before nannying, all the while auditioning for roles. In the summer of 2022, she assisted the director of education at Vassar College’s summer Powerhouse Theater, serving as a liaison between the students and the professors. It was a tremendous learning experience in that it helped her realize she either wants to be the actor or the teacher but nothing in between. Since then, she has taken on a “muggle” job as an administrative assistant—a job she would not hesitate to leave when she lands her dream role. She has become accustomed to the ebb and flow of the acting world. Partly due to the COVID pandemic, auditions have arrived in bunches, with 2021 being a good year, 2022 providing less opportunity, and 2023 seeing a resurgence in activity in the industry (although the ongoing strike of the Writers Guild of America has contributed
to a little uncertainty). Mary employs an agent, responsible for mining the audition opportunities, and a manager, who acts as more of a confidante in discussions of the most advantageous career moves as these opportunities arise. In 2021 Mary landed a role as a British nurse in the NBC medical drama New Amsterdam—her RCS accent training had prepared her well. More recently, she read the part of a 13-year-old British girl in the audiobook, Demon in the Wood, the prequel to the bestselling Shadow and Bone written by Leigh Bardugo. Demon in the Wood won a highly prestigious 2023 Audie Award for best audiobook in the Young Adult category. This book also won the coveted Odyssey Award for best audiobook for children and young adults. One can imagine the pride and satisfaction associated with involvement in this project.
Practically speaking, the advent of streaming services has seen an eruption of opportunity for TV and film roles in addition to the more traditional network and cable providers. While theater roles pop up occasionally, Mary notes that a highly successful off-Broadway production might only pay in a week what a TV or film role would in a day. This burgeoning talent enjoys living in NYC because she is a New York girl at heart. She has recently auditioned for a Hallmark Channel production to be filmed in Connecticut and uses Zoom and uploadable media to audition for shows filming in LA or Georgia or internationally. After all, she does have her day job to think about, a position where she never wants to feel inertia. When the next right opportunity presents itself, she will be primed to run with it and not look back.
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