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Meet Ilana Lydia of B3 Theater in Central Phoenix

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Ilana Lydia.

Ilana, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My life as a director has been in reaction against little yellow notepads. When I was 11, and an Assistant to the Director (dishwasher and coffee girl), the director for the show I was on said, “I’m going over to get some pizza. Ilana, take this yellow pad and write down everything the actors do wrong.” You can imagine how well that went over with the poor actors. My experiments as a director since then have been in making a safe space for the artists I work with.

I studied Drama at the University of Dallas, then at Utah State University. The first school rooted me in the literature and criticism in the field, while the second connected me with many extraordinary minds. I initially went to UD for the program in Philosophy, as it was a strong, small Catholic school that excelled in academics. I took the university’s highest honor in my studies, the Thomas Aquinas Medal of Excellence, which shocked me as I was often the only woman in the classes of my major, and also the only person not involved in the Seminary.

I had intended to get a terminal degree in Theatre Arts, but life had other plans for me. My mother ended up dying after a long, painful bought with COPD, and the timing was such that I could only complete my MA, rather than an MFA or transfer over to a Doctorate program.

I began writing seriously in the year 2000. At that time, I was studying how to write Young Adult fiction rather than plays. Once I switched my focus to drama three years ago a lot of things clicked for me. My obsession with meta theater the phenomenon of a play within a play, or characters becoming self-aware, for example has shaped most of my shows as a writer and as a director.

Today I am the Artistic Director of B3 Theater and the Associate Artistic Director of Aside Theatre Company. B3 has been a pure joy to work with, and Aside has been a saving grace. B3 joined Aside as a company in residence about a year ago, and we haven’t looked back since. Both companies embrace minimalism, do mostly new works, and develop new relationships with artists around the Valley. In addition, Aside provides a safe space for artists to speak directly with the audience–make an aside comment, as it were–while B3 concentrates on female and non-binary forward work, often while telling a dark, magical, or science-fiction story. I have Franc Gaxiola, founder of B3, as well as Bill Dyer, to thank for giving me the initial opportunity to head B3.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I joke with those closest to me that I’m completely ill-equipped to handle my job. Outgoing? Nope. Socially graceful? Nope. Brave? Nope. Reliably functional? Not really. I bring enough baggage for the whole party.

What I do have is an incredible support system of some of the greatest people I’ve ever met. Nathaniel J. Burns, the Artistic Director and Founder of Aside, has been invaluable in keeping me on the right path. John Perovich, writing teacher and the all around good guy, in addition to being the Founder of Now and Then Creative Company, has inspired much of my work. Juliet Rachel Wilkins, the Associate Artist at B3, has helped make sense of the struggles. And last but not least, my father, Laurie Holden, is a fierce supporter of my shows. With such unconditional blessings in my life, the many, many factors lobbying against me don’t seem so mighty anymore.

Please tell us about your business.
B3 Theater does a Festival of Shorts every year which reaches for applicants internationally. We don’t charge fees to the writers, we provide an audience awarded prize, and each short chosen is fully produced. This is our way of welcoming new writers into our community.

Our plays are often radically feminist. Droppin’ Johns, the first play that I directed for B3, featured a character who was trapped in her mind but made it through into the real world of the audience. A Woman on Stage presented the battle between multiple voices on stage and a Man on TV. John Perovich’s my love | my lumberjack had a character who went from an ingenue to a very powerful figure after a long, dark journey. Matt & Ben told the real story of how Good Will Hunting came to be, starring two actresses as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

We’re working on including more female and non-binary artists at every level. Later this season, we’ll be doing a show called Rosemary’s Baby Goes to High School by Paco Jose Madden which we’ve cast with a non-binary actor in the main female romantic role. We are proud to give a voice to those who might not normally be heard, both as authors and as characters.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is shutting the curtains, moving the couch and chair in the living room, and putting on Pippin or God spell or Man of La Mancha or JC Superstar and just belting it out to my mother. Musicals? Ilana? Yeah, probably. That or re-re-re-re-reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. Yes, I am a nerd.

Pricing:

  • Shows at B3/Aside Theatre are $20.
  • Shows on the first Monday of the run are just $15.

Contact Info:

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Image Credit:
Brian Maticic, Ilana Lydia, Nathaniel J. Burns

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