Allison Volk is an actress, musician and writer based in Los Angeles. She was awarded the Denise Ragan Wisenmeyer award for playwriting by the Attic Theater’s One-Act Play Festival in Los Angeles. Allison has studied all over the world, honing her craft in Florence, Italy, St. Petersberg, Russia, and Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. Her new romantic comedy short film “Last Ditch Therapy” is in post-production and was recently featured on Social Hollywood Magazine.
CelebrityDialogue: Tell us about your education.
Allison: I studied theater and vocal performance (opera) at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and went on to study acting and play writing at the National Theater Institute at the O’Neill Theater Center in Connecticut. That was a really great experience. It was through the O’Neill that I got to study acting in England, and at the Theatre Arts Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. Russia was amazing. Studying Stanislavski in Russia was so different than in the States! They have a purer understanding of it, I think. I also trained in musical theater and jazz voice in Florence, Italy. A strange place to study jazz, I know!
CelebrityDialogue: How did the transition from Political Science to theatre come about?
Allison: When I first arrived at Wellesley I knew that I wanted to do theatre, I just wasn’t sure in what capacity. They had a crossover program with MIT and it just so happened that MIT was casting the three-act “Star Wars Trilogy: Musical Edition” the semester I enrolled in college. Star Wars is one of my favorite movies! I auditioned, thinking that I could be one of the tap dancing Storm Troopers, but they offered me the role of Princess Leia. What an honor. That changed my mind about Political Science pretty quick. Being on stage is something that I’ve always enjoyed, and once I realized that I could do it for a living there was no hope for Poli Sci.
CelebrityDialogue: How has your international exposure contributed in refining your skills?
Allison: It has definitely changed my perspective a lot. I was in England when the Royal Shakespeare Company performed Shakespeare’s history plays. We saw a different play every night, and the cool thing was that the same actors played the same characters. It was like watching TV but on stage! The athleticism of those actors is astounding and something that I strive for. I had a similar experience in Italy. Italians are amazing opera singers, and they make it look so darn easy! They are so dedicated… and that’s what it takes to be an accomplished artist. If anything, witnessing the devotion of artists overseas has influenced my passion for performance. I want to say, “Look, I can be part of this too!” and join in on the fun.
CelebrityDialogue: You won the Denise Ragan Wisenmeyer award. What was it all about?
Allison: That was so fun. The Attic Theater Ensemble has an annual one-act play festival every fall, and I entered my play for consideration. I was so excited when my play was one of four chosen out of three hundred! It was the first public performance of my work, and I was billed along with new work from Lee Blessing and Wendy MacLeod, two incredibly talented American playwrights. The festival was so much fun… seeing my work on stage and hearing people laugh at the jokes was so fulfilling. Denise Ragan Wisenmeyer was one of the founders of The Attic Theater Ensemble and a great supporter of the arts. She passed away in 2007 and the festival is in her honor… it’s really nice that we can honor her in such a creative and artistic way.
CelebrityDialogue: Would you like to describe briefly the concept behind your new short film “Last Ditch Therapy”?
Allison: “Last Ditch Therapy” is a concept that Marianna Ladas (director and producer) and I came up with in a coffee shop. It’s about a young married couple, Dale (played by Mat Wright) and Larissa, who are at the end of their rope about to get divorced. In a final attempt to save their marriage, they attend therapy and get a heck of a lot more than they bargained for! Dr. Hillier, played by actor/magician Rob Zabrecky, takes them on a subconscious journey through the inner workings of their minds to work out their issues. It’s a story about love and redemption, seeing your partner for who they really are and being honest about yourself. It’s a comedy with strong elements of fantasy, dance and music.
CelebrityDialogue: What is your role in the film?
Allison: I play the young wife, Larissa. I also wrote the script and was one of the producers.
CelebrityDialogue: Did you enjoy portraying this character? Why?
Allison: Yes, I did. Larissa is a bossy and controlling person at the beginning of the film but you get to see some interesting sides of her personality as the story goes on. She has a lot happening behind her frigid walls… she’s always trying to be perfect and hide the raw emotions she’s constantly fighting. But you can only hide that stuff for so long before it all comes pouring out, and hers comes pouring out in a very interesting way!
CelebrityDialogue: Would you like to share with us some of the other entertainment work that you have been involved with?
Allison: Aside from acting and writing, I’m a volunteer with the Hollywood Networking Breakfast, a brainchild of Sandra Lord. It’s a monthly breakfast featuring speakers who are accomplished in the entertainment world… producers, directors, writers, studio heads; big time people. My job as the program coordinator is to call them up and invite them to speak at the breakfast. When I first started in the position, I was so nervous to make those calls I had to force myself to do it! And I would shake, my hands would literally shake. Looking back it seems really ridiculous because now I make those calls all the time, no problem-o. As a creative, it’s so important to be able to own your space. It pushed me to grow and own my space in the midst of Hollywood giants.
CelebrityDialogue: Where would you like your career to progress from here: Acting or Playwriting?
Allison:Definitely more acting, and nothing could ever stop me from writing. At this point I’m enjoying writing more for screen than stage, and I really enjoy writing scripts and then acting in them. There is nothing better than seeing something I’ve written come to fruition.
CelebrityDialogue: Are you working on other projects currently?
Allison: Currently I am developing a script that incorporates a lot of music… I’m not talking about it too much yet because it’s in the early stages!
CelebrityDialogue: What kind of a person do you think you are in “real” life?
Allison: They say that the eye can’t see itself! I like to think of myself as an action-oriented person, passionate and vivacious and up for adventure.
CelebrityDialogue: Allison, thank you.
Thanks to Zeeshan Rahat Kureshi and Josh Mitchell. For more information, visit www.celebritydialogue.com.
