Today we’d like to introduce you to Mari Blake

Hi Mari, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

I was always a performer at heart, even before I started acting. As an infant, I started child modeling, so I quickly became comfortable with being in front of people and going into new environments. I loved playing dress up at modeling jobs and assuming what I started to think of as “roles” even when no one was expecting that of me.

But what really got me into acting was watching classic movie musicals. I would march around my parents house as young as four years old and belt the songs from “Annie”, until they were so sick of it that they contacted a local community theatre about performance opportunities.

I was in my first musical review at four, and my first ever production of “The Wizard of Oz” at five, and since then I haven’t been able to get enough of being on stage. I continued with modeling and musical theatre all throughout my childhood and into high school, when it became clear that acting was something I wanted to do professional.

I had the good fortune of attending Elon University for my BFA in acting, where I studied along side some incredibly talented peers and under the mentorship of people who were really able to push me out of my comfort zone for the first time and introduce me to the technique that has since defined my career.

Nowadays, I’m performing as much as possible! Theatre, film, commercials, the occasional modeling job, you name it! And I still love it as much as I did in the beginning.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Oh, absolutely not! I still have moments where I start to question if I’m pursing the right path. But there’s always something that convinces me that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

One of the most challenging moments I faced was when I was a senior in high school, auditioning for BFA programs. At the time, it felt so “end-all-be-all” – like if I didn’t get into the program of my desire, it meant that I wasn’t cut out for this industry. Looking back on it now, I can see how silly that perspective is!

I auditioned at several schools and was turned down from all of them. It was a real let down. I attended Elon University with the intention of pursuing an English degree (which I did), and also re-auditioning for their program in the winter (which I also did). It wasn’t until my second time around that I was accepted to their program.

That experience taught me a lot of things about myself and about the industry. It taught me the importance of timing, it taught me that doubling down on your efforts to reach a goal can pay off, and it taught me that I have what it takes to commit to something that I really want.

Thinking about it now, I can say that I have never suffered a disappointment that I didn’t learn from. I am grateful for each and every one of them, even if they hurt at the time.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

First and foremost, I would say that I’m an actor. I have dabbled in some other aspects of theatre/film: writing, directing, filmmaking, etc., but it’s always performance that I come back to.

People often ask me: do you prefer theatre or film? And I honestly can’t pick one! When I was younger and hadn’t done much film work, I used to think that the two “styles” of acting (theatre or film) were very different and I really struggled to tone down my usual technique, so that it looked better on film. But the more, I work in either medium, the more I find that one “style” lends itself to the other and vice versa. Acting is acting! The truth is the truth! And audiences will always know when your acting isn’t truthful!

A recent accomplishment I’m proud of is that my short film “Moondays”, written and directed by Mark DePasquale, premiered in October at FilmQuest, one of the premiere genre festivals in the US. “Moondays” was the first film I’d shot on a sound stage with LED screens as a background and the experience was very exciting. Sci-fi is such a cool genre because literally anything is possible.

I always struggle to say what sets me apart from other actors because my technique at this point is really a patchwork of things I’ve learned from other people. If anything sets my apart, I would say it’s my openness to change and my willingness to learn as I go. I take pride on being directable and allowing myself to play around until I find what works.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?

In theory, risk taking is a great and important part of the artistic process. In practice, I’d be lying if I said it came easily to me. I’ve always been a very practical person, and in a sense, risk taking isn’t practical. But being an artist also isn’t practical, so there!

I’m starting to think that risk taking is more of a learned skill than a predisposition. I think the biggest thing I learned while getting my BFA wasn’t really “acting”, whatever that means, but learning how to become more adaptable, more free, and more present, and when it comes down to it, that’s what risk taking is: a readiness for whatever might come your way.

I take a risk every time I step on stage. I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen when I’m out there, but I’m committing to be present for it. I can’t pinpoint the exact risks I’ve taken because each one leads me to the next, and over time, it becomes habit.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mariblake.com
• Instagram: @macaroni_blake
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mariblake6148

Image Credits

Pioneer Playhouse, Tiffany (Hazel), Will Mustin, Dominica Ericksen, Sam Fenkel, Nolan Maraziti, Mark DePasquale, Jelani Paul, Nick Grimaldi, Eddy Kwon, Yuxi Zhu, Rebecca Forteau, Jonathan Barbee