Alison studied theatre design at Nottingham Trent University. She worked as Design Assistant at Bolton Octagon before joining Colchester Mercury Theatre as Associate Designer and later becoming Head of Design.
Alison went on to design for a range of companies including Perth Theatre, Proteus Theatre Company and Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea as well as working extensively with John Godber at Hull Truck, where productions included Office Party, Shakers, Blood, Sweat and Tears and a new play, Gym and Tonic, at Derby Playhouse.
Alison joined E15 Acting School in 2000 as Resident Designer and went on to become Deputy Head of Technical Theatre and Design Lecturer. During this time freelance designs included working with Creation Theatre Company on their site-specific productions of Hamlet and Macbeth, both staged in an enormous disused factory space at the BMW plant in Oxford.
Alison become Head of Design and Applied Arts at Mountview in 2012.