Meet Alice Dranger | Actor & Artist

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

Hi Alice, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’ve always seen risk-taking as part of the gig. As an actor and an artist, everything is a risk because there aren’t really safe pathways. While I’m an actor first, I’ve always believed in challenging myself as an artist. This means I’ve not only taken a lot of risks, I’ve taken risks in a lot of different artistic fields. One of my favorite risks came about when director Jenn Page approached me to choreograph and feature in the music video, Shake It Up. Jenn is an excellent filmmaker who I trust, and the project had a really positive vibe that I wanted to be a part of, so I immediately said yes. But Shake It Up was an incredibly ambitious project that combined a lot of dance styles, all of which I’ve worked with, but never so extensively as a choreographer. There were times I felt over my head, but honestly, it ended up being the time of my life working on different styles with the dancers to create something that not only ended up being an amazing award-nominated video, but also one that became a real force for hope.

Another way I’ve really embraced risk is through sketch writing and performing. Although I have a lot of experience as a comedic actor, I never really saw myself as a comedy writer, and I wanted to try my hand at it. Participating at a class at The Pack led to an offer to perform at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, which led to me landing a spot on a house sketch team, Pageant, and getting to work with some of the funniest people I’ve ever met. It was an amazing experience that I’m incredibly grateful for. Pageant really inspired a lot of where I currently am. In 2019, we did a sketch that involved a scene from Romeo and Juliet, and our director, Joan Ford, commented that I should do Shakespeare. I took this to heart and decided to prioritize Shakespeare for the next year. Of course, we all know what happened in 2020, which leads me to the biggest risk I’ve taken in my artistic career: Open Door Shakespeare.

I started Open Door Shakespeare with a group of super talented actors that I had only ever met online through our Zoom class at Independent Shakespeare Company taught by the incomparable Joseph Culliton. It was 2021 and we were still in the pandemic. Of the few venues that were even holding live performances, we had to find one with outdoor space that was willing to check for vaccination cards to even have a chance of making our performance of Macbeth work logistically. Our rehearsals had to be held outside while we were all masked. The day of the performance was the first time I think I’d seen some people’s faces outside of a headshot. It felt really uncertain if the show would even happen because it felt like theater might not ever come back, and even the Pantages was opening and closing a show as big as Hamilton. But Macbeth managed to sell out and perform all its shows.I am so thankful that the bar Idle Hour took a risk on us that year by letting us perform our show in their space when we were a brand new, yet to be established theater company.

And it all ended up paying off! The audience loved it and became invested in the future of the company. Since then, the company has really thrived. We still sell out our shows, we have a consistent positive audience response, and we’ve even expanded the amount of performances we put on. We’ve definitely made a name for ourselves. Recently, we put on Imogen at Ren Faire. That performance was a real milestone for us, as it was excellently reviewed by Paladin Theatre Review. As we continue to expand, I’m really proud of the relationships we’ve built, not only with our home base at Idle Hour over the past few years, but with additional locations such as The Roguelike Tavern. Each new spot has been so supportive as we find and reach more and more of our community. 

The biggest risks ahead for me are about pushing the envelope in my career. With Open Door,every show I do, I take bigger and bigger swings. This year, I’m really shooting for the moon with Hamlet. It’s been cut down to an hour. I made a lot of changes to probably one of the most famous works in the English language and highlighted themes surrounding gender marginilization, rebellion,feminism, and LGBTQIA+ issues. Hopefully people will come for the novelty and stay for the fun.

Taking risks has served me well so far, and as I continue to trailblaze in theater, I am excited to expand into TV and Film. A challenge that I’ve set for myself this year is to really delve into the world of network television, especially some of these fantastic newer comedies like St. Dennis Medical,Stumble, and English Teacher.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a genderfluid artist, I am passionate about LGBTQIA+ representation. I believe that the arts have a unique ability to represent the wide array of gender presentation. One of the central principles of Open Door Shakespeare is that we are an all femme, non-binary, and trans company because we believe in giving actors opportunities to play against type, be cast in roles they normally might not, and help artists expand their creativity thus allowing for more inclusive representation so the audience can better see their own place in the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love showing off Los Angeles. And all good trips have a strong currated vibe, so I would definitely start at Three Sisters for Coffee. Next, I’d take them to the park in Silverlake for Outdoor LA Queer Yoga, a yoga group run by Donna Dinets (You can find more on her on Instagram @deviantfitbydonna). After that, we’d go hang out at Geeky Teas for boardgames and tea. Then, I would take them to see Bits! at Theatre of NOTE. Sassafrass Saloon is a Must; they always have cool and unique events there. Finally, I’d cap the trip off with a visit to Idle Hour because not only do they host us, but they also have awesome wings.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have had a lot of support throughout my career. I gotta shout-out Joan Ford for inspiring me to focus on Shakespeare, Jenn Page for always pulling me into projects, and Shey Lyn Zanotti for always giving me incredibly sound advice. And of course,I can’t forget Ashley Woods and Sunny Takahashi for consistently offering top tier marketing help, Ele Woods for being an incredibly helpful creative sounding board, and Shayne Eastin for introducing me to Theatre of NOTE. Also, a huge shout-out to my roommate and fellow actor/artist, Sami Stumman, for her consistent support.

Website: https://opendoorshakespeare.squarespace.com/about-us

Instagram: @opendoorshakespeare

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AliceDranger

Other: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/alicedranger

Image Credits
Huebner Headshots