Ally Varitek

Ally Varitek

My name is Ally Varitek (she/her/hers), and I am a dramaturg with an acting background currently based outside of Atlanta, GA. I've been a self-professed interdisciplinary aficionado for as long as I can remember. I find myself enamored with approaching relationships from a place of abundance instead of competition and find learning about the human experience and how to be in citizenship across differences...
My name is Ally Varitek (she/her/hers), and I am a dramaturg with an acting background currently based outside of Atlanta, GA. I've been a self-professed interdisciplinary aficionado for as long as I can remember. I find myself enamored with approaching relationships from a place of abundance instead of competition and find learning about the human experience and how to be in citizenship across differences through theatre always draws my heart. Special niches include stories with space for melancholy and the bittersweet, movement in theatre, environmental science and climate themes, plays with music, musicals, literary adaptations, and femme-centric stories. Those are specifics, but I also have a wide and varied interest in all theatrical works and promise to approach your writing with an open heart and curious mind.

CURRENT WORK
- ARCHIVAL: The Rodgers & Hammerstein Photo Archives
- DRAMATURGY: Digital Development Project, 2023 (How to Lose a Sleep Paralysis Demon in 10 Days by Parker Davis Gray; cry hard by Calder Meis; Songs of Angels by Emilia Getzinger)
- SCRIPT READING: Amphibian Stage's SparkFest '24

PREVIOUS WORK
- ARCHIVAL: Baylor Theatre; The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization
- DRAMATURGY: Amphibian Stage's SparkFest '23, cry hard thesis by Calder Meis at Baylor University; University productions of Airness by Chelsea Marcantel, Sunday in the Park with George by Sondheim, and TYA The Leonardo Project by Michael Sullivan; Kennedy Center Dramaturgy Intensive 2021 Fellow
- SCRIPT READING: BAPF '23, Epiphanies '22 & '23, Samuel French OOB '22, O'Neill NPC '22

Recommended by Ally Varitek

  • 18 by Darius M. Buckley
    21 Sep. 2023
    “ Other recommendations touch on the genius of this playwright's poetry, and so I'd love to uplift the rhythm of the language in this piece. Pacing and poetic verse work together in this play with a deeply empathic slam. The increasing speed and intensity generated by the arc of this narrative offers a feeling both jarring and honest about the realities of mass incarceration for Black youth. I saw this piece multiple times at the OOB Festival as a festival coordinator and can't help but also highlight how heart-forward Darius is as a playwright. A must-read and a need-to-see-again. ”
  • Freestyle Hand Entry by Elise Wien
    21 Sep. 2023
    “ Ches' character charms in this poetically crafted exploration of gender fluidity through childhood nostalgia by Elise Wien. I encountered this play in the spring and yet still find myself myself contemplating the parallels between swimming and gender fluidity. I would really encourage actors looking to venture into solo performance work and also any creatives interested in gender identity to check out this piece! ”
  • Hypotheticals by Rebecca Anne Nguyen
    21 Sep. 2023
    “ Oh how I loved this read! Hypotheticals explores the intersection of dating and neurodivergence in a way that is so fresh and original that I giggled my entire way through this read. Just like your favorite TV show, each character feels fully developed in a way that is uniquely their own, and Nguyen's lived experience and expertise with neurodivergence and psychology makes this play as truthful and relatable as it is charming. I read this for Wild Imaginings' Epiphanies Festival and am eagerly awaiting a chance to see this staged! ”
  • Halloween by Lauren Smerkanich
    21 Sep. 2023
    “ Where certain holiday traditions feel necessary and others feel performative, Smerkanich's Halloween reminds us to never assume our traditions translate. In this play, there is room for scoffing and room for learning how to communicate again. Wry yet heart-forward, I found this piece deeply reminiscent of people I know, which perhaps is a testament to Smerkanich's excellent carving of characters. I worked as a festival coordinator for the OOB Festival with this piece and would love a chance to work with this playwright, too! ”
  • The Velociraptor's Very Good Day by They & Them
    21 Sep. 2023
    “ Everyone at the 48th Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival left singing "Dinosaur Day" and with good reason. This very good day offers a playful vessel for songs and story that actively uses the form of a musical to communicate about understanding communication styles. I mean, how brilliant is that? Catchy songs, plenty of pockets of joy and laughter, and a lovely creative team. And who doesn't love dinosaurs? ”
View all 15 recommendations