We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Misha Mullany a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Misha, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The story of this particular risk was unexpected. For my entire life, I had only ever considered myself an actor. I was lucky enough to graduate from a B.F.A. program and grew up doing community theater. The path was always: “Find A Way To Act On Broadway”.

But like every other theatre creator, I was affected by Covid-19 taking away the ability to practice the art I love. My art. But “Pre-Covid,” I hadn’t taken ownership of my art yet. I was still reaching for some far off vision of success, spending my days in audition waiting rooms and praying for my big break. Covid forced me to become desperate.

I started to search for any way to do theatre, sending in self-tapes and taking part in zoom readings. I felt isolated and discouraged. But sometimes, when you have nothing to lose, it allows you to take the biggest risks. The best risk I’ve ever taken was to begin writing.

After experiencing a loss, I began to turn my grief into a way to process my emotions. Slowly the melodies started to come, then the lyrics, and finally the story. Once I felt I had enough material for the first draft of my 10-song concept album, I took another risk. I put a listing on backstage to hire my co-composer. It took a little effort to get over my pride of “doing-it-myself” to realize I needed help if I wanted my idea to see the light of day in this decade. And after all, my favorite part of doing theater has always been the collaboration.

For the past 4 years we’ve worked together on this musical to bring it from 10-song concept album to a full 2-hour musical. I’ve taken the risk to keep believing in myself and set ambitious goals such as “I want to put up our show in a 99 seat theater” and “I want to perform the show in front of Producers”. I’ve learned the biggest risks give the biggest rewards. I’ve also learned that those rewards don’t always come when or how you expected.

While I’m still on my writing journey, seeing if my show will ever make it to Broadway one day, I’ve learned that there’s so much more to me as a theater creator. I’ve been an actor, director, writer, lyricist, composer, and so much more due to sheer necessity and “why the heck not?”. Creating my own opportunities not only uplifts my career, but also allows me to create safe and exciting theater spaces for others, from the rehearsal room to the stage.

Taking the risk to be a writer has taught me so much, but most of all, a new found sense of who I am as a theater creator, and even better, who I’d like to be.

Misha, 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?

Hi! I’m Misha Mullany, a Musical Theater Writer & Actor.

I am a writer, composer, lyricist, and actor, known for my genre-defying musicals and deeply moving storytelling. I have written and produced multiple shows that have been seen in NYC and beyond, most notably “Infernal: The Musical” which was recently featured in Playbill for its reading at Theatre 555. Through my work, I seek to build spaces for other emerging artists and create art that connects with others. After all, what theatre does best, is bring people together.

I first started acting when I was 7 years old in local children’s theater productions. My first ever role was as a duckling in Honk Jr.! In 2019, I graduated from NYU Tisch’s School of the Arts in their Experimental Theater Wing. It was here that I got to work among the greatest minds in my field and discovered my love of writing.

As a theater creator I am constantly seeking the best form to fit the content, then turning those expectations on their head, and challenging my and other people’s ideas of what art can be. My work accordions style and structure to create inspired pieces that surprise and delight and where form is just as vital to storytelling as story is. Most of all, I tell stories that heal and resonate with us all focusing on themes of loss, remorse, healing, forgiveness, and friendship. And stories that make us believe that anything is possible.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think non-creatives tend to have a very singular view of success. There is an expectation for them to continually be moving forward. But for creatives sometimes you have to take a step back, or move laterally, or even take a long break in order to refocus on your art.

I think another factor in why non-creatives can struggle to understand a path in the arts is due to the very standardized path of most other fields. You go to school, complete studies or internships, and move into a full-time role. For theater creators, you could spend years auditioning and taking classes just to be seen in rooms where you could be considered for the role.

For me, my journey has been much more focused on growing in my craft. Learning new ways to approach my work as a writer and an actor, but also to experiment with other forms of theater creation, from producing, to design, to even social media. It is so important these days to be multi-faceted in your approach to theater creativity in order to make your own opportunities and be “successful”.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Definitely!

I think it took me way too long to realize how many resources are out there. I kind of had this disillusion that after college “you’re on your own”, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

I would suggest to everyone to see what kind of acting classes are in their local communities, and a good google search into producing masterclasses, writing workshops, and anything else you may be interested in will open the door to so much knowledge that is out there if you’re just willing to look.

Some of my favorite resources are New Musicals Inc. (NMI) and MusicalWriters.com

I also firmly believe every creative should read Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way”, as I feel it such a catalyst to the creative process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mishamullany.com
• Instagram: @missmishamullany
• Facebook: Misha Mullany Actress Official
• Youtube: @infernalthemusical
• Other: Tiktok: @infernalthemusical

Image Credits

Peter Baiamante, Chris Macke, Aleksandar Kamenev