​Alana Dietze is an LA-based director, actor and Associate Artistic Director of the Echo Theater Company. KCRW’s Anthony Byrnes said “Ms. Dietze has directed a string of plays at the Echo, including Dry Land and A Small Fire, that have provided tender, poignant and fierce windows on the female experience. If you don’t know her work, you should.”   Some of this work with the Echo includes the world premiere of Poor Clare (onstage in October 2021), The Wolves (LADCC Winner for Ensemble, Ovation Nominations for Production, Direction and Ensemble, LA Times Critic's Pick, Stage Raw Nominations for Director, Production, Ensemble and Supporting Female Performance), Dry Land (Ovation Winner for Best Production - Intimate Theater, nomination for Leading Actress, 4 Stage Raw Nominations including Director and Production and 1 LADCC Nomination).  Dry Land was subsequently remounted at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of Center Theater Group’s inaugural Block Party program (7 Ovation nominations including Best Director and Best Production - Large Theater). Other directing work includes The Found Dog Ribbon Dance (part of the Echo’s 2017 Ovation nomination for Best Season), A Small Fire (4 Ovation nominations,1 LADCC nomination, 2 Stage Raw nominations), Ripe Frenzy (NNPN Rolling World Premiere for Greenway Ct. Theater - LA Times Critic's Pick), as well as numerous workshops, short plays and readings for EST/LA, Occidental College, Moving Arts, Public Assembly, Antaeus and more. She has also served as a Dramaturg for CTG's L.A. Writers Workshop Festival. Some of her recent and favorite work as an actor includes The Recital (Monkspace), Charlotte Stay Close (EST/LA), Gloria (Stage Raw Winner - Comedy Ensemble, Echo), An Undivided Heart (Echo), Fugue (Echo), Everything Will Be Different (Ovation nominations for Leading Actress, Ensemble, Production, Echo), The Red Letter Plays (Illyrian Players), The Devil's Wife (Skylight), and The Hillary Game (Padua Playwrights). She holds a BA in Theater from Occidental College.

NOW ON STAGE:

Los Angeles Times 
“CHARMINGLY DAFFY… a saint’s play served up as an offbeat comedy millennials can believe in...In the radiant humanity of Hull’s tender-funny portrayal, true benevolence seems miraculously within reach”— Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times

Ticket Holders LA 
“INFECTIOUS FUN… Under the sharply-tuned direction of Alana Dietze and featuring an excellent and committed ensemble cast, the debut of Atik’s fresh and uncharted take on the classic story shines with the sparkle of a newly polished diamond… an instant classic.” — Travis Holder, Ticket Holders LA
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Gia On The Move 
“INCISIVE AND ENTERTAINING… All the production elements work in harmony…  It all adds up to a colorful elaboration of a great story.”— Deborah Klugman, Gia On The Move, LADCC

Broadway World 
“INSPIRED… SPARKLING… ASTUTE… fizzy and dazzlingly delightful dialogue… rife with humor and pathos.” — Harker Jones, Broadway World, LADCC

Stage and Cinema 
“STUPENDOUS… compelling, robust and very funny.” — Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema

Larchmont Buzz 
“MOVING…RAUCUS AND HILARIOUS… [and] TIMELY… Successful as a comedy, a biographical portrait and a representational morality play, it’s truly a religious experience…. EXCEPTIONAL” — Laura Foti Cohen, Larchmont Buzz

Theatre Notes 
“AN ASTONISHING NEW PIECE OF THEATRE… a real feast for the eyes… Is it funny? Oh yes!” — Paul Myrvold, Theatre Notes

Stage Scene LA 
“WOW!... As unexpectedly deep as it is consistently delightful… the incandescent [Jordan] Hull and an all-around fabulous supporting cast, in particular Michael Sturgis’s irresistible Francis, elicit laugh after laugh from Atik’s audacious but effective script.” — Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA

On Stage Los Angeles 
“ENGAGING… A STRONG POLEMIC… It, like, imagines Assisi, Italy, Circa 1211 or so… It's OMG, the Middle Ages.” — Michael Sheehan, On Stage Los Angeles

People’s World 
“AFFECTING AND POWERFUL, EXTREMELY FUNNY… sharp, snappy, arch dialogue… The mashup of today’s language with 13th-century Assisi is a stunning choice, as well as the source of our clarity in recognizing truths —Eric Gordon, People’s World

The Hollywood Times 
“POWERFUL AND VERY FUNNY”,— Jim Gilles, The Hollywood Times

All photos by Cooper Bates. Pictured: Jordan Hull, Tony DeCarlo, Michael Sturgis, Kari Lee Cartwright, Donna Zadeh, Martica DeCardenas, Ann Noble

recently:

Best of 2019

The Wolves

Anthony Byrnes, KCRW
"Alana Dietze brought “The Wolves” to life at Echo Theatre Company. A girl’s indoor soccer team reveals the complicated lives of teenage girls through the weekly routine of pre-game practice. Like many of the plays on this years list, this play is just the latest chapter in a longer journey. Ms. Dietze has directed a string of plays at the Echo, including “Dry Land” and “A Small Fire,” that have provided tender, poignant and fierce windows on the female experience. If you don’t know her work, you should."

​photo by Darrett Sanders

Charles McNulty, The LA Times
"Through the overlapping dialogue of a high school girls’ soccer team, playwright Sarah DeLappe glimpses into the souls of her characters and, by extension, into the soul of the nation. Teamwork was the key to the Echo Theater Company production, which featured an unerringly naturalistic ensemble (under the direction of Alana Dietze) maneuvering with agility between the quotidian and the tragic. Review"

The Recital

Anthony Robinson, NoPro's Top Moments of 2019
"Chatting with Simon’s Ex-girlfriend Before The Recital"During that fun-filled moment when the doors to a show first open and you’re awkwardly trying to figure out where to turn your attention, it’s great when someone reaches out and helps to steer you towards the drink table. In this particular moment, it was both a blessing and a curse to get chatted up by Jen (played by Alana Dietze), the seemingly self-absorbed violinist and ex-girlfriend of former prodigy Simon. During an intense couple of minutes, it felt like I was having a genuine reunion with an old college acquaintance. The wine-fueled gossip reminded me of the LA parties where you’re cornered by someone puffing themselves up, ladling out biting tidbits (in this case about Simon’s fall from the spotlight), and taking your measure, all the while scanning the room for someone better to be “seen” with. Jen ended up having to excuse herself to refill her drink after eyeing Simon’s current girlfriend, in a moment that was so natural that I did a double take when she started up the exact same conversation with another audience member."

​photo by Annie Lesser