Building a Community of Joy: Introducing Allison MacLaury Performing Arts
Welcome to Allison MacLaury Performing Arts, a space where the magic of creativity flourishes, connections thrive, and voices are celebrated. I am delighted to introduce you to our vibrant performing arts company, born from a deep desire to foster a supportive community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for the arts.
From the moment I took my first ballet class at the tender age of three, I knew that the arts held a special place in my heart—a place of joy, belonging, and inspiration. Now, it is my honor to create a space where artists of all backgrounds can come together, share their artistic voices, and experience the transformative power of the performing arts.
I believe it is my responsibility to ensure that Allison MacLaury Performing Arts centers the voices of those who long to be heard and have faced adversity in their lives. Art is activism at its core, and I want our community to continue to do the work of unlearning and dismantling racism, white supremacy, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of hate.
My hope as we grow is that we will listen, learn, be mindful of our individual privileges, and nurture a home for respect and joy.
Especially as it is Pride Month now, I am reminded of the importance of cultivating spaces where the LGBTQIA+ community feels not only safe but celebrated. The arts gave me the confidence and belonging that encouraged me to come out proudly as bisexual, and I am so grateful that I have found an accepting community of students and artists who celebrate me for who I am!
One year ago, I had the opportunity to be interviewed on NPR in Boston to talk about a family Pride event I planned, and shared vulnerably about what Pride means to me as an educator. Sometimes I still can’t believe I had the bravery to go for it, but I am incredibly lucky for the support system and courage I have found in my community.
One of my favorite experiences as a director was with my teen students for The Laramie Project, which was fully online during the COVID-19 closures. Even though the team was never in the same physical space together, we built such a special connection over Zoom to the point where sometimes I’d forget I was working from my living room and not in a theater! The play itself is incredibly poignant and moving, focusing on the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard and how it affected the community of Laramie, Wyoming.
There were so many layers to exploring community within our rehearsal process: the real people who were interviewed in Laramie, the actors and writers of Tectonic Theater Project who developed the play, the global community both during the events in 2000 and present day, and our own ensemble of artists in Massachusetts.
Even the environment we were experiencing at that time with the COVID pandemic informed our process and personal experiences, and brought new meaning to the play. We were able to hold two online events related to the production focused on how to support the LGBTQIA+ community, which was wonderful because our message was able to reach further and make even more of an impact than just the play itself.
I bonded with the cast and was honored by how bravely they shared their own life experiences with me and their peers. We also spent a lot of time in our process doing reflective exercises like talking about enneagram types and astrology, and engaging in self-care practices as a group. It was both a fun and deeply emotional show to work on, and definitely shaped how I think about theatre and my role as a director.
While a totally different type of show, the other most memorable production I’ve been part of was when I directed and choreographed Mamma Mia!, which is my absolute favorite musical. On the surface, it is like cotton candy: light, fluffy, colorful, fun pop music and upbeat dancing. It’s full of ABBA hits that the audience loves to sing and clap along to. However, the show itself and the cast I collaborated with proved that it is so much more than just a feel-good dance party.
Together the cast and I found that it is a story about being true to yourself, letting out your emotions, pursuing love, and finding non-traditional family who will support you and celebrate your happiness.
Isn’t that what theatre is all about?!
The students brought depth and dedication to their roles, sang out with joy, and supported each other in the kindest ways. It was so fitting that the show opened on my 30th birthday, and I’ll never forget when the actor playing Donna called me onstage so that the whole cast and band could surprise me by singing Happy Birthday, with the audience even joining in.
The whole process of that production felt like a celebration, even on the most stressful days, a place where I could show up as my sparkly, loud, silly self with gusto.
Growing up, I was involved in theatre productions at school and trained in a rigorous ballet program several days a week. Art was my outlet for self-expression and escape from the stress of being a teenager, but I never truly found a community that clicked for me until I became a teacher myself.
As a student, I often got caught up in comparing myself to others, negative self-talk, and toxic beauty standards. I am consistently inspired by the youth I teach now because they are self-aware, empathetic, champions of social justice who bravely show up as their true selves. The world they are shaping is so much more accepting and authentic than the environment I grew up in. They have shown me that it’s safe to share about mental health, our personal struggles, our identities, and the ideas that lift us up.
I owe so much of who I am today to the students I’ve taught through the years.
They are the reason I am so passionate about creating artistic communities that are people-centered, safe, and inclusive. They lead with love and have made it far less scary for me to do the same. They are the heart of what I do.
My wish is that Allison MacLaury Performing Arts grows into a community of artists who transform lives through their expression. Ours will be a community that knows everyone is an artist, supports body positivity, encourages self-care, lifts up those who need love the most, and cherishes all voices.
I hope that you will join us to create this dream! Together, we can build a vibrant, inclusive space where the magic of creativity flourishes and where all artists feel seen, celebrated, and empowered to share their unique voices with the world.
Welcome to Allison MacLaury Performing Arts!
with love,
Allison
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Hi, I’m Allison!
Founder and Artistic Director of Allison MacLaury Performing Arts.
My dream is to create a community of empowered artists who can express themselves through the magnificent medium of the arts.
My blog is home to all manner of things involving the arts, our fabulous community of performers, our programs and my excitement about the journeys our stars are taking towards their bright futures!