanted him to be safe and secure. That transition was incredibly hard on me. The stress of having a vulnerable parent and navigating the complex healthcare system is unimaginable. It consumes your thoughts. I’m so thankful for all of the help and support I received from my wife, his elder care lawyer, North Memorial hospice, and from Care Patrol. I truly couldn’t have managed without their guidance and help. In 2019 my father passed away. I know that I did the best I could for my dad, but his story still weighs heavy on my mind.
Recently, I was selected to be a 2022 Pillsbury House + Theatre Naked Stages Fellow. I will construct a thirty-minute solo show as part of the Fellowship, and I’m going to use this opportunity to process and share my experience with my dad. My hope would be that I can share a bit of his story and possibly make a connection with audience members who have similar experiences.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
While I was at the University of Minnesota, I officially came out as gay to the surprise of absolutely no one. I have always been different in terms of gender expression. I’m what my older lesbian friends call, “butch,” and my younger Queer friends call “gender non-conforming,” or “masc.” I can really tell that I’m getting older because I now have to look up the newer terms that best describe me. As an actor, this could have been deadly for me since I am most certainly not an ingenue type. I’m not really any traditional type, but, because I was raised in the collaborative, devised, clown, world, there was always a part for me, or the opportunity to create my own part for myself. I’ve been so fortunate to work with artists who see my potential and ability rather than just my looks, or gender politics. The artists I’ve worked with created space for me by utilizing non-traditional casting and it has made my career possible. So, I’m forever grateful for those opportunities. I believe that who I am as a Queer performer has been a boon rather than a struggle for me. It has really defined my career and shaped me into the artist I am today.
I’m known for my physical performance style, my comedic ability, playing gender-bending roles. mime, and working in an ensemble.
I am also a writer! In the rehearsal room, I’m often writing monologues and scenes and making scripting decisions with my collaborators. When the pandemic shut theatre down, I started writing stories and sketches on my own-something I haven’t done since high school. I’ve sent a few out and had a little luck with getting some published. My short story, “Bag It Up,” is coming out at the end of the month in an anthology by Unsettling Reads called, Summer Bludgeon.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
This is an interesting question. In my real life, no, I would not characterize myself as much of a risk-taker. But in terms of the rehearsal room, yes. The type of theatre I’m trained in rewards risk. We want actors to get up and make bold choices so we can begin building something dynamic and worth watching. I think of risk in terms of failure. My professor, Luverne Seifert always started clown exercises with the mantra, “We try, and then we see.” This idea guides me as both an actor and director. What it means is that we don’t know whether or not something works, until we know. How can I tell whether or not a choice is right until I’ve seen it, or felt it onstage? If it is the wrong choice and I failed with my proposal, this is actually great news! We know it’s not that. So, we’re one step closer to figuring out what it actually is. It’s a bit like relief carving. With all the possibilities, present, the piece has no shape. Once we start trying options and discarding those that don’t fit, the piece starts to be defined.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.transatlanticloveaffair.org/
- Instagram: @Alconhamon
- Twitter: @AllisonRVincent
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Bludgeon-Unsettling-Suspense-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0B2Q6ZTSY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QLHJ1CHOLJHD&keywords=summer+bludgeon&qid=1655320113&s=books&sprefix=summer+bludgeon%2Cstripbooks%2C116&sr=1-1
Image Credits
Dan Norman
Nico Swenson
