Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Carrasco.
Hi Alyssa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It took me way too long to get into theatre. Growing up, we didn’t even have performing arts at my school, so all the theatre kids were just weirdos with no outlet. It still upsets me how some communities miss out on that.
When I transferred schools in 7th grade, kicking and screaming, the only silver lining was ‘an actual fine arts program.’ My mom knew this interested me, so she tried to make light of the situation by asking the school counselor, “So, is it like glee?” She was joking, but yes, it was like Glee.
But instead of feeling at home in choir or theatre, I felt like a fish out of water. I finally had access to something I had been wanting, but it did not go as I expected. These kids had been tap‑dancing since birth, meanwhile, I dropped out of baby ballet when I was 3 because the tights were too itchy. So it took me a while to feel comfortable in the scenery ( until my junior year of high school to be exact), but once I decided that I actually wanted to act, I hit the ground running.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
1. For an artist, functioning as a normal human being seems like the most insane possibility. Making a living, surviving, commitment to someone or something, and still being able to create feels unattainable at times. The world isn’t built for artists. We constantly feel like we’re making compromises just to stay afloat and make it to a rehearsal, a shoot, or whatever else. That’s always my obstacle. I want to be able to do it all. Or not have to do it all. IDK really I would just like to be able to pay all my bills doing theatre.
2. In college, I was surrounded by white peers and and was effectively influenced by those traditional Eurocentric opinions. Tennessee Williams, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov being were the pinnacle of theatre. I craved being able to say “fuck you” to the traditional image of those roles and stories. Playing in those worlds felt amazing, because I was doing “the real shit” or like “the hard stuff” . But once I proved I could do it, I was just like ok what’s next?
That’s when I dove into Latino works. I took Latino theatre studies at the University of Oklahoma, and it was like puzzle pieces were falling into place. That classroom was healing, it allowed me to explore my people’s history and their impact in theatre. I was learning how I fit into the world just as I God made me. And aside from theatre, I had drifted away from my culture. I would tense up when someone spoke to me in spanish, asked where my family was from, and even said my last name. But when I get to immerse myself in Latino theatre, either reading, studying, or putting it up on its feet, I feel like I am healing something so deep by being able to reconnect with myself.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an Actor and director. I specialize in storytelling. I on the creative team at Teatro Dallas, am currently in “The Taming of the Shrew” at Shakespeare Dallas as Bianca, and will be performing the two-hander piece, “Lungs” by Duncan Macmilla,n directed by Mac Welch, at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in January 2026. I am signed with Linda McAlister Agency.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I live by the phrase “What’s meant to be will be”… And I also make a lot of prayers and wishes. I wish I had a lot more luck, but I am lucky that I even get to do this. I am lucky to have found such great artists to work with. I am lucky to be exhausted from rehearsal. I am lucky when I have to take off layers of my costume featuring a dress, a leotard, and a fake baby belly to go to the bathroom 5 minutes before my stage manager calls places. There are so many times I could’ve and should’ve quit this business, but I didn’t and for that privilege I am lucky.
Image Credits
1. bts
2. Frederick Ezeala
3. BTS Oklahoma Shakespeare
4. Frederick Ezeala
5. bts
6. Drew Lotter
7. Tyler Woods
8. Oklahoma Shakespeare
