The Storyteller Studio 22-23 Cohort Portfolio
Alexis Telyczka
About Me
Alexis Telyczka is a writer creating out of Somerset, NJ. She is a graduate student in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism at The New School in New York City, and an alumna of New Jersey Institute of Technology, where she completed degrees in both the Theatre Arts and Technology program and the Science, Technology and Society program. Her research and writing interests broadly include psychology, philosophy, ethics, and the natural world. Her creative projects often incorporate the themes of legacy, familial relationships, gender and femininity. She is a lover of devised theatre and a novice dramaturg— and after working with NJ Play Lab’s Storyteller Studio, she is now comfortable identifying as a beginner playwright! At her deepest core, she is a cupcake connoisseur, pin collector, and waterfall enthusiast; she is easily drawn to anything that is pink, and she is excited for every chance she gets to create.
Q+A
How would you describe yourself as an artist?
As an artist, I enjoy arranging whimsy, mischief, melancholy, and repressed rage into a healing final product. I also thoroughly enjoy researching and assisting others in communicating their creative visions.
How have you grown during your time in the Storyteller Studio?
During my time in the Storyteller Studio, I have become more confident in my playwriting abilities; I have learned (and am still learning!) how to act as an effective dramaturg for a script-in-progress; and I now know that, in order for me to thrive as an artist, I need to consistently spend time collaborating with other artists. My time with the Storyteller Studio has been my most creatively fruitful in years; in addition to scripts and dramaturgical projects, I have been writing poetry and working on a short story. In essence, I have always identified as a writer, but having consistent community has helped me immensely in actually pursuing my creative ideas.
What does it mean to you to be an artist in our current moment?
All art, in addition to being an avenue of personal expression, lives as a chronicle of precise moments. Even if my work does not stand the test of time and is ultimately forgotten, I hope— and, really, I know— that my collaboration with other artists and our relationships with each other’s works is building towards something that lasts, something that people in the future can point to and say, "This is what is important enough to remember." Who knows what that could be? I'm content to be a small piece of the puzzle, as long as I get to be colorful in my own right.
How has this program shaped your understanding of dramaturgy and collaboration?
This program has taught me how to identify what audiences and creative teams want to see in terms of forethought and research from playwrights and dramaturgs. Through the Storyteller Studio, I have seen that collaboration is inherent in the way artists interact with each other when a culture of openness and respect has been cultivated.
What's next for you?
I'll be updating my waterfall blog; writing and trying to publish my poetry; and resuming work on the long-form script I've started with the Storyteller Studio. I also plan to continue to develop a dramaturgical presentation for fellow cohort member Annie Vee's work!
Stuff
These are the introductory scenes of a full-length play I am working on, tentatively titled Stuff. In working alongside the Storyteller Studio and my writing partner, Annie Vee, I was inspired to test my interest in playwriting, though I had initially intended to join the Storyteller Studio primarily as a dramaturg.
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With this script, I am exploring my own relationships with sentimentality and unwanted inheritances. The Storyteller Studio provided me with a social space where I could consistently be held accountable in my creative process— and any progress, no matter how small, was appreciated.
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I will be continuing to develop an outline for this play to get a better sense of direction; based on feedback from Studio members, I will also be further exploring the thematic parallels between the two groups of characters.
Mausoleum Meet-Cute
Mausoleum Meet-Cute is the first stage script I have completed in approximately five years; it is a 10-minute play lightheartedly exploring the intimacy of both romance and mortality.
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I wrote this script based on a call for works of a darker nature for a short play festival. I genuinely tried to make a heart-wrenching script— and ended up with something much more fun instead! I did not work on this particular piece directly with the Storyteller Studio; however, the encouragement I received from Studio members on other projects helped me develop the confidence to start, complete, and submit this script! My next step with this project is to continue to seek feedback and workshop it.