by Allison Wonders

Some couples share a love of travel. Others share cooking, hiking or golf. Benjamin and I share the constant, exhilarating, demanding need to create and perform.

I am a comic ventriloquist. Forty years ago I picked up my first puppet and fell in love with the joy it brought to kids. I created a character named Ladida (la-dee-da), who grew into a live show performed throughout the US Southeast and eventually my own children's television show, Ladida's Room.

Years later, inspired by Lily Tomlin and Eve Ensler's one-woman shows, I created The Allison Wonders Show, combining comedy, storytelling, ventriloquism and original characters. I've performed it around the US at events, small venues and Fringe festivals. This November, a longtime dream will come true when I take the show to New York City, performing off-Broadway as part of the United Solo Festival.

Benjamin, originally from Buenos Aires, started playing guitar at 14-years-old because he wanted to be a rock 'n' roller. That not turning out so well, he decided that if he was going to play music, he should learn it. His family was immersed in classical music, and he studied with some of the top classical guitarists in Buenos Aires.

He has since performed around the world, developing a repertoire inspired by the cultures he has experienced through his travels: Argentine folk and tango, music from Brazil, Japan and France, North American classics and his own compositions.During his shows he shares the stories behind the music, inviting audiences to experience where it comes from. He has several albums available on Spotify.

We met in 2020. I swiped right, and something about seeing him with his guitar immediately caught my attention. He swiped right, ready for an adventure with someone who clearly had a lot of energy, creativity and stories to share. A year ago, we moved in together, combining our lives, our things, and our creativity.

But it didn't take long to realize just how differently we create.

Benjamin is slow and methodical. He spends hours practicing his music, patiently working through a piece and refining it. He practices whether he has a show coming up or not. He brings his guitar everywhere he travels. He is the definition of a flow state.

My creative process is the opposite. I can only create or practice in short spurts, and then I need fresh air, or a piece of chocolate. I tend toward the gotta-get-up-and-go state, so I have to sit myself down. The best way for me to create is to have a show scheduled. I work well under pressure.

For each of us, creativity isn't a choice. It's an obligation, a priority in our lives. We don't have to negotiate it. We simply understand it in each other. And as creativity sometimes requires being alone, we give each other the space to go on that journey.

Creativity is the ability to make something out of nothing, and we each have our own way of finding that something.

For Benjamin, an idea might begin with a flower, a sound, a dream or an experience while traveling. Then he follows that spark of an idea for weeks, months or years.

My process is much more deliberate, a discipline. I set a timer, put the puppet on my hand, start talking, and that's when the ideas come. I don't write it down first. I have to speak it out loud. Fortunately, once I make the decision to practice, the creativity always comes, and I'm always amazed by what emerges.

Whether it begins in a dream, in a conversation or by talking out loud to a puppet, we both understand that creativity ultimately comes from living life—from the people we meet, the places we go and the influences around us. Travel, nature, good conversations and even stillness can spark something. Our creative processes may be completely different, but the source is often the same: paying attention to the world around us.

Because we are such different kinds of creatives, we offer each other perspectives the other might not have.

Benjamin says an important part of music is the space between the notes—that there is music in the silence. With that in mind, he encourages me to slow down in my performances: pause, let the moment breathe, let the sentence linger, give the audience a chance to take in what was just said before rushing on to the next thing.

For me as a storyteller, both in my own performances and in my work as a speaker coach (helping people write and deliver TEDx talks, keynotes and other presentations), I understand the power of story to connect with an audience. So I'm always encouraging Benjamin to tell the story behind the music he plays: what is the origin of the piece? what was he experiencing when he created it? The story gives the audience another way into the music.

Together we share the challenges of being a creative: marketing, social media, self-promotion and the constant need to tell people what we are doing. Making art is one thing. Getting people to show up is another. We understand the vulnerability of putting creative work into the world and then asking people to come see it, hear it or buy a ticket. It's not easy, but we do it anyway.

My favorite part of being a couple of creatives is getting to watch each other perform.

Even though Benjamin has been to almost all of my 40 performances, he's still laughing. When I asked him why, he said, “You always do something that surprises me.”

At home, I hear pieces and parts of Benjamin's music. But seeing him perform for an audience is completely different, seeing people transported by his music into a sacred place. I love experiencing the joy he transmits.

People have asked if we would ever do a show together, but our performances are so different that we never really considered it. We didn't know if audiences would appreciate both... until we came to San Miguel. Here on our second visit this year we bring our two creative worlds together, not by blending, but by giving each of us a chance to share what we do best.

First, come for the laughter, the The Allison Wonders Show (as if Carol Burnett met Jeff Dunham on Avenue Q). In this zany solo performance, I serve up ventriloquism with a cast of original puppets, each with bold opinions, big personalities and absolutely no filter.

Then, after the laughter, settle in and let six strings transport you around the world as Benjamin Balagur takes you on a musical journey through classical and contemporary guitar.

Come for the giggles. Stay for the guitar. Leave with more joy.

Friday, September 25, 7pm
Cafe Rama, Nemesio Diez 7
$100: reservations - 415-154-9655

Sunday, September 27, 5pm
JC3, Las Moras 47
$275 nonmembers, $165 members tickets in advance

Discover Lokkal: Mission

Visit SMA's Social Network

Contact / Contactar