Today we’d like to introduce you to Ally Lardner.
Hi Ally, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Busan, South Korea. My dad was military, so we moved around until I started high school in New Jersey. I did theatre there, but mostly because I loved to sing. I went to Boston College and got a degree in Applied Psychology and Human Development. But I couldn’t stop doing theatre.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I started thinking about film and TV. I didn’t think I could financially support myself working in theatre — and even more so with so much unknown about COVID back then. So when a friend asked me to move to LA with her, I said yes without having to think too much. I spent the end of my senior year working on as much theatre as I could and cold-calling or cold-emailing people on LinkedIn in the entertainment industry.
I was halfway through my drive from Boston to LA when I got a call from the soap opera General Hospital. A recruiter I had talked to put my resume on the top of a pile, and General Hospital wanted a video interview. Half a week later, I woke up in LA to a full-time job offer as their script coordinator.
Since then, I’ve been balancing my day job with stage managing plays and musicals, working with the independent zine TRASH MAG, and meeting as many new people as I can!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Yes and no. I’m a superstitious person in some ways. I like looking for signs that I’m on the right path. The problem is sorting those out from my own biases. I struggle with my ambition and feel like I’m not achieving enough fast enough.
But overall, I think I’m very lucky. There are even days when I say out loud to myself, windows down, driving down the 101, sun shining: “I’m so lucky!”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Oh, wow. I do a lot of things. At some point, I’m going to have to figure out what it is that I do best!
I’ve been seriously writing for three years now. At the beginning of the pandemic, I wrote a play called DRIVING LESSENS to cope with the existential dread of early COVID. It has since been virtually produced by one of my college’s clubs and by the Garry Marshall Theatre here in Burbank. I still want to see it physically produced. I’ve written two other plays since and started probably started over a dozen. I’m also teaching myself the basics of TV writing, with the goal of having a solid sample when the WGA strike is over.
I love theatre stage management, but it’s really difficult. It takes a lot out of me, especially the way I do it. It’s a full-body marathon for the rehearsal, tech, and performance periods. It requires every inch of emotional intelligence you possess. It’s much more than creating paperwork and making pretty lights flash onstage. You are the central conduit through which information flows. You learn to develop a thick skin — it’s never productive to have your feelings hurt. I love it a lot. It’s like being the midwife of a good story. You’re by the director’s side at every step, their closest confidant and trusted advisor, and together, you facilitate a world in which your actors are always safe to make huge creative jumps.
I ran social media for a women and queer-led zine, TRASH MAG, for a year and a half, and am now transitioning into a new role there. TRASH MAG seeks to facilitate community by questioning and examining power, privilege, and representation. Bergen and Sara, the founders, are two of the kindest and most driven people I know. They have, as co-editors in chief, assembled a coast-to-coast network of young creatives to write articles, run events, and create visual art; and it’s been so fun to assist in that growth. They recently asked me to transition into Editor in Chief, which I am so thrilled and honored to take on.
I am most proud of myself for supporting myself financially. LA is not a cheap city to live in, and I have no cushion to fall back on. Anywhere I go will be the result of my own hard work and my chosen friends’ support.
What sets me apart from others is my work ethic and organization.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
It’s definitely a factor! Sometimes the sun just doesn’t shine on you, and that’s how luck works too. I don’t take it too personally.
Contact Info:
- Website: allymarielardner.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allymlardner/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ally-marie-lardner/
- Other: trashmag.xyz
Image Credits
Jon DelReal, Melina Psarros
