Meet Alariza Nevarez | 1/3 Owner of Run Amuck Studios Inc. and Run Amuck Entertainment LLC.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alariza Nevarez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alariza, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
First, there are three minds behind the idea of our business. We are Kerstin, Hadiyyah and Alariza and the three of us are the evil geniuses who founded Run Amuck Studios, Inc. We met as actors for a previous theatre company that closed its doors in 2019. This theatre company specialized in immersive theatre for audiences of all ages. For five years we performed original shows and performed at venues including traditional theatres, schools and non-tradition performance spaces like bars, community centers and even people’s homes. IN 2023, after four long years of not doing the theatre that we love, we chose to take matters into our own hands and do something about it. Thus Run Amuck Entertainment LLC, our flagship company, was born.
The completely reputable source Urban dictionary defines “running amuck” as ” out of control behavior; overly fun or disruptive; rebelling behavior.” And as a wise T-shirt once said “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” And while we are professional performers, we love causing a ruckus and making a statement, and we intend to do that with each and every show we perform though Run Amuck.
In our Inaugural year we did four shows, two family shows and two 18 and over shows. Then this year, in 2024, we launched our Non-Profit branch: Run Amuck Studios in an effort to bring our love of theatre to students and families in both suburban and underrepresented communities. In April, we embarked on our first ever Run Amuck with Literature in-school educational program, focusing on Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy “Romeo and Juliet.”
So whether you bring your little ones to one of our family friendly shows produced by our new Non-Profit educational branch Run Amuck Studios, or have a friends night out at one of our 18 and over shows produced by our Flagship company Run Amuck Entertainment, we fully believe you will leave ready to run amuck!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
For myself, and I think my business partners Kerstin and Hadiyyah will agree, some people aren’t meant to have the traditional 9 to 5 job. From a young age, performance art was critical in my life. Whether it was amusing the family during reunions to stall for time for those working tirelessly in the kitchen, whether it was in school or community performances, or whether it was in the company of good friends, I always noticed that I was good at entertaining people. And when you realize you can not only sing, but sing well and can easily pick up on harmonies and time signature, it seems a waste of talent to not pursue a life in music. This is why I personally started studying musical theatre, and once I got to college and started acting more seriously, I knew a life on the stage was what I was meant for. This is not an easy path—the life of an artist is full of uncertainty and risks—but through this artistic journey, I met my business partners!

Some conventional advice that I disagree with is “over time, it will get easier.” Perhaps if we had opened a retail store or catering business, the business side of things would get easier. However, circumstances are always changing in the arts. One fiscal year could be wonderful, but you could be struggling the next. It’s hard not to notice how small theaters all around Los Angeles are either struggling, gone on hiatus, or have closed their doors permanently. The world is constantly evolving, and art needs to evolve too. In a way, we theatre practitioners have to accept that it will never get easier. But we didn’t choose the life of an artist because it’s easy. We chose to be artists because it feeds our souls and brings us a joy that nothing else can provide. So we take the risk of not always having stability and success and we work hard. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes is the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do. We keep riding the seesaw of life because in the end, its worth it!

Starting a theatre company in a prominently film-industry region in itself is a huge risk. It has most certainly been a learning curve. No one tells you what to expect when you’re expecting… to start a business. Some of the struggles we learned along the way is that a theatre company isn’t your traditional business and sometimes even business experts are unable to use their expertise towards the performing arts. Being a brand new theatre company it might be an assumption that we wouldn’t pay, which is often the case in the theatre industry, especially with new and smaller companies. However, as actors ourselves, we started this company with the intention of paying all of our artists for their art, even if it may be very little at first. That being said, in order to pay you have to sell tickets and one of our largest hurdles has been marketing and getting butts in seats, but we are proud to say all of our actors have been paid and each show there have been more butts in seats!

The newest risk we’re facing is a new location. Once you establish an audience, switching theatres, let along switching cities, is a HUGE risk! In 2023, we primarily performed in Los Angeles in the southwest part of town, near the Santa Monica border. We noticed that though we received a loyal audience for our shows with more adult and explicit content, our family friendly shows weren’t getting the same numbers, or to put it bluntly, were not getting as many butts in seats. So we’ve made the choice to move our family friendly shows to a new location in the valley. Simi Valley to be precise! This is a more suburban area, with families ready for unconventional weekend entertainment. The hope is we will remain in Simi Valley for our family friendly shows, and we will start bringing our more risque performances to bars and cabarets around the Los Angeles area. As I said before, it’s a HUGE risk, but we’re hoping it pays off!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a close friend or relative visiting LA for a long weekend, I would be overwhelmed with choices of where to take them! Assuming they came to support Run Amuck and see one of our shows, we would still have so many options of entertainment for the rest of their stay!
I think the first stop would have to be the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the TLC Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd, just so they can say they’ve been there and they can see all the old Hollywood celebrity handprints and autographs. There’s something so nostalgic and magical about that spot; it’s quintessential Hollywood! Then for dinner, I would take them to Koreatown for them to have the best Korean BBQ they’ve ever had in their life! There are also some great karaoke bars in that neighborhood for afterwards, that is if they aren’t too full!
The next morning, I would take them to Universal Studios as it just opens, guaranteeing them a chance to see all the cool attractions and ride the best rides before lunch! That afternoon, we would cruise down Ventura Blvd. in Studio City for a great happy hour, before hitting up Downtown Burbank for some evening shopping and dinner. If they’re still up for it, I may take them to a late night immersive show with Ballview Entertainment in North Hollywood before ending the night at Thirsty Merchant in Valley Village for a late night happy hour.
The last day would be a toss up between taking them to the Santa Monica Pier and beach, or if they’d prefer a more quiet day to relax in the sun, a day trip to Malibu for some sun bathing and wine tasting.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The woman who deserves a wholehearted shoutout is Shannon Sukovaty! She was the founder and owner of the theatre company Kerstin, Hadiyyah, and myself all met in. She was bringing immersive theatre to children and families all around the Greater Los Angeles Area, something we strive to do as well with our own company. When she made the hard decision to close the doors to her company, the three of us were so sad but determined to continue her legacy and start where Shannon left off. She continues to support and inspire us, she even made the long trip to come see one of our shows, the Speakeasy Cabaret, and she had tears of joy and pride in her eyes! We are so grateful to her and Run Amuck wouldn’t exist today without her.

Website: https://www.runamuckentertainment.com

Instagram: @runamuckent @runamuckstudiosinc

Facebook: Run Amuck Entertainment

Image Credits
Run Amuck Logo Designs by Aurie Myers
Live Performance Photos by Selah Myers