Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mary Budd. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mary, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
When I was about 7 years old, I did what I now know was a completely improvised stand-up set for my Mom and my older Sister in my parents’ bedroom at the foot of their bed. My Mom and Sister were laughing so hard they were crying, and I remember feeling so proud that they were genuinely laughing because they thought I was funny. I don’t think any of it made much sense, but it didn’t matter. It made them laugh. I can’t tell you how incredibly powerful a feeling it is to make someone laugh. I love it, it truly fills my cup. I believe laughter is the best medicine. A good belly laugh will cure whatever ails you. From that moment on, I knew I was meant to perform. I did every possible acting or music-related activity I could find in school, and knew I wanted to move to Chicago for college to be in the city where it happens. The comedy scene in Chicago is so vast and wide, and I just knew I wanted to be a part of it.
Mary, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
When I got to Chicago for college, I immediately began looking for ways to perform. I auditioned for the school plays, and then I found out they had an improv team because my neighbor was in it. I asked him when auditions were, and he said they just happened, but I should try out next year. I did just that. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more in my entire life. The audition process went on for hours, and they let us know they would call with their decision. I walked to Panera and was sitting down when I got the call. They did a total fake-out with me before revealing that I made the team. I started crying and immediately called my Mom after hanging up with them. To me, this was making it. I knew this would send me on a trajectory for my whole career. I was on the college improv team for three years, and after graduating, I auditioned for a local improv comedy theater called pH Productions. I got in and went on to perform with them for the next eight years, doing improv, sketch, and some musical theater and written plays. I was so proud of the work we did in that space; we really made a name for ourselves in the Chicago comedy scene. I remember during one of my final shows, I didn’t have anyone in the audience I needed to say hi to, so I took my time in the dressing room before coming out to the front of the house. There was a little girl and her Dad standing there, and they said they were waiting for me to come out, because she wanted my autograph. She said she wanted to do what I do someday, and that she was so happy to see someone who looked like me performing because it gave her hope that she could do it too. I was basically holding back tears while talking to her, but I encouraged her to do whatever she could in school to hone her craft and to keep at it. Sometimes you get into a routine performing the same show, and you forget someone is seeing it for the first time, and you are literally changing their minds on what they thought was possible. I vowed to myself to never forget that moment and to show up every night to every show I do and leave it all on the stage. Because you just never know who is watching, and what impression you are leaving. That’s the best part about performing, and making people laugh, for that moment you are connected and experiencing this wonderful thing and living in this moment of joy. You get to forget the outside world and any worry or obligations you have, and just be present. I am now moving into stand-up, which was always something I wanted to do, but was too scared to try. I don’t think I could’ve actually done it when I was younger. I lacked any self-confidence to really give it my all, so I’m so glad I pushed past that fear and just went for it. As you get older, you begin to start to think about regrets, and I knew I didn’t want to regret this. It’s also so cool to have people come out of the woodwork that I haven’t spoken to in many years and tell me they are so glad to see I’m performing again. People I didn’t even think knew or looked at my social media pages. I think the biggest thing you learn is sometimes you just never know your impact until you take that risk, so go for it!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
No one defines your story but you. I had a dream of where I wanted to be when I moved to Chicago, and when I got as close as I would, I was essentially told no. I was devastated and believed for a long time that since they said no, that was it, the dream was over, end of story. I gave up. It took years for me to realize that it didn’t have to be that way. There are other paths, and just because that one door closed, there were so many others that were open and waiting for me to go through. It’s not truly over till YOU say it’s over. If you still believe there’s more, then don’t stop. There is always another way.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
People who don’t perform always say to me, “I could never do that, I’d be too scared to get up and do that.” I think it’s funny because as a performer, you are thinking I don’t know how I could sit there and not get up and do it. I feel so incredibly lucky to have people who support me and think the things I say are funny. It’s such a weird concept when you think about it. I get on stage and say things I think are funny to see if you think they are funny too. It’s always fun to see what works. To think, you thought something was funny, so you wrote it down, and then you said the words out loud on stage, and it made someone burst out laughing. That is the most rewarding thing. You get real, live feedback on the spot, and you just get to have fun. Sure, money is great because we live in a world where you need it to survive, but if we could do what we love regardless of money, we would do it all the time because it’s so rewarding. Now more than ever, we all need to laugh and just forget about the news cycle for 10 minutes, and sometimes I get to do just that for people. How absolutely rewarding is that? You get to bring someone you have possibly never met joy and happiness for those brief moments. It’s unbelievably fun and rewarding to get to do this work. I hope everyone is lucky enough to find their passion and see the impact of their work. It gives life meaning and purpose, and isn’t that what it’s all about?
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @marybuddchi
