26 Minutes with Allison Narver

Photographing the artists of Intiman Theatre: 18 of 35

Q&A with director Allison Narver

Photo Sister: When you were young, did you imagine you would be on this particular journey in life? Why or why not?
Allison Narver: I really hoped I’d be working in theater in some capacity. But I was too shy to be an actor. Then I learned that I definitively was NOT a playwright. After several disastrous experiences working in a variety of Social Service jobs I decided to be a theater director instead.

PS: Who or what inspires you the most in your personal life?
AN: My family and friends. Great writing. Travel, Music. Art. Big Trees. Big Water. People who work to change the world in big and small ways.

PS: And in your professional life?
AN: Giorgio Strehler, Frederico Fellini, Courage, Eccentricity, Passion, Beauty.

PS: What is the one thing you splurge on for yourself?
AN: I feel like I splurge all the time. So maybe I splurge on splurging…? Splurge. Say it many times in a row. It becomes meaningless in seconds. And that’s why I splurge so much.

PS: What 3 countries would you like to visit and what would you like to experience while there?
AN: This is the hardest one — just 3? I love traveling so I’m happy when I get to go to Tukwila. Off the top of my head I’d say: Tibet, Egypt and Rwanda, Tibet — mountains and wisdom, Egypt — politics, The Sahara Desert, those darn pyramids. Rwanda — a re-envioned future.

PS: What made you want to do theatre?
AN: Seeing great theater from an early age. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and The Empty Space were the true culprits though. Local actors like Denis Arndt, Jean Smart, Allen Nause, Michael Santo were my first huge crushes. No Tiger Beat for me, just local actors. Sounds kind of weird and lonely in retrospect which, I suspect, it was.

PS: If you could have anyone in history to be on stage with, who would it be and what scene would you play out?
AN: The Marx Brothers. I’d play a butler or something and wouldn’t have any lines so I could just watch them. I’d do something from Animal Crackers — probably Harpo’s cutlery bit. I would have loved to see them live. Apparently they were 10 times funnier in front of live audiences.

PS: What is your hidden talent (any party tricks)?
AN: I retired most of my party tricks when I turned 40. Dancing naked at a party has a very clear expiration date.

PS: The Beatles or Elvis?
AN: Isn’t it obvious?

PS: What is your favorite restaurant pick in Seattle and the best dish on the menu?
AN: My friend Julie’s house. Anything she cooks.

PS: Directors only: Name one play or musical that you would like to direct in your life?
AN: Mother Courage.

PS: What do you fear the most?
AN: Photos of myself.

PS: Who is your favorite superhero and/or super villain?
AN: Superhero: My Mother
AN: Super Villian: Abby Leigh Miller from Dance Moms

PS: What makes you happy?
AN: So much. My daughter. My husband. Our puppy. My cousins. My friends. Being useful. Traveling. Being on the water. God, it sounds like I’m 7. Except for the husband and daughter part.

PS: What kind of people do you surround yourself with?
AN: People who are funny, smart, passionate and generous.

PS: What personal adventure do you have in store for yourself this summer?
AN: Sailling with my family.

PS: What’s next on your horizon?
AN: I’ve been in rehearsal non-stop for nearly a year doing a ton of different projects. I’m taking a little break and then doing “Boeing, Boeing” at The Rep.

Go see Allison Narver’s work in “Romeo and Juliet” at Intiman Theatre

Catch “Romeo and Juliet” at Intiman Theatre in Seattle, July 11th – August 25th, 2012.

Allison Narver’s Seattle credits include: Female of the Species, Eurydice, The Clean House and A Christmas Carol (ACT); Robin Hood, Bluenose and 100 Dresses (SCT); Or, Three Tall Women, Memory House and Bad Dates (The Seattle Repertory Theatre); Orange Flower Water (New Century Theater); Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (5th Avenue Theater); Little Women (Book-It Repertory), Bust (premiere), Vera Wilde, 1984, G-D Doesn’t Pay Rent Here (25 Questions for a Jewish Mother), Texarkana Waltz and Valley of The Dolls (Empty Space Theater). Regionally: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Studio Theater, Pittsburgh City Theatre, Portland Stage Company, Alice B. Theater, Boise Contemporary Theatre, Circle X Theater, Redcat, Portland Center Stage, Annex Theater and The Yale Repertory Theater, Disney Creative, The Kirk Theater, The Public Theater, The New Victory Theater, Ars Nova and The Women’s Project. Former Artistic Director of The Empty Space Theater, Annex Theater and The Yale Cabaret. Allison has an MFA from The Yale School of Drama.