Ryan Westwood

Meet Ryan Westwood

by Allie's Gift

Ryan WestwoodOn April 26, we were pleased to announce that Ryan Westwood was the 2013 recipient of Allie’s Gift – a financial award given to a local theatre artist in memory of ensemble member Allison Powell.  Ryan is an actor, musician, juggler, animal-balloon maker, one-man-band, street performer, unicycler, and – recently – a banjo player.  Upon being cast in a show that required him to learn banjo, Ryan – a long-time guitarist – picked up the instrument and was performance-ready by opening night with five banjo lessons and hours of practice under his belt.

With Allie’s Gift, Ryan will continue his study of the banjo, expanding his opportunities as both a busker and as a theatre performer.  “With that many lessons and 3 months of banjo playing under my belt, I could not only take the instrument to the street and add it to my one man band arsenal, but I could also add it to my resume which would help get me work, just as the guitar has in the past,” Ryan wrote.  “Being a musician has greatly increased my visibility as an actor and performer. My musical skills have enhanced my ability to be cast and increased the frequency in which I am cast. Over the past 2 years, I’ve been in 8 productions. In 5 of those productions, I played the guitar.”

As a dedicated theatre artist, musician, and multidisciplinary performer, as well as his profound dedication, Ryan Westwood exemplifies the spirit of Allison Powell.  Allie believed that artists should be paid for their work, and afforded opportunities for continued growth and development in their field, and we are delighted to honor her memory by supporting Ryan’s hard work and passionate commitment to his craft.

Filament would especially like to thank Allie’s parents, Dayle and Will Spencer, and friends Susanne Brooks, Luisa Engel, Sarah Yost, and Polly Wood, all of whom have given generous donation support Allie’s Gift, allowing us to honor her memory by supporting Chicago artists. We are grateful to their contributions, just as we are grateful for Allie Powell, who continues to inspire all of our work.

Filament, Theatre, Allison Powell, Allie's Gift, Chicago, Artists

Filament Announces Allie’s Gift 2013 Call For Applications

by Allie's Gift

Filament, Theatre, Allison Powell, Allie's Gift, Chicago, ArtistsCHICAGO – The Filament Theatre Ensemble is now accepting applications for the third annual Allie’s Gift, a gift to Chicago theatre artists to help subsidize the costs of career-related expenses.

Allison Powell was the business manager of the Filament Theatre Ensemble from February of 2010 until her untimely passing in January of 2011. Like so many of us, Allie aspired to ultimately earn a living in the arts, but held day jobs in the meantime to support herself and save money for graduate school. As she wrote in her first correspondence with Filament when discussing her day job, “I love art, but I also love food.”

In celebration of Allie’s memory and her belief that artists should be supported for their work, the Filament Theatre Ensemble will award Allie’s Gift to one Chicago artist who demonstrates passion, dedication, and a love for their art in addition to a financial need. Allie’s Gift will award up to $350 towards a specific artistic project or endeavor (i.e. materials, a class, headshots, etc.).

Application requirements:
-Please write us a brief letter (no more than 3 pages) telling us a bit about yourself and your specific intended use of the Allie’s Gift funding, including a brief statement describing your current financial situation (primary source of income, etc.).
-A current resume in pdf format.
-Applicants must currently live in Chicago, pursuing a career in theatre arts.
-Any samples of your work – portfolio, video, audio, etc. – are encouraged but not required.

Applications should be emailed to gift[at]filamenttheatre[dot]org, attached as pdf documents.

Applications are due no later than 5pm on Friday, April 12. Applicants may be contacted for an interview. The recipient of Allie’s Gift will be announced on April 26 (Allie’s birthday).

For any questions about Allie’s Gift or the application process, do not hesitate to email us at info[at]filamenttheatre[dot]org.

Announcing Allie’s Gift 2012

by Allie's GiftBlog

The Filament Theatre Ensemble is thrilled to announce that the 2012 recipient of Allie’s Gift is Vanessa Valliere.

Vanessa is a theatre artist with a diverse background including acting, physical theatre performance, clown, directing, and dance. Vanessa has performed and assistant directed at the Neo-Futurists, understudied and assisted at The New Colony, performed as back up dancer/clown for Steinomite and Sssnake (two Chicago musicians), performed in a devised piece for Collaboration’s Sketchbook, and performed with a vintage dance troupe called the Tackie Annies. She also performs and tours regularly as a cheerleader/clown for Mucca Pazza, Chicago’s own thirty-piece circus punk marching band.

Vanessa recently quit her day job to pursue her art full time. Her diverse talents, passion for her craft, and warmth and good humor exemplify so many of the qualities that Allie Powell demonstrated in her life. Vanessa will use Allie’s Gift to study with the internationally-renowned master teacher Paola Coletto. Her study is part of the creation of a solo show that will tour the country as part of New Belgium’s Tour de Fat, and ultimately land in Chicago for a hometown performance.

Allie’s Gift is an annual financial gift given to a Chicago artist in honor of Allison Powell, Filament’s business manager from February 2010 to her untimely passing on January 2, 2011. Allie had a business mind with an artistic heart. Like so many of us, Allie aspired to ultimately earn a living in the arts, but held day jobs in the meantime to support herself and save money for graduate school. As she wrote in her first correspondence with Filament when discussing her day job, “I love art, but I also love food.” She worked with us to begin setting a path for Filament to create a financially sustainable model where we may one day support an administrative staff as well as the artists who work with us. The Filament Theatre Ensemble will award Allie’s Gift annually on her birthday to one Chicago artist who demonstrates passion, dedication, and a love for their art in addition to a financial need.

We are so honored to be celebrating Allie’s memory through the giving of this award. Her parents, Dayle and Will Spencer, and friends Susanne Brooks, Luisa Engel, Sarah Yost, and Polly Wood have given generous donation tso the Allie’s Gift fund, ensuring that we could extend this gift in her honor. We are grateful to their contributions, just as we are grateful for Allie Powell, who continues to inspire all of our work.

Filament, Theatre, Allison Powell, Allie's Gift, Chicago, Artists

With Allie’s Gift, Filament Honors A Friend By Paying It Forward

by Allie's GiftBlog

Below is an article that appeared on Theatre in Chicago on March 17th. In honor of our dear friend and collaborator, Allison Powell, we continue our support of our fellow theatre artists in Chicago. We encourage theatre artists to apply for this year’s Allie’s Gift. We look forward to connecting with you.

 

Filament, Theatre, Allison Powell, Allie's Gift, Chicago, ArtistsWhen Allison Powell first contacted Filament Theatre Ensemble about becoming involved with their company, she described her artistic aspirations for herself and for the future of the ensemble, but was also forthcoming about the reality, her reality, of trying to pursue a theatrical career while also being committed to one of those “day jobs” that can keep one from spending as much time and energy as one would like on the artistic endeavors that one loves. Or as Powell herself put it, “I love art, but I also love food.”

Sadly, Allison Powell passed away unexpectedly in January of 2011, having served as Filament’s Business Manager and occasional playwright (her work Choose Thine Own Adventure was produced by Filament in October 2010). To honor her memory and her belief that artists should be paid for the work they do, Filament created Allie’s Gift, a one-time annual award of up to $350 given to “one Chicago artist who demonstrates passion, dedication, and a love for their art in addition to financial need.” Explains Filament Artistic Director Julie Ritchey, “One of Allie’s major goals in her work with Filament was to work towards paying our artists and ourselves a livable wage. Allie’s Gift is a small way we hope to honor that goal and her legacy, by helping a local theatre artist cover career-related costs that they would not otherwise be able to afford.”

The inaugural award, handed out in May of 2011, was given to Kevin Crowley, an actor and musician who had recently completed a run as the title character in Filament’s spring 2011 production of Orpheus. “Kevin wrote us and told us that he was in the process of writing a one-man show that had lots of music in it,” says Ritchey. “In order to compose this music, he wanted to buy himself a keyboard because he had no access to one except at the library downtown. We thought that was a perfect example of what Allie’s Gift was intended to be used for.”

And so, Filament is now accepting applications for the second annual Allie’s Gift, to be awarded in April of this year. Details and specific application requirements can be found at www.filamenttheatre.orgcategory/allies-gift/, and include a letter introducing yourself and describing your intended use of the award money, a statement of your current financial situation, and a resume. Supporting materials including photos, demo reels, etc. are encouraged but not required. Applicants need not be involved with Filament Theatre Ensemble to be eligible. Applications are due by 5pm on Friday, April 13. The award will be announced on April 26. Applications should be sent (as pdfs) to gift@filamenttheatre.org. Questions about Allie’s Gift, the application process, or Filament in general can be directed to info@filamenttheatre.org.

 

Allie’s Gift 2011 Announcement

by Allie's Gift

Kevin Barry Crowley

The Filament Theatre Ensemble is thrilled to announce that the 2011 recipient of Allie’s Gift is Kevin Barry Crowley.

Allie’s Gift is an annual financial gift given to a Chicago artist in honor of Allison Powell, Filament’s business manager from February 2010 to her untimely passing on January 2, 2011. Allie had a business mind with an artistic heart. Like so many of us, Allie aspired to ultimately earn a living in the arts, but held day jobs in the meantime to support herself and save money for graduate school. As she wrote in her first correspondence with Filament when discussing her day job, “I love art, but I also love food.” She worked with us to begin setting a path for Filament to create a financially sustainable model where we may one day support an administrative staff as well as the artists who work with us. The Filament Theatre Ensemble will award Allie’s Gift annually on her birthday to one Chicago artist who demonstrates passion, dedication, and a love for their art in addition to a financial need.

We are so honored to be celebrating Allie’s memory through the giving of this award. Her parents, Dayle and Will Spencer, gave a generous donation to the Allie’s Gift fund, ensuring that we could extend this gift in her honor. We are grateful to their contributions,  just as we are grateful for the contributions of their wonderful daughter, who helped us grow our company so much.

Kevin Barry Crowley is a consummate artist, collaborator, and all-around wonderful person – qualities Allie demonstrated and valued in her own life. Below is a statement from Kevin, giving a bit of his personal background and his intended use of the gift.

I hail from Springfield, MA. I have been acting and playing music since I was 17. I attended Salem State College in Salem, MA where I was greatly encouraged to pursue both things professionally. And so I have. I got my Master’s in Acting from Roosevelt in 2009 and have been working steadily since. I am getting married in the fall to a true Chicagoan and fellow thespian, Leslie Frame, who I met working on Wilson Wants It All with The House Theatre. I am currently in the process of creating a one-man show which will incorporate original music in many styles and a wide array of characters. I enjoy transforming and I enjoy the experience of things changing in front of my eyes and ears. I think it’s representative of the nature of life and aesthetically pleasing as well when a piece of theatre brings with it a wide range of emotional life.

I have been wanting to get a keyboard for some time. While I was in school at Roosevelt University from 2006 to 2009 I taught myself how to play piano and since I haven’t had access to the schools computers I’m not able to play as much. I find myself going downtown to the Harold Washington Library a couple times a month for no other reason then to just play. As an actor and a musician it is, of course, difficult to make ends meet, and having both talents could mean being able to find work in the theater as an actor and a musician. Some of the most fulfilling projects I’ve had so far, including Orpheus: Featuring DJ Puzzle as Fate, have allowed me to showcase both talents. It’s a very important task to increase the role of music in my career. It keeps bringing about great things.

I am so honored! It fills my heart with joy to accept this gift from Filament on behalf of Allie.

-Kevin Barry Crowley

Allie’s Gift

by Allie's Gift

Allison Powell, 1982-2011

Allison Powell was the Business Manager of the Filament Theatre Ensemble from February of 2010 until her untimely passing in January 2011. Allie had a business mind with an artistic heart. Like so many of us, Allie aspired to ultimately earn a living in the arts, but held day jobs in the meantime to support herself and save money for graduate school. As she wrote in her first correspondence with Filament when discussing her day job, “I love art, but I also love food.” She worked with us to begin setting a path for Filament to create a financially sustainable model where we may one day support an administrative staff as well as the artists who work with us.

With her humor, intelligence, insight, and love, Allie inspired each and every one of us in the Filament Theatre Ensemble. We would like to share the inspiration that we were so lucky to experience firsthand with the Chicago arts community. Therefore, the Filament Theatre Ensemble has created an annual gift in Allie’s name to support the development of a Chicago artist.

The Filament Theatre Ensemble will award Allie’s Gift to one Chicago artist who demonstrates passion, dedication, and a love for their art in addition to a financial need. We will pay up to $300 toward class tuition, material investments, space needs, etc.

 

Application requirements:

[] Please write us a brief letter (no more than 3 pages) telling us a bit about yourself and your specific intended use of the Allie’s Gift funding.
[] A brief statement describing your current financial situation (primary source of income, etc.)
[] A current resume in PDF format
[] Applicants must currently live in Chicago, pursuing a career in theatre arts.
[] Any samples of your work – portfolio, video, audio, etc. – are encouraged but not required.

Applications should be emailed to gift@filamenttheatre.org, attached as PDF documents.

Applications are due no later than 5pm on Friday April 13. Applicants may be contacted for an interview.  The recipient of Allie’s Gift will be announced on April 26. For any questions about Allie’s Gift or the application process, do not hesitate to email us at info@filamenttheatre.org.