about me
Hi there! My name is Alegra Batara (they/them) and I am a multidisciplinary theatre artist based in Seattle.* I'm a graduate of The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University where I earned my BFA in Musical Theatre. For the last two years, I have been bouncing around the country, following the work so to speak, and am so happy to have landed back home.
Musical Theatre was my first love, and will always be part of the art I want to make. I majored in Musical Theatre in college but spent far more time delving into plays, classical texts from Shakespeare to Chekov grabbing my attention the most. Using music to tell stories has become a central pillar of my interests, and I've had the incredible opportunity to work on plays with music and new musicals that do just that in the most innovative and impactful ways. I hope to continue doing this kind of work in the future.
Beyond my acting adventures, I'm a director and playwright in the middle of a few passion projects. As a director, I am extremely passionate about TYA, the honor of introducing the next generation of artists to theatre. As a writer, I've most interested in telling stories from the Asian-American experience and that highlight the importance of mental health. My first full length play, Madaling Sabihin (Easy to Say), centers a Filipino family in the midst of the father's cancer treatment, diving into family secrets, breaking generational patterns of communication, and familial duty.
To find out more about these projects, go to the explore page!
With all the intellectualizing, I've been known to forget the rest of me: my body. In the last year, I've made a commitment to my physical awareness and strength. I started taking stage combat courses through Dueling Arts International which has been one of the most empowering journeys I've ever had. I've also been coming at dance training from a new perspective, focusing on foundations in ballet and modern for both technique and freedom of movement. Additionally, I have begun a renewed relationship with yoga.practice. Sometimes, you have to practice slowing down.
* I have access to local housing in New York, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, and St. Louis.