Today we’d like to introduce you to Ally Ibach
Hi Ally, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hello! My name is Ally Ibach and I am an actor/ playwright/ theatre artist who started my journey as a B.F.A. Acting major at Towson University (’20). During my time at Towson, I got involved in as much as possible on-stage and off, leading me to develop a multi-disciplinary approach to theatre. While the pandemic cut my final college year short, I collaborated with my college peers to bring theatre online by producing an *online* production of “The World’s Ending and Maybe That’s Kind of Hot” by Catherine Weingarten. Flash forward a year or so, and I went back to drama school in London (UK) at East 15 Drama School, obtaining an M.A. in Acting/ where I deepened my performance practice and began making solo performance work. While performing professionally as an actor, I have been taking my play “Midnight Cowboy Radio” around with me over the years (Theatre Row, Upright Citizens Brigade, Edinburgh Fringe) and back to my Baltimore community through Baltimore Center Stage’s Locally Grown Festival back in 2023. I most recently performed in Baltimore with Submersive Productions in Hampen, co-creating with Baltimore Theatre Maker, Natalya Brusilovsky of the Charm City Kitty Club, an immersive theatre dating experience called VALEN-TIME OUT OF MIND! to sold out audiences full of joy and community over Valentines Day Weekend (2025)!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oooooffff, absolutely not! While I am grateful for the many twists and turns (and cliffs…) that have led me to where I am today as an artist, it has been a wild journey! Graduating into a global pandemic is enough to make anyone reevaluate their life choices, let alone a theatre degree, at a time when no theatres were open for the foreseeable future. It re-routed my journey, but provided deep introspective time to examine why I wanted to work in this field, what my values and mission as an artist were, and encouraged me to seek supportive artistic community. Even working through all of that- flashing forward to now (2025) working as an independent artist often means wearing a lot of hats (producer/writer/actor/marketer/administration) for yourself and your art- to be able to put on meaningful work, while supporting yourself and your team. I am constantly finding new ways of making art, developing more equitable practices, and making my artistic journey as stable (financially, emotionally, physically, mentally) as possible with each coming project. I learn everyday from the artistic community around me. I am inspired by creatives who are working against all odds to make meaningful art, to enhance our short time on this earth. In this time of deep unrest, we need art and we need each other so we can carry on; especially through the struggles along the way!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an actor/ playwright/ theatre artist most known for my play MIDNIGHT COWBOY RADIO, a dark comedy about a late-night, conservative radio-talk-show host in Kentucky, giving local callers unfounded life-advice on-the-air, while arranging an illegal abortion off-the-air. This play has been directed by Patricia Runcie-Rice and was most recently seen at Edinburgh Fringe (Highly Recommended by FringeReview, SleecReview, and BTS Creative Academy),has been awarded as a finalist at The Secret Theatre’s One-Act Festival (NYC), and has also been performed throughout the US & UK- Supported by IndieSpace and the Dramatists Guild.
My work is interdisciplinary and encourages conversation amongst audiences about complex issues. I specialize in devised work, solo performance, and contemporary plays. I believe the performer- audience relationship role in my work sets me apart as a theatre artist. Even in “Solo Performance,” I think no theatre ever exists in isolation- it is our one place of true presence and community; where the audience is the key element that makes a performance come to life. I strive to make work that activates audiences and encourages empathy in our world.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I have been supported over the years by my incredible professors at Towson University (Peter Wray, Teresa Spencer, Sache Satta, Dr. Robyn Quick) who fostered my creative journey as a young adult and helped me in my transition into a professional artist. I am also inspired by brilliant members of my artistic community (Siobhan O’Loughlin- a fellow solo performer from Towson who welcomed me into her NYC artist community, as well as taught by example how to make a life as an independent artist) (Natalya Brusilovsky- a Baltimore theatre maker who is a community caretaker and advocate, teaching me how to make work that reflects the values of creating long-lasting connection) and my devoted team of MIDNIGHT COWBOY RADIO (Patricia Runcie-Rice, Eulàlia Comas, Kris Carpenter, C.M. Jenkins, Lauren Dietzel, and Gabrielle Rodríguez- who have worked with me for YEARS on developing this play with their unique gifts as artists and craftspeople) who have all believed in, advocated for, and collaborated with me in ways that have changed me for the better as an artist and human being! Anyone who has ever come to a show, put up my work, encouraged me to keep making art, or even just said nice things about me after I left the room has kept me thriving in this business and I am beyond grateful!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.allyibach.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyibach/
