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For Alyssa Dillard, art begins with imagination and lives through connection. A director, performance artist and composer whose work spans continents and mediums, Alyssa (she/they) builds intimate, experimental worlds that invite audiences to listen deeply—to sound, to story, and to each other. As an only child raised on Star Trek, fantasy films, and her mother’s theatre work, creativity became both refuge and playground. That early spark now fuels a practice that blends discipline with tenderness, and collaboration with care. Recently she presented her first performance Marie Antoinette Walks Down An Elegant Hallway Knowing Everyone Hates Her in Austin, Texas in collaboration with Salvage Vanguard Theatre and is now preparing her new sound installation and performance The Salon: In Our Hair We Keep Our Secrets in collaboration with Cyma Forma.
In this edition of PROFILES, Alyssa reflects on the evolution of their artistic voice—how teaching, friendship, and even exhaustion have shaped their process. Their project L.O.V.E/L.A.S.K.O., developed over years and performed at the 2023 Prague Quadrennial, stands as a testament to resilience and transformation. What began in academic curiosity became something softer, braver, and more honest: a late-night talk show exploring life, love, and grief in real time.
Alyssa’s approach to creativity is rooted in presence. Whether documenting ideas in a notebook or recording soundscapes on the move, they treat the world as a collaborator. And above all, they champion rest, reminding us that art also grows in stillness.
I have wanted to perform and make art since my childhood. I’m an only child. No siblings. So it was up to me to find a way to make a world for myself. One of my favorite lifetime activities is imagining worlds. This stemmed from reading so many books and watching Star Trek and fantasy films with my dad. My mom is also a theatre performer and artist. She spent many years teaching but also working on theatre productions and film projects.
All of these things led me to to be who I am today. Especially having a mom that’s a teacher and then later working as one myself. Both with children and adults. There is a moment that i realized my creativity and artistry also comes from the same space that makes me good at working with kids. The ability to imagine and dream. Being able to nourish that and tend to it throughout my life so far has kept my passion and love of making art alive.
I have one performance L.O.V.E/L.A.S.K.O which was performed during Prague Quadrennial in 2023 with my dear friend and collaborator Soojin Jo. This project began before the COVID-19 pandemic. I was coming fresh off the heels of my Master’s program at the Academy of Performing Art Prague. I was still a student when I began the concept and was learning how to create, devise and collaborate. Due to the pandemic the show had many stops and starts. So many stories of bonding, loss, growth, and exploration. With each version, I learned something unexpected. Until the performance became something I never knew it could be. The final version is now in the style of a Late Night Talk Show where life and love are discussed with the audience. It feels honest and easy. I felt that I had to force something during the research and development. But, retroactively I realized that I was forcing myself as a way to hide from the feelings of anxiety and uncertainty that existed at the time. And of course, still linger. In this moment I was also entering my late 20s and 30s and shifting into a different perspective on life. Going through all of this and finding the true importance of what it means to create with someone who is not only a collaborator but, also a dear friend. A friend who was also moving away. Is an experience I will value for a very long time.
I try to create every day. Big or small. Maybe I look like I’m about to take a trip sometimes because I’ll have a bag full of things. A tablet, instruments, a paper and pad, or a book I find interesting. I try to make time to document my ideas wherever I am. When it’s time to rehearse and prepare for rehearsals I begin a routine of practicing every day before the rehearsal begins. Imagining how the project might look and feel and what I would like from my team. Recording videos of movements and sketches of ideas. As my projects are usually funded through grants and/or independent production in collaboration with my NGO OKRA Foundation.
The biggest challenge I’ve faced is being gentle with myself. We always find a number of pressures to produce, create, develop, try, re-try, fail, apply, prepare, and re-create. Until something sticks. But there is one aspect of the creative process that I often neglect. That is the part where I rest. Sometimes as an artist you have to let your work sit, your ideas breathe, and your mind do other things. As it’s often said lately “You need to touch grass.” We sometimes forget that it’s equally important to rest and to live life. To have experiences that we love to the fullest in the moment. Both good and bad. These have great value and they deserve attention. It’s so easy to become consumed by the need to create but I personally have many ideas that I feel I can’t finish yet, and then after going through a certain experience I find I can return and complete my concept. That has been a challenge. The biggest one. To let go and experience.
It’s hard to say. For me everything is inspiring. It depends on the day, the vibe, and the project.
Times are tough and artists are starting to think about their work and the political and social climate differently. Conversations about how to preserve artistic freedom and integrity while also challenging the role of the artists as the world changes are coming to the forefront. I’m excited to see how this is interpreted in different fields.
Take care of yourself mentally and emotionally, and drink water. Don’t force anything the art will come when it’s ready. Show up every day no matter the size of your offering it’s enough. Because you are enough. Your art and perspective are unique to you. Cherish it.
I hope that my art impacts people around the world. I would love to create space and a small radical movement of performance and art in a residency of my own one day where people can come to explore, learn, commune, grow and create together. Even after I’m gone.
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