We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marian-MiaoYin Sing a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Marian-MiaoYin , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
Some of my earliest memories are of my parents encouraging me to be creative and artistic in every way! I was always involved with performance arts in some way. Singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, writing, composing music, and art of all kinds. Basically, everything you can do that needs a backup plan? I did it! I started in a traveling theater group from age 3, where singing, dancing, and acting in front of groups of people was made to be a normal part of my childhood. My father was involved in public television my entire young life as well, so being on sets was just life. Even during holidays, we would sing songs together as a family with harmonies and everything! Theater continued throughout my school years and beyond, and my parents were right there helping to paint sets or gather food when rehearsals ran long. My parents allowed me to chase my dreams and I will be forever grateful to them for feeding the flames of my creativity! Thanks Mom and Dad… love you.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I guess the entry point for acting would be theater. After the theater experience, I realized that the difference between theater and film acting was huge, so I decided to go to acting school ,studying Meisner technique. I got involved in the indie film scene in Knoxville, Tennessee, and found out Atlanta was just starting to rev up, so I made the jump! I got a place in Atlanta shortly after, and the rest is history! The transition to stunt work would begin with my Martial Arts background. I have been a practitioner, then a Sifu (teacher) of the Northern Praying Mantis style of Chinese Martial Arts over the last 25 years, and in doing so, I choreographed my students tournament and exhibition forms, which led to doing choreography for film with ActionATL. At ActionATL, my services include script analysis, character development, creature movement, actor coaching, and fight choreography. I also serve as an Assistant Stunt Coordinator for various productions we have had the privilege of contracting with. Each of us have a large selection of specialized skills, and by having such a wide spectrum of offerings, we at ActionATL can wear many hats for productions to save time, and money.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When I was first looking into starting to make my way in Atlanta, I learned about casting pages on Facebook. I saw a post for athletic men and women, amd sent in my pictures for the submission. It was a Friday. I received a call asking if I could be at a fitting on Monday! A decision had to be made. I was working at my business, and I paused on the phone for about 2 seconds and then said, “Yes, I can do that, no problem” When the time came, I woke up at two in the morning to start driving from Knoxville to Atlanta at Screen Gems Studio. I borrowed a friends car and I was on my way! At the Adairsville exit, my friends car overheated! I was stuck at a parking lot just off the Adairsville exit, and all I could think of was, ” Am I going to lose this opportunity before it even begins? I called my friend, who is a mechanic, and he said he could come with a flatbed amd fetch his car, so that was solved. Next came the issue of getting to the fitting! There was a lady playing on a bingo gambling machine in the back of thebgas station, so I went up to her and offered her 20 bucks to take me to the fitting and drop me off. She actually said yes! I got to my fitting. The final problem was getting back home! I was talking to one of the other people who was having a fitting, and asked her to drop me off at the Megabus station downtown. After getting dropped off, I went to the Megabus website, booked a ticket, and made it back to Knoxville! That was the beginning of everything. That production was The Hunger Games:: Mockingjay Part Two.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Funding for the arts has been being reduced for years. If we do not have programs to introduce the arts to each new generation, we will be doing a huge injustice to society. We must have the opportunity to expose every generation to the rich and amazing world of the arts, so it can continue to thrive and evolve!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mariansing.com
- Instagram: @mariansing
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/marian.sing
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/kungfuflipbook