I Am YEG Arts: Alyson Dicey

For Alyson Dicey, there’s only moving forward. And she knows there’s strength in not doing it all alone. That collaborative spirit and positive attitude are but two of the many amazing qualities that have made her not only accomplished, but happy. Luck for us, making people laugh also brings her joy, which she pays forward as part of the fabulous sketch comedy troupe, Girl Brain. When she’s not writing and performing you’ll likely find her directing, producing, and encouraging other women to have confidence in their voices and abilities. This week’s ​“I Am YEG Arts” story belongs to Alyson Dicey.

Tell us about your connection to Edmonton and why you’ve made it your home.

I moved to Edmonton in 2007 in the hopes of getting into the BFA acting program at the University of Alberta. Like many teachers, my high school drama teacher, Rhonda McCarthy, was instrumental in encouraging me and helping me plan my future. She advised me that this acting program was one of the best in the country, and I think to this day she is right! Eventually I did get into the BFA acting program, and it shaped who I met, how I know myself, and set me in the direction for where I am today! That’s why I came to Edmonton.

Why I stayed? Because of the arts community. The people who work in the arts here are some of the most accepting, creative, and inspiring people I’ve ever met. I have always felt a ​“yes, and” attitude here. Whenever I wanted to create something, there was always a friend who wanted to collaborate, a festival application open, and chats-till-dawn over wine about how and when we can make art happen!

When you were first starting out, what was it about the arts that made you feel like it could be your community?

The festivals in Edmonton are how I started out. We have so many great festivals, including one of the largest Fringe Fests in the world (of which I proudly work for now as KidsFringe Coordinator during the summers). NextFest gave me my first pay cheque in the arts, handed to me by one of my heroes, Steve Pirot. Found Fest, Fringe, SkirtsAFire, Expanse, and so many others allow artists to experiment, audiences to engage in a wide range of theatre and other art forms, and the arts community to come together! I love the buzz of a theatre lobby during a festival. I’ve done some weird shows in festivals!

How did Girl Brain come to be? And what is it about sketch comedy that suits your strengths as a storyteller?

Girl Brain started when Caley Suliak moved back to Edmonton after living in San Francisco for a few years. We (Ellie Heath and I) had missed her, and the catching-up sessions turned into writing sessions when we realized how many hilarious stories we had. We were all auditioning constantly, and our hopes and dreams seemed to always be at the fate of some director-man who pulled the strings. We were all a bit over this and wanted to write our own stories to put on stage. This coincided with our friend Byron Martin opening up the Grindstone Comedy Theatre. I recall a late night party in a hot tub where he mentioned needing more acts, especially shows that weren’t improv. And I thought, I have a pitch for you! I brought it back to the girls, and the rest is herstory. All we needed was a name for our troupe, and Caley had that covered. ​“Today I have girl brain” is what she always says when she’s feeling like her head is in the clouds, or her mind is on a certain someone she shouldn’t be flirting with, or her heart is fixed on something she’s absolutely obsessed with. A feeling of overwhelming, heart-fluttering, joy-inducing mania! And I love it because our girl brains are powerful! Intelligent women taking over positions of leadership! Watch out, world!

Sketch comedy is our current form of storytelling because it’s short and sweet. You can easily pack houses with people who want to have a fun night out and still leave them with a message you care about. Caley and Ellie and I spend most of our time together laughing, and I think that’s kept me going these last few years. It feels good.

What is the writing process like for you? Where do you usually begin, and how do you develop an idea?

I like writing when we have a theme for the show. When we did our monthly shows at Grindstone in 2018 – 2019, we were generating a ton of content. It felt easy coming up with sketches for a Valentine’s Day show or a Christmas themed show. We’ve done what feels like one hundred themed shows. Once we did a back-to-school theme that was so fun — we interviewed young girls heading back to school and played films of their answers during the show.

Sometimes the writing starts with a funny idea that came up in our chats, sometimes with an annoying thing we experienced (often in ourselves), or from characters we see out in the wild here in Edmonton. Hypocrisies are the best in for me — when I catch myself or someone doing the opposite of what their whole M.O. is. Then you also have to have a point of view and decide who’s relaying the message. We love writing for each other and coming up with characters we want to see each other dig into.

Tell us a little about your role with Thou Art Here Theatre and what makes it special to you and the city.

I joined Thou Art Here in 2013 after Andrew Ritchie and Neil Kuefler founded the company in 2012. I was a big Shakespeare nerd and wanted to get on stage and strut my stuff! Thou Art Here was doing Shakespeare in unexpected places — taking the bard to the streets with site-specific theatre. I thought this was the coolest thing I’d ever seen at the time. Now Thou Art Here (TAH) has transformed, and I’m still on board helping out where I can as an Artistic Associate. We’ve shifted away from the Shakespeare angle and instead try to represent Edmonton the way we see it — amplifying Edmonton artists, community, and neighbourhoods.

Immersive theatre is so interesting to me because it doesn’t allow the audience to check out. They are right there with the actors, they are a part of the story, and integral to the experience. I’ve been inspired by immersive theatre like Dead Centre of Town and Found Festival for a long time. I’m inspired all the time by Andrew, who is now Artistic Director of TAH. He works so hard and has grown this company from us weirdos running around in LRT stations yelling sonnets at people to a non-profit that’s making important work in our city (We’re still weirdos though).

Who’s someone inspiring you right now?

I’m inspired by Sheiny Satanove, the Managing Director for Punctuate! Theatre. I recently started working as a producer for Punctuate!, and I’m learning so much. She’s many people’s go-to person for all things producing in the city. Sheiny is a powerhouse — she’s smart, witty, and fierce as hell.

Tell us about a lesson you’ve had to learn more than once.

There are too many to put down in words. One is instant forgiveness for myself when I mess up, rather than beating myself up for something that’s in the past. There’s only moving forward. I’m trying to be more patient.

When you think YEG arts, what are the first three things, people, or places that come to mind?

1. Artists and artist-run centres. Harcourt House, Latitude 53, SNAP, and VASA are where you should be if you want to see art in Edmonton/​St. Albert.
2. The Festivals! This is Festival City, and people go cuckoo for them! Folk Fest, Shakespeare in the Park, Fringe, Found Festival, Expanse, Flying Canoe, Winterruption.
3. CKUA Radio because it’s where you go for all your arts info, news, and music. And I love the hosts!

Tell us a little about what you’re currently working on or hoping to explore next.

Girl Brain has shows at the Roxy Theatre, Dec 16 to 18, with special guest Sissy Fit! Sissy is a Glamdrogynous Gender Fluid Glamazonian Gladiator Drag Performstress, and they are going to rock the stage with us this holiday season. We are taking over the beautiful Nancy Power Theatre, and we are stoked to get jolly! You can get tickets here.

We also have a project with the Girl Brain girls and Bradley Moss (Artistic Director of Theatre Network) coming up. We can’t say much yet, but stay tuned! We’re cooking up something very cool.

What makes you hopeful these days?

I see art happening in our city that is important and reflects who lives here. Like Evandalism, by MC RedCloud, that just happened as part of the Fringe season. And Identity, by Matthew Wood (a.k.a., Creeasian), as his City of Edmonton 2021 – 22 Indigenous Artist in Residence final showcase. Or the upcoming Punctuate! Theatre show, First Métis Man of Odesa, by Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova, that tells a real-life love story in the midst of a pandemic and war in Ukraine. The Shoe Project, which acts as both a community-building and English-language-learners’ support system, as well as a phenomenal show that tells first-hand immigration stories of women new to Canada. I see my nieces and nephew growing up as smart, curious people who are going to make this world a better place (no pressure, kids). And teachers and healthcare workers who persevere even when they have very little support from the powers that be.

Want more YEG Arts Stories? We’ll be sharing them here all year and on social media using the hashtag #IamYegArts. Follow along! Click here to learn more about Alyson Dicey, Girl Brain Sketch Comedy, and their upcoming shows at Theatre Network!

About Alyson Dicey

Alyson Dicey is an Edmonton-based performer, writer, director, producer and graduate of the BFA Acting class of 2012 at the University of Alberta. She is a founding member of Girl Brain Sketch Comedy and is proud to write and perform with a troupe that celebrates and promotes the strength of women. Alyson is also an artistic associate of the Edmonton immersive theatre company, Thou Art Here Theatre, a producer with Punctuate! Theatre, and Volunteer Coordinator/​Administrative Assistant for the multidisciplinary arts festival featuring women-identifying and non-binary artists, SkirtsAFire. During the summers, Alyson can be found at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival in her role as KidsFringe Coordinator. Alyson believes strongly in encouraging young women to take on leadership roles, set and achieve goals, and develop confidence in their voices and abilities.