Introduce Yourself : Actress, Writer, and First-Time Producer! by Mara Lee Gilbert

Hello Stage 32! First I'd love to say what a wonderful idea "Introduce Yourself" is and I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of you! I am an actress/writer/and first-time producer living in New York City. I produced my first full-length staged production - a little known Neil LaBute piece - this past May as a showcase and we have been picked up for Off-Broadway! So I am now in the throws of getting a tight business pitch together for investors. It has been an AMAZING learning experience and one that has certainly changed my view on this career - making me far more appreciative of my craft as an actor and how that serves a production separate from ego, as well as understanding the level of work and beauty of a putting together a successful show. I can definitely see producing again in my future. As an actress and writer I am most passionate about projects and characters that examine sexual taboos and power struggles as well as the deeply entwined relationship these two share. I believe that the human experience cannot be free of sexuality and desire for power (even at the smallest level) and examining these can lead to a deep understanding of what it is to be a human living on this earth. As far as taboos - I want to be challenged and likewise challenge audiences to see the humanity in what we might define as a taboo - to question is this Bad or isn't this simply Human? www.MaraLeeGilbert.com