I won’t lie, my friends. The past few months have not been the greatest. I’ve been dealing with more or less non-stop chronic pain since May, which means I’ve spent a quarter of this year feeling preeetttyyyyy rough. Needless to say, this hasn’t exactly been my most prolific year on record, but I was thrilled to see some of the work I’ve already put into my craft bear fruit!

*The cast and creative team behind OCCUPIED at NJ Rep*

First up, I headed to NJ Rep in Long Branch, New Jersey to present a reading of OCCUPIED with some lovely, very passionate collaborators! This is a small regional theatre that produces ONLY new works, and they have tremendous support from the community. The original venue sold out, so they moved us into their main theatre, which also sold out! We had a generous, standing-room-only crowd, and they were VERY responsive! The talkback was nearly as long as the play! I couldn’t have been happier with how it went, and I left feeling incredibly energized!

What was special about this reading is that this is the SECOND time I’ve worked with this cast and creative team on this script! We first presented OCCUPIED online with New Normal Rep, so this is the first time we’ve all been in the same place! The reading was directed by Jill Eikenberry and featured Melissa Joyner and Ella Dershowitz. They are truly the dream team, and I felt so lucky to work with them again!

But that wasn’t the end for OCCUPIED this quarter!

Joan Dolf and Emma Carli in *OCCUPIED* at Cypress Productions

Yes, I was also lucky enough to receive a full production thanks to my friends at Cypress Productions in Lexington, KY! They produced the play in an AWESOME mirrored space and NAILED the grungy bathroom vibe! The play just happened to open on September 11th… which just happened to be the same week as both a political assassination attempt AND a school shooting. Needless to say, my play (which starts on September 11th and is all about gun safety in America and the ways in which Millennials have gone numb to violence because it has been non-stop background noise since we hit puberty), remains relevant.

The actors were fearless and fantastic, and their performances made me cry. It’s such a treat to have fun watching my own work. It’s so easy when you trust the artists working on your play. I’m so happy that Cypress has been a home for my work, and can’t wait to work with them again.

OCCUPIED featured Joan Dolf as Amelia and Emma Carli as Jac and was directed by theblazetaylor.

Photos by Margaret Veillon

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Kentucky…

*Mia Carver and Aubrie Pignato in Odd Songs for Odd Birds (WKU)*

A gorgeous production of one of my favorites! Western Kentucky University produced my queer fairytale, Odd Songs for Odd Birds as part of their student directed Next Stage festival. It’s such a gorgeous, detail-oriented production, and it seems clear that everyone involved fell in LOVE with the play. Honestly, if all I did was write for High School and college students for the rest of my life, I’d be content. Young artists are the most enthusiastic and insightful collaborators, and I feel so lucky that this team discovered my work and was willing to put it on its feet.

Odd Songs for Odd Birds was directed by Elizabeth Grant, stage managed by Eli Simpson, costumed by Ireland Wolfe (who was also the swing for all roles), set designed by Amanda Henry, and lit by Garrett Milby. The production featured Mia Carver as Emily, Aubrie Pignato as Maris, and Chesney Wright as Gloria.

Photos by E. Shura Pollatsek

In some ways, this year has been a very successful playwriting year. In others, it has been uniquely challenging. I’ve felt like “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” again and again and again as my work has ended up on various shortlists this year. It has been strong enough to get noticed, but it’s frustrating to come so close and get passed over time and time again. I keep trying to tell myself that the Aly of a year ago would have been THRILLED to be on these shortlists, and the Aly of two years ago might have passed out!

So, because there really aren’t many opportunities to celebrate “close but no cigar,” here is a roundup of this quarter’s “almosts” that I’m proud of:

Blowhole was named a finalist for the Kaplan Competition (top 8 plays)
Murdering Medea made it to the top ten plays in consideration for the Avant Bard Scripts in Play festival
Ice in Their Veins was a shortlisted finalist for ThinkTank TYA
they have become the forest was shortlisted for the Twin Pines Winter Development Series

There might be more, but I try not to dwell too much on opportunities that are not meant for me. I know when the time is right, the opportunities will appear. And speaking of…

Sometimes I AM a bride! My dark face, Ice in Their Veins, was named the winner in the full-length category in the Chameleon Theatre Circle’s 26th Annual New Play Contest! They only chose one winning full-length this year, so I guess this bonkers dressing room comedy really stood out!

Last year, my youth play, The Rosies, was a winner in the One Act category of the same competition, which is why I decided to enter another piece for young performers! The play will receive a reading in Inver Falls, MN, on October 11th, 2025. It’s free, and they’re offering free lunch for attendees, too! Come for the free meal, stay for free skate! It’s going to be a blast!

Meanwhile, we are getting ever closer to the release of CHOOSE THE BEAR, my new full-length audio drama series from Broken Arts Entertainment! I believe we are aiming for a November 7th release for those who support Broken Arts Entertainment as YouTube Subscribers. The general release date for non-supporters is TBD! In the meantime, you can see TONS of behind-the-scenes content on the BAE Instagram!

Also, next time I talk about how this year wasn’t very prolific, please remind me that I WROTE AN ENTIRE TEN-EPISODE, 300-PAGE AUDIO SERIES earlier this year! That’s like three full-length plays! It counts, it counts, it counts!!!

*Two of Every Animal* presented by Colorado College

But even before November, I have a piece in BAE’s The Future Anthology! An audio production of Two of Every Animal will be released on Saturday, October 18th! This play was originally a Zoom play, then became a stage play, and is now getting new life as an audio short! I’ve made a few revisions, and I can’t wait to hear this new iteration! The piece was directed by Antonella Perez Ferrero (who plays Diana in CHOOSE THE BEAR), and will feature Gwen Fraser (who played Cricket in reANIMA) and Hannah Lee DeFrates (who plays Callie in CHOOSE THE BEAR), with Sean Polite (who is appearing in his first Aly Kantor piece)!

Rehearsals are also fully in swing for our presentation of These Gilded Souls at the Long Island Museum on October 16th! It’s free and it’s going to be a blast! This is a series of selections from the full-length play in the form of a one-act, but it will be fully costumed by the same team who designed the production at EastLine! There will be a talkback following the performance. Admission to the museum is also free, so check out the Gatsby at 100 exhibit before the show!

Andddd…. what about new writing?

I managed to finish a new horror one-act called FRUITING BODIES, which you can now read on NPX, if you so desire!

Work on my sesquicentennial disaster is ongoing! This play is such a hot mess, and it is VERY challenging to write, but I really do want to try to finish it, whether or not anything happens with it! I’m still keeping the title and details hush-hush, but so far, it seems to be about what to do (if anything) when your childhood fav turns out to be problematic…and whether we extend the same grace to everyone. It’s a disaster and I love it, so watch this space for updates on THAT!

But for now, I’m taking a break to focus on a piece for a Playwright’s Thriving Halloween challenge! Going to try to write an entire play in October because… why not? I’m still in the honeymoon phase with this one, but it would be nice to finish something new before the end of the year, so…no promises, but let’s see!

Thank you all for sticking with me as I weather this Season of Suck. I’m trying very hard to use the angst in my writing. Maybe something delightful will come of it!

The Autumn 2025 Update!

Springing into Production