Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Reeves.
Hi Allison, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started dancing at a young age, about eight years old, and really enjoy modern and African Dance. I grew up in Brooklyn NY near Pratt Institute, which is known as one of the best art colleges in the country, so I always had diverse cultures and communities around me in my childhood, adolescents into young adulthood.
When I was about 11 years old, I started to attend Pratt Institute summer camps. The camp had a number of different areas of concentrations and I decided to attend the dance camp my first year. The next year my cousin was to attend and she wanted to attend the drama camp that year so I decided to do it with her and from that moment moving forward I had found my love and I have been performing ever since in some fashion on another. When I went away to college, Keuka College, a small liberal arts college in upstate NY, they didn’t really have any artistic programs so I majored in Hotel, Resort & Restaurant Management, which I have a Bachelor’s of Science in. But that didn’t stop me from being involved in dance recitals that the college did offer, I needed to express myself creatively any way I could. After college, I went to work with Marriott International until a friend introduced me to Buddhism because I was so unfilled at the time and I realized how much I missed acting and decided to pursue my passion. Acting became my priority everything else took 2nd place. I was eventually fired from Marriott for missing work (I was going to auditions instead) and that was the best thing to happen to me in that moment. I was free to pursue my acting and decide what I really wanted. I decided to go to graduate school and be classically trained. I attend The Professional Acting Training Program (PATP) at The University of NC, Chapel Hill on a George Grizzard Fellowship. I lived and breathed acting for three years and them moved to Los Angeles after graduation. I always wanted to live in sunny CA and I had a few friends here that were really more like family so I decided to move across the country from everything I knew and start again.
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?
I’ve lived here in LA for almost 10 years and it’s been a scary, bumpy, wonderful ride so far. I have really been my own champion, getting work by auditions through actors access and friend recommendations, all without representation. I was working and living and pursuing my dreams and fell into debt and depression trying to live my passion, yet I pulled myself out of it with the help of friends, family and talk therapy and I continue to push on and move forward. The pandemic forced everyone to slow down and regroup and for me, it really was a blessing. I was able to think about what I wanted for my next chapter and how to go about getting it. I was able to sign with a wonderful management team Maude-Kaplan Management and I booked my first co-star role on Freeform’s “Good Trouble”. I created my YouTube Channel (TAOAllieReeves – The Adventures of Allie Reeves) where I have learned so much about editing and creating a show from start to finish. I have my own wine show called SommAllié where I talk about my second passion: wine and entertaining and you’ll find some of my acting work on there as well. I’m looking and striving to the next, moving on to my first guest star then moving on to a series regular role… that’s the goal, that’s the dream I push for.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am very proud of the shows I have gotten to participate in, the stories I have gotten to tell. I love theater and it has been a blessing to work on some really special projects. Especially in Los Angeles where it’s not highlighted for its great theater. The next chapter for me what I want is: TV and film while still performing in theater, basically I want it ALL. 🙂
What makes you happy?
Yoga makes me happy. It helps me stay centered and look at life as the blessing that it is no matter where I am at that moment. Learning about new things like wine makes me excited. All of the nuances of wine starting with the earth to being manipulated into something so delicious is fun to explore. I love politics, I believe we all have to be involved in the process because it affects us all so directly and deeply. Being creative makes me the most happy, from auditions, to readings, to rehearsals, to performing, all of it, the whole process makes me light up and wanting to wake up the next day… just for the chance to be creative.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://demoreel.com/allison-reeves
- Instagram: actorallisonreeves
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ActorAllisonReeves/
- Twitter: https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Allison-Reeves/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5_UPLSOlNzRYGRTAav2yA/playlists?view=1
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/sommallie/?hl=en
Image Credits
Fresh Look Photography
