Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mar Di Meglio. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mar , appreciate you joining us 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.
Everything in life carries a risk. From the moment we begin making choices, we start gambling, sometimes with opportunities, sometimes with comfort, and sometimes with who we are. My first risks were not about danger or adrenaline; they were about identity.
As a kid, I did not choose soccer, tennis, or field hockey like everyone else. I chose singing. While my classmates were chasing balls across fields, I was chasing melodies in my bedroom, trying to understand how a voice could hold emotion. I was always singing, but I found my true passion for theatre in high school, after my band split and I did not know what to do with my voice. Theatre gave it purpose again.
Later, as a teenager, I took another small but meaningful risk. I preferred solitude over parties, staying home to read or write instead of forcing myself to fit in. Then came the one that truly set me apart: being the only openly bisexual girl in my conservative high school. It was not something I announced for attention. It was simply the truth. But in that environment, the truth was already a risk.
Still, the biggest risk I ever took came at eighteen. I had just graduated high school in Argentina, and while my friends were preparing to become lawyers, doctors, or architects, I made a decision that even I could hardly believe. I would move to New York City to study musical theatre. Out of all possible careers, I chose one built on uncertainty, a field where success has no formula, where rejection is routine, and where talent is only part of the equation.
I remember the night I told my family. The dinner table fell silent. My friends said I was brave, but I could hear the doubt behind their smiles. The truth was, I was terrified. I had never lived alone, and although I knew English, I did not know it well enough to live in New York, something I quickly discovered when I arrived. I did not know how I would manage rent, homesickness, or the language barrier that made even ordering coffee feel like a performance. But I also knew that if I did not take this risk, I would spend my life wondering what could have happened if I had.
When I finally arrived in New York, the city was overwhelming, loud, fast, beautiful, and indifferent. Every audition, every class, every subway ride felt like a test. But little by little, the fear turned into fuel. I found people who understood me, who lived for the same art, who spoke in the language of stories and songs. I discovered that the risk I took was not only about geography or career. It was about becoming the person I was meant to be.
Looking back, I realize that every earlier risk, the singing child, the quiet teenager, the openly bisexual girl, prepared me for this one. Moving to New York did not just change my life. It confirmed that every meaningful step forward begins with uncertainty, and that is exactly what makes it worth taking.
My next step and risk is applying for an O-1 work visa. It feels like a new kind of leap because it asks the system to recognize me as an artist of extraordinary ability. It depends on building a paper trail of work, recommendations, and industry support, and on asking other people to believe in my career enough to help make it official. It is bureaucratic and fragile in ways that auditions are not, but it is also a commitment to continuing the work I love here. I am ready to take it.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Martina di Meglio Ballesteros, though most people call me Mar. I am an Argentinian actor and musical theatre performer based in New York City.
My artistic journey began with a love for singing, but I truly found my purpose in storytelling when I discovered theatre in high school. For a few years, I was part of a band performing pop and rock covers, which gave me my first experiences on stage. After the band ended, I began participating in musical productions in Argentina, where I fell in love with theatre and live performance.
In 2019, I came to New York to attend Go Broadway, an intensive musical theatre program, and had the opportunity to perform several times at the Argentinian Consulate. Those experiences confirmed my decision to pursue a professional career in the arts. I was accepted into The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and moved to New York at eighteen to continue my training.
Since graduating in February 2025, I have performed at Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Music Center, 54 Below, The Green Room 42, and other venues around the city. Each performance has been another step in shaping the kind of artist I want to become—one who connects through honesty and emotional truth.
My work focuses on authenticity. Whether I am performing a contemporary piece or something more classical, I aim to tell stories that feel human and alive. I am drawn to roles that explore vulnerability, resilience, and identity, characters who challenge both the performer and the audience to look deeper.
What sets me apart is my background and perspective. Coming from Argentina has given me a distinct voice and a sensitivity to culture, rhythm, and emotional expression. I bring that into everything I do, combining technique with a genuine curiosity about people and what drives them.
Beyond performing, I am passionate about creating work that represents diverse voices and experiences. I believe theatre has the power to make people feel seen, and I hope my work contributes to that in some small way.
At this stage in my career, I am preparing to take my next big step by applying for my O-1 work visa. It is both a challenge and a statement of commitment, a way of saying that I am ready to continue building my artistic life in the city that has shaped me so deeply.
What I am most proud of is how each risk I have taken has brought me closer to the artist I want to be. I hope people who follow my journey see someone who leads with honesty, passion, and a real love for the craft.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal as an artist is to tell stories that make people feel seen. I believe theatre has a unique power to connect us through honesty, and I want my work to reflect that. Every performance, whether it’s in a musical, a play, or a concert, is a chance to explore truth and emotion in a way that reminds audiences of their own humanity.
I’m also deeply driven by the sense of community that theatre creates the way it brings people together, both on and off stage, to share something that exists only in that moment. Coming from Argentina, I carry a desire to build bridges between cultures and to bring more Latin American voices and perspectives into the musical theatre world. My mission is to keep growing as a performer who leads with authenticity, empathy, and courage, and to be part of the kind of storytelling that not only moves people, but unites them.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A big lesson I had to unlearn was the idea that perfection equals success. I know it probably sounds cliché, and everyone says it, but you do not truly understand it until you experience it yourself. When I first started studying musical theatre, I thought the goal was to be flawless, to sing every note perfectly, to hit every emotional beat exactly right. But that mindset quickly became exhausting and disconnected me from what I actually love about performing.
The turning point came during my training in New York. I realized that audiences do not connect to perfection, they connect to truth. The moments when my voice cracked a little or when I let go of control and simply existed in the scene were the ones that felt the most real. I had to unlearn the pressure to prove myself and instead learn to trust that vulnerability is what makes art powerful.
Now, I see performance as a living, imperfect exchange. It is not about showing how good I am, it is about showing how human I am.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Mar.dimeglio
