- babygirlsherman@hotmail.com
- (775) 846-2115
-
Community
-
Creative Aging
-
Education
Mary Bennett
- Theatre
- Multiple Disciplines
Mary Bennett is a Kennedy Center trained teaching artist. She works as an artist in residence with Nevada Arts Council and Sierra Arts Foundation, focusing on theatre arts, and has worked as an arts integration specialist since 2000.
Bennett has worked with teachers, students, and leaders at over 100 different schools and organizations in Nevada and the west coast to enhance and build theatre departments, train teachers in theatrical tools, build curriculum, and integrate arts in education. She works at conferences, schools, organizations, libraries, theatre companies, and workplaces. Her training in improvisation, acting, theatrical movement, creation, play and community making, mask work, leadership, and direction are prevalent in her work.
Currently, Bennett is the Producing Artistic Director of Brüka Theatre in Reno and The Carson City Ghost Walk. As a professional theatre artist, she considers herself a renaissance person creating as an actor, playwright, director, producer and theatre maker. She enjoys commissions from organisations such as The Nevada Museum Of Art and the National Alliance on Mental Illness to bring characters to life for performance and exhibits. Her one woman original show, "Dorothy Parker … Shivering and Sighing," won Best of The San Francisco Fringe Festival and toured nationally.
Bennett's stage training and performance includes The American Conservatory Theatre–San Francisco; Bay Area TheatreSports (BATS); Dell Arte’ International Theatre Company; New York Stage & Film; B Street Theatre; Brüka Theatre; GLM Theatre Company; The Reno Philharmonic; Reno Jazz Orchestra; Sierra Nevada Ballet; Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival; and The Missoula Children’s Theatre. Her film performances includes Sister Act, Dear George, and Nowhere Nevada. She is also a voiceover artist and enjoys advocacy, writing poetry, essays, short stories, and historical research. She is currently working with and teaching the middle school drama program at Doral Academy in Reno, Nevada.
As an actor and theatre maker, Bennett performs in and develops various styles of shows, including 15 years of seasons at Bruka Theatre, mysteries, site specific interactive performances, and Brüka Theatre For Children. She is developing a podcast of theatrical storytelling for the Carson City Ghost Walk, "(Inside) Madame Curry’s Curiosity Shoppe."
School & community workshops
Actor Workout – A series of stand alone hour long workshops that blend physical theatre and acting tools from cold reading, monologues, improvisation and world building to give actors of all levels an hour long artistic workout.
The Art Of Direction – based on the book by William Ball, this workshop uses directing tools including world building, tactics, preperation, organization, team building, visioning and implementation to create well rounded and articulate directors. Can be done in a 4, 8 or 12 hour workshop.
Yes And Culture … what began as a creative aging workshop is suitable for all age groups. Using the positive “”yes and”” concept from improvisation we create confindence in storytelling, creating community connection, understanding, humor and playfulness through scenerios and improv tools.
Tableau – Three Part Story – Understanding the concept and structure of “”Tableau”” or Frozen Pictures to storytell, re create or play make in simple to complex ways. Classroom work, teacher training or playmaking.
Masks & Viewpoints – Using a combination of theatrical “”Viewpoints”” (stage movement) and masks, participants are led through character creation, body movement and scenarios for a deeper understanding of the actor, creation and performance.
Acting 101 – Basic acting tools for a variety of age groups that include confidence building, decision making, verbal and non – verbal tools and connecting with self, stage partners and the audience.
Speaking Out – Speaking Strong – Monologue workshop and coaching in emphasis, clarity and confidence for classroom, playmaking and community groups.
Solo Show – A series or introduction workshop honing ideas and putting them to paper and play for work in solo theatre.
The History Of Us – An 8 – 16 hour workshop focusing on the creation of a play about a specific place, character or event.
Teaching Artist Studio
