We recently had the chance to connect with Ally Ibach and have shared our conversation below.
Ally, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
A lot of people see the results of acting (plays, advertisements, TV Shows, films) but rarely see all the work that goes behind it- the countless self-tapes, balancing of “day-jobs” between gigs, vocal/ physical maintenance, endurance training, etc. I love the image of an ice cap, where people see the tip of the iceberg —the “success” (whatever that means to you) —with a huge mountain underneath the surface, symbolizing all the incremental, sometimes boring, administrative, training, and networking that most folks don’t see. Always remember that no one does acting alone; it takes a village of support and a marathon of incrementally moving forward amidst adversity.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ally Ibach and I am an actor, playwright, voiceover, and theatre artist! I juggle various projects in the indie, corporate, and commercial performing world. I love working in various mediums to help tell stories in the best ways I know how. I am currently a part of the physical theatre ensemble of VESPER by Jarod Hanson at the Voxel in Baltimore this fall!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I used to believe that the only route to success as a theatre artist is on Broadway. When in reality, theatre happens wherever you, the artist, are. Especially in the post- COVID, ever-advancing AI era- I believe we NEED to turn to theatre and connection/ play to reconnect with each other. I also believe that there is endless possibility when you open your mind to theatre being anywhere (in basements, on rooftops, warehouses, in the park, in house-parties, off-Broadway, off-off Broadway, so-off-I’m-not-sure-why-we-still-say-Broadway…dare I say away from New York City, and oh, so much more). One of the best things we can do as artists is put up work that creates tangible community (until Broadway calls, I suppose, ring ring! #OpenToWork).
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
In 2022, I brought a very early sketch of my play MIDNIGHT COWBOY RADIO to Edinburgh Fringe- I applied so last minute, with a f*** it mentality, and the Cole Escola approach of little-to-know-research. I performed with a stool and a dream for a couple of days, because there was no way I could afford anything else. I accidentally bought my flyers (a staple of advertising your show in the streets of Edinburgh to thousands of theatre goers, choosing which of the thousands of shows to attend) without consulting the metric system (so basically, I was the only performer handing out business cards to be tossed in the bin!). I performed the show for maybe three people a night (usually to folks I charmed at the bar five minutes before) by telling them my woes. Through this, I learned to always have a creative team that knows how to do incredible things that connect you to your audience – and to simply perform for whoever shows up! A special shoutout to the 2022 pub staff at the OmniCentre in Edinburgh, Scotland, who were my favorite drunk audience members of all time! Don’t worry, I made it back to Edinburgh with a major upgrade of a table & chairs, and while I did have bigger audiences, there was something very sweet about these people who showed up because of this weird American with a cowboy hat at the pub- it wasn’t so bad after all.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I know some incredibly smart theatre people who just take themselves SO SERIOUSLY. We are all making plays and engaging with our child-like wonder to make Barbie and Ken talk to each other, and derive meaning from the human experience (thank you for your service, Greta Gerwig!) This is not to say we are not intelligent artists who deeply care about our craft and career, standing on the shoulders of giants, making some capital A- Art. I, too, fall into the trap of over-analyzing basement theatre and getting into passionate discussions about a play that maybe ten other people saw. We have to remind ourselves why non-theatre folks have the “get a real job” trope. It’s all from the fear (I think) that if we engaged with our creativity, our child-like sense of wonder, we will never be rewarded by the capitalist machine. Maybe they’re right about that. But this resentment towards playing pretend is deep down there – and I find it exists in our theatre folks too- who need to access their creativity through curiosity and humor and can’t quite get there when trapped by the big bad seriousness of it all. Everyone take an improv class, Relax, PLAY, and see what beautiful creative idea you have next (and then, be oh so serious about it!)
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I think about this a lot! You do the show for the people who show up. Period. This might be three people or three hundred, and you may never see them again! Or get a review, or feel like you hear from them beyond the time capsule of that performance you shared. The short answer is yes, you have to commit to the bit and put on a damn good show. Honor your work, by sharing all you have got in your performances- by being a present artist (thank you, Marina Abramovic) and leaving it all on stage, regardless of the “outcome” post-performance, praise-omitted.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://allyibach.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/allyibach
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ally-ibach-302041280/
Image Credits
Aakruti Sarangdhar, YellowBelly, Katie Simmons-Barth, Clemlente, Shealyn Jae
