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BiographyAlison is a playwright, screenwriter, and essayist whose work was most recently seen in the Downtown Urban Arts Festival (DUAF) and at The Tank. Her essays and humor writing, which includes the series All the Times I Cried in Exercise Class, can be read on the Hott Lettis Substack, McSweeney's, at The Three Magazine. She has previously written, directed, edited, and produced a webseries, Janie is Sick, and her original comedy pilot, Mighty Mackerel, was a Second Rounder in the 2022 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition. Along with Milo O'Connell, with whom she writes under the pseudonym Hott Lettis, Alison is the co-founder of Hott Lettis Productions Limited Liability Company. Alison has also worked as a copywriter, public safety reporter, script production assistant on workshops of Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals, and theatre captioner/accessibility services assistant. Born and raised outside of Baltimore, Maryland, she graduated from The New School for Drama with a BFA in Dramatic Arts in 2019 and is based in New York City.
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Artistic Statement
I am fascinated by people and how they interact with one another, which is why my writing is driven by the characters. In particular, I love to investigate the reality and psychology behind characters who are labeled as "playing the victim" or "overdramatic" as they navigate their dysfunctional relationships.
Empathy is my most core value, and I approach every character I create and every script I write with this wholeheartedly.
Social action writing has long been important to me, and I often address or incorporate topics surrounding things like gender and mental health in my work in some manner through an intersectional feminist lens. It is important to me that my writing be relevant and reflective of the reality of the world around me. I believe that one of the biggest powers that theatre, television, and film hold—besides providing entertainment and escape—is the dispersion of ideas and social norms. What we see constantly in media is what we come to understand and reference as a society. If we consume diverse, inclusive, progressive, and empathetic stories that mirror the truth of society, the world will be a better, more interesting, more diverse, inclusive, progressive, and empathetic place. I don't think this type of writing necessarily needs to introduce its audience to an unheard philosophy; in fact, something I have taken solace in within the writing of others, and have found in my own writing, is relatability, acknowledgment, and a handling of topics that allows for cathartic recognition and connection. I am committed to listening and educating myself, and acknowledge that not every story is mine to tell. Because of this, I also strive to produce and otherwise support theatre, film, and television that tells untold and underrepresented stories.
Having a well-rounded education and perspective has always been important to me, and because of this, I have studied and continue to study as many disciplines in theatre, film, and television as I can. I want to have a true respect and understanding of other crafts. Not only do I find this vital to collaboration—one of my favorite aspects of theatre and filmmaking—but I also find the knowledge bleeds into and improves my writing, as I understand how other people do their jobs, what they need, and how they will approach my scripts. I am interested in taking on these learning experiences through observation, collaboration, and taking on new roles and challenges.
Tonally, my writing is a somewhat eccentric blend of comedy & drama, naturalism & absurdity, realistic & strange. I am interested in combining lifelike dialogue and stories rooted in reality with offbeat escapism and theatre magic.
Empathy is my most core value, and I approach every character I create and every script I write with this wholeheartedly.
Social action writing has long been important to me, and I often address or incorporate topics surrounding things like gender and mental health in my work in some manner through an intersectional feminist lens. It is important to me that my writing be relevant and reflective of the reality of the world around me. I believe that one of the biggest powers that theatre, television, and film hold—besides providing entertainment and escape—is the dispersion of ideas and social norms. What we see constantly in media is what we come to understand and reference as a society. If we consume diverse, inclusive, progressive, and empathetic stories that mirror the truth of society, the world will be a better, more interesting, more diverse, inclusive, progressive, and empathetic place. I don't think this type of writing necessarily needs to introduce its audience to an unheard philosophy; in fact, something I have taken solace in within the writing of others, and have found in my own writing, is relatability, acknowledgment, and a handling of topics that allows for cathartic recognition and connection. I am committed to listening and educating myself, and acknowledge that not every story is mine to tell. Because of this, I also strive to produce and otherwise support theatre, film, and television that tells untold and underrepresented stories.
Having a well-rounded education and perspective has always been important to me, and because of this, I have studied and continue to study as many disciplines in theatre, film, and television as I can. I want to have a true respect and understanding of other crafts. Not only do I find this vital to collaboration—one of my favorite aspects of theatre and filmmaking—but I also find the knowledge bleeds into and improves my writing, as I understand how other people do their jobs, what they need, and how they will approach my scripts. I am interested in taking on these learning experiences through observation, collaboration, and taking on new roles and challenges.
Tonally, my writing is a somewhat eccentric blend of comedy & drama, naturalism & absurdity, realistic & strange. I am interested in combining lifelike dialogue and stories rooted in reality with offbeat escapism and theatre magic.
Alison in a flower pot, circa 1998