mary powelson
Actor, Director, Writer, Educator
SAG-AFTRA Dramatists Guild
Something about me
Currently appearing in Lyle Kessler’s SHIT KICKERS at The Chain Theatre, NYC
As an actor, director, educator, playwright, and producer, Mary is a passionate steward for the Theatre and its impactful place in all communities. She made her NYC stage debut leading Doug DeVita’s Goddess of the Hunt as Diana. A member of New Ambassadors Theatre Company, NYC, she is dedicated to new play development, with additional experience in SF Bay Area theatre labs as well as Actors Studio West (LA) Playwrights Unit. She launched and helmed Salesian Theatre in San Francisco. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from San Francisco State. SAG-AFTRA and Dramatists Guild.
Dramaturg
The theatre moves forward with new works, new voices, and new forms. I work with writers, teachers, directors, and actors to embolden we humans to tell stories and take space. It’s a mission: in this moment, writers are continuing to write, and it’s been a privilege and a passion to work with new ideas and scripts, and bringing them to life – even over zoom.
I bring a directorial perspective to dramaturgy, and support the writer’s voice and the play’s narrative with critical and sometimes challenging questions about character, theme, setting, theatricality.
Teacher and Coach
I teach Writing, Script Analysis, Acting, Playwrighting, Humanities, and Literature. As a private coach, I prepare students auditioning for professional training programs in high school and college as well as tutor students who are writing college app essays. Students who have worked with me have been offered admission to SOTA (SF), NYU Tisch, New School, Boston U, Fordham LC, Emerson, SUNY, Oxford, UCs, Fullerton, and Cal Arts.
I am available for private tutoring, online and in-person.
Community
Starting with one afternoon in mid-March, 2020, I began online groups of playreading, starting with Hamlet. For five years, we built a community of artists from all over the world to read aloud, discussing story, character, argument, music, and ideas.
Zoom -based creative gatherings start up in March, 2026.
In-person labs forming in Manhattan in May, 2026.
reviews and testimonials
Kind thoughts from colleagues and clients.
Mary Powelson is the perfect example why someone should follow their instincts. Although she’d done a spectacular job as Diana in a zoom reading of GODDESS OF THE HUNT last fall, I didn’t think she’d consider coming to the east coast (she lives in San Francisco) to do a festival production. But after considerable trouble casting the role, I called her. “I don’t suppose you’d consider…” She was on the next plane to JFK. (Full disclosure: she was moving to NYC for a year anyway, and she was able to come just bit earlier to do the role.) And I’m so glad I listened to that little voice in my head; she is sublime. Funny. Terrifying. Perfect.
Mary is an incredibly supportive mentor who is very good at identifying your strengths and working with you to apply to college. She helped match me with the perfect monologue, one that complimented my style and acting skill, and coached me through finding my own interpretation of the text. She also helped me develop my college essay, working with me to bring out my voice through my writing. Mary also worked with us to determine what we should be looking for in theater colleges, helped us talk through options, and connected us with resources specific to our needs. When I moved to the audition phase of college prep, Mary coached me through practice sessions and built my confidence before the audition. I highly recommend working with Mary!
Mary is a builder of artistic communities, a terrific collaborator and listener, a practical organizer of groups, a clear communicator, and an artist who asks the key questions of a work of theater. Anyone who works with her will benefit from her intelligence, fierce kindness, talent, and experience.
She has a wholly original style that combines metaphor, poetry, and symbolism with an undercurrent of subtext that actors relish the opportunity to approach. Whenever I encounter her work, I marvel at her mastery of conflict, the aliveness of her dialogue, and the underlying heart and import of it all.I
As a director, Mary has an unfailing ability to find the heart in every character. As a dramaturg, she consistently teases out the soul of a play from its text. I don’t put a play out into the world without getting Mary’s unique lens focused on it first.
Mary is my go-to director and dramaturg. I am a writer and producer, and Mary has become essential in the development and production of my work. As a theatrical polymath—writer, director, dramaturge, actor, production manager—Mary brings rare insight and perspective to character development, structure, and dialogue.
We were fortunate to see Mary develop virtual, theatre-based programs for children and adults alike, using her extensive dramaturgical know-how to bring works to life on Zoom, and draw students more into the fold with an exploration of the canon. As ever, Mary was inspired — and inspiring — and her dedication to the truth and magic of theatre kept the members of her theatre cohorts more-than-sane, growing their love of the text, command of the roles, and attentiveness to the setting.
Working with Mary is a true pleasure, and our nonprofit clients agree. She helps develop effective and persuasive written content for our clients’ websites, donor communications, and event materials. She is an excellent project manager and approaches challenges with great positivity. She is relatable and kind, with a great sense of humor – our entire team and our clients really appreciate Mary.