We were lucky to catch up with Erin Mahoney recently and have shared our conversation below.
Erin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I moved to NYC in 2013 just as my creative career was starting to take off in Vancouver, BC. I had written and co-produced a successful play that had been picked up by theaters in Canada and the US, and as an actor I was invited to work with some of the best companies in the city. Despite skepticism from friends and colleagues, I followed my gut to New York, and went from working in TV and theatre to working as a personal caretaker, then freelancer, then gig-economy hustler and finally into full-time work, first in Venture Capital then Public Relations. I was proud of my adaptability, the acquisition of new skills, and the consistent application of my creativity across myriad settings, but in the hustle of surviving the big city, I lost sight of the dream I came here for: to be an actor and playwright. I wondered if a stranger observing my life could identify who I was and what I wanted based solely through my actions. The answer to that question gutted me, so I set out to make some changes.
They were small at first. I knew being near other creatives was key, so I started asking around about classes and groups, and a friend recommended I join The Actor’s Gym with Bobby Moresco, a space for actors and writers to develop their material. I felt the imposter syndrome big time, but I shared my play and committed early mornings and evenings before and after work to writing. Every week, I presented new pages, listening as actors brought my words to life. I started to believe in myself again.
Then, in May of this year, I was let go from my job. The head of the PR agency I was working with offered support for career next steps, but with a crucial question: was this what I wanted? He saw and supported my artistic aspiration while I worked for him. And I saw that my experiment was working – I was being seen as an artist again.
This summer I chose to take another risk: dedicating myself to focus on completing my play and opening myself to acting opportunities. Despite the timing of the WGA and SAG strikes, I felt it was the right decision. Since leaving my job in May, I’ve performed Shakespeare, participated in staged readings, and made significant progress on my play. My work has garnered interest from a popular reading series, and I’ve been invited to present a reading of my play in the city I love.
I don’t have a neat conclusion for this story, it’s very much in process. I will say this: it’s powerful to know that when you trust that your desires are enough, and take actions that align with them, people will believe you.
Erin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I studied theatre at a Christian university in British Columbia when Juilliard wouldn’t take me! I don’t know I would have explored playwriting if I hadn’t been immersed in other aspects of the craft than acting. While I missed my final semester (and walking with my graduating class), I was cast in a lead role in my first professional production which brought me to Vancouver in 2010.
My first play “The Selkie Wife” was produced as part of the Vancouver International Fringe Festival on Granville Island. After its original production, the play was picked up and produced by companies in St. Paul, Minnesota and Rosebud, Alberta. I wrote and performed in several short plays in B.C. and as an actor, worked on some of the leading stages in Vancouver.
I moved to New York in 2013 to study with Labyrinth Theatre Company, and my short play “Rich & Laci” was produced at Cherry Lane Theater as part of the Daisy Collective, a group of women writers and actors born out of the Labyrinth 2014 winter ensemble. As an actor I starred in the short film “City Stars,” directed by award-winning director Jessica Mendez Siqueros, a fellow Lab-rat.
My play “As Little Children” was commissioned and produced by Trinity Western University in 2015. Over the last eight years I have been researching and developing a full-length play called “The Second Coming,” which will have its first public staged reading in New York City this fall. The play is about gay Christians caught in the crossfires of belief and sexuality. My writing has been hugely influenced by growing up in the evangelical church.
You can come see me in an upcoming staged reading of Donnie Jarman’s “Hubcap Moon” at the Actor’s Temple Theater – 339 W. 47th St. – at 7:30pm on Wednesday, September 27. Follow my social media for news on upcoming projects, including the staged reading of my play “The Second Coming.”
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I may not be in a position to speak to how society ought to better support artists, but on an individual level, generosity is the way, for sure. Even when you don’t think you have the clout or resources to support artists, there’s always something you can do. Read their play. Go to their art shows. Introduce them to artists they might jive with. Give them your time and your attention and encourage them when they’re down. It won’t just help them: it will help you too. Feeling like you have something to give, even if it’s small, is really powerful. It makes me think of Lewis Hyde’s “The Gift: How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World.” Widen the circle!
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I’d been more comfortable with failure. Like so many of us I was taught to see failure as humiliation; something to be avoided at all costs. The CEO of Spanx shares a story about how her dad would ask each member of their family to go around their dinner table and share a personal failure they’d experienced that day. It was only considered a fail if there had been no failure, because it meant they didn’t try. Her dad understood that taking risks and making mistakes was the most fertile ground for discovery and connection, and he taught his kids to put themselves out there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eringermaine.com/
- Instagram: @eriingermaine
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eringmahoney/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-mahoney-61855859/
Image Credits
1. Rooftop photo by Jo Lees 2. Comedy of Errors photo by Hamilton Clancy 3. Headshot photo by Coco Jourdana 4. Actor’s Gym photo by Jam Murphy