Alyssa Durbin is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist operating out of Columbia and St. Louis, MO. She graduated in May of 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Lindenwood University. She has toured hundreds of schools across the country with The Windy City Players and The National Theatre for Children performing for thousands of children. In addition to performing, Alyssa is a teaching artist and director with over a decade of experience. She spent five summers as the Theatre Camp Director at the Chesterfield YMCA, and she also teaches at Gateway Center for Performing Arts, where she enjoyed directing Seussical KIDS! and Seussical Jr. last summer! She is an award-winning emerging playwright who writes for audiences of all ages. She has written two TYA plays about fairytale characters with invisible disabilities, STUCK! and A Princess, A Pea, and ADHD. Her ten-minute play was recently featured at The American College Theatre Conference in Region 5. Alyssa accepted an assistantship and fellowship at the University of Missouri where she is pursuing a Master’s in Theatre and Performance Studies. This semester, Alyssa is serving as a Research Assistant for the Center for Applied Theatre and Drama Research under Dr. Mary Heather Carver. She is also serving as a Research Assistant to Dr. Claire Syler. As a disabled performer, director, scholar, and teaching artist, Alyssa’s research interests include the intersection of Children’s Theatre, Disability, and Chronic Illness, as well as best practices for inclusive environments throughout all parts of the production process. Alyssa was featured in TYA/USA’s September Member Spotlight! Click the photo below to read more!
