Biography

Allen Willner

Allen Willner , a native New Yorker, lives in Brooklyn NY where he has recently collaborated with Kenn Watt’s 5th Floor on “K.” and Richard Schechner’s East Coast Artists on “Yokastas”. He continues to work with Shinichi Iova-Koga’s inkBoat and has created and collaborated on inkBoat performances of Heaven’s Radio, Onion, Tasting an Ocean and Cockroach. In 2003 Allen directed and designed inkBoat’s “Heaven’s Radio.an absurdist butoh play” which received 4 Isadora Duncan Dance Award nominations (sound composition, choreography, performance, and visual design) Allen received the “izzie” award for the Lighting and Stage Design of “Heaven’s Radio”. He also directed and designed The 2002 Faun Fables production of “The Transit Rider, an underground musical set on a subway train “ and Cassie Terman’s 2004 physical theater fable “Citizen of Trees”. In addition Allen was nominated for an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for the “Visual Design” of inkBoat’s Butoh Performance “Cockroach” and received a Dean Goodman lighting design award in 2000 for his design of “Don’t Look, Don’t Ask”. Allen has received Meet The Composer Grants for his music compositions for Richard Schechner’s “Yokastas” in 2005 and “Heaven’s Radio” in 2003. He has also received grants from the Zellerbach Foundation and the CASH Fund. In 2004 Allen started the Rehearsal/Performance Space Studio 111 in Brooklyn, NY and began working with Kenn Watt and longtime collaborator/choreographer Tanya Calamoneri in Fifth Floor. Their collaboration “K.” was performed at the HERE American Living Room Series in 2005. Allen also travels the country lighting shows for the Music Groups Sleepytime Gorllia Museum and Carla Kihlstedt’s Two Foot Yard. Allen has designed lights and sound for many artists from the SF Bay Area and New York City including Richard Schechner, Karen Finley, Joe Goode Performance Group, The Billy Nayer Show, Kenn Watt’s 5th Flooor, Shinichi Iova-Koga, The Dresden Dolls, Renne Harris, Kim Epifano, Angus Balbernie, Lunatique Fantastique, , Kim Epifano, Scott Wells & Dancers, Anne Bleuthenthal, Dance Brigade, World Arts West & RAPT.