Jon Benét Ramsey The Musical

I will be playing Detective Arndt, the Judge and several ensemble roles in the first premiere of Jon Benét Ramsey The Musical, featuring at the Hollywood Fringe Festival this summer! When I first attended the audition for this musical, I did not know the story of sweet, innocent Jon Benét and the mysterious, unsolved case. The witty, daring musical director and writer have created a show that is very entertaining, informative and features many Broadway Songs but adapted to tell the story about Jon Benét’s murder, including Phantom’s ‘Masquerade’, Les Miserables ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, Sound of Music’s ‘Favorite Things’ and Chicago’s ‘Razzle Dazzle’.  I have had a blast so far with the incredibly, talented cast and directors. We also found out that Chuvy Bravo, from The Chelsea Lately Show, will be playing Jon Benét’! This will be an exciting experience. For ticket info click the link below:

Jon Benet Ramsey The Musical

Enjoy Each Moment

Don’t let the frustrations of the past and the projected fears of the future get in your way; stay true to you, your art form and enjoy each present moment!

Mary Rachel Gardner

Just Keep Swimming

To be human, one must be flawed and spectacular and deeply compassionate. Allow yourself to be imperfect and don’t get stuck on the shore; go with the current and open up into your ocean.

Mary Rachel Gardner

Be Courageous, Bold and Create Your Own Happiness

Greece is one of the few places on earth that can boast a history of over 5,000 years. It was the spiritual center of the then known world and during this time, philosophical and political exploration, literature, fine arts, and sciences evolved, that later affected the course of the Western civilization. The “Greek Legacy” is one of the most sophisticated intellectually, spiritually and includes some of the greatest thinkers of ancient times. The Hellenic culture has been contributing to so many others and to this day we see many of their practices still with us. Greeks live a life full of love, faith, dance, loyalty and of course delicious food. I’m so blessed to be a part of this vibrant culture and be able to share my traditions with others. I can proudly say that I represent my Greek ancestors with high spirits. During my childhood, I was surrounded by a flourishing Greek community and this significantly shaped how I pursue this crazy journey called “life”. I follow many of the Greek values and traditions my grandparents practiced; one in particular that means the most to me is to share stories about beauty in the world.

The story I want to share today is about my grandfather, Papou (παππούς in Greek), Dr. Constantine Michael Glafkides, and his tremendous influence not just on my life but so many other lives too. My Papou, a San Francisco native, attended Lowell High School and helped the football team win the AAA championship in 1941. His studies in Physiology at UC Berkeley were cut short when he entered the Navy during World War II, serving as a lieutenant on a troop transport ship in the South Pacific. After serving in the Navy, he married my grandmother, Yiayia (Yιαγιά in Greek), Mary Maneatis, and returned to UC Berkeley, earning his Bachelor’s Degree and Doctorate in Physiology. In 1952, he entered medical school at UCSF, and two years later he became a father as my Yiayia gave birth to their first born, my mother, Aspasia Glafkides. He overcame tremendous obstacles while being a new father, devout member of the Greek Orthodox Church, and finishing his education. After completing his medical degree, he and five other doctors formed a private practice that later developed into the Bay Pacific Health Plan, one of the first health maintenance organizations of its kind in the Bay Area. He also founded a full-service outpatient clinic and health center in San Bruno and during 1976-77, he served as the president of the San Mateo County Medical Society. During my Papou’s career, he enjoyed reaching out to his patients, treating and healing not just their bodies but their souls too.

The values, dedications and aspirations which my Papou honored were those from his Greek heritage. A piece of advice that I distinctly remember my Papou saying to me was, “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Fight for your dreams and never let anyone take your happiness away; you create your own happiness”. I watched my grandfather live by contributing so much of his time and energy to help others; he was a true healer and always brought out a great laugh. My strong connection with Greek culture and my Papou motivated me to pursue the same visions to help and free others, but through entertainment.

My passions for entertainment began after my first dance recital at the age of six. I thrived on the freedom and thrill performances offered me; consequently, I wanted to experience and learn everything about performing. After grabbing the female lead role in four of my High School productions, I became aware of my talents and gained some confidence. With the feedback I had received from audience members after performances, I became aware that art is powerfully engaging, uplifting and beautiful. As a growing artist, I saw myself as an influential role model.

My commitment and dedication to pursue new art forms evidently showed during High School. I clearly chose to make my acting, singing and dancing a priority when a conflict arose between a musical production and a sports team. I grew up as an athlete in addition to my dance and passion for theatre. I played soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis and ran track. I literally lived “The High School Musical”, except I didn’t have a six pack (aka Zac Efron) and my school did not let you dance on tables whenever you felt like busting out into song. I handled what could have been an unpleasant situation with clarity and class, and was able to gracefully balance my two passions, Sports and Entertainment. I made the choice to develop and focus solely on my performance skills for the following show/season to alleviate some of the stress and drama from the last experiment. After several years of being one of my High School’s leading varsity athletes, this was undoubtedly a tough decision for me, but it truly demonstrated my determination to be an artist.

If I never heard and experienced the stories about my Papou’s endless love, faith and perseverance, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to fight for my passions even though they were considered as two “separate” worlds. Either way, I’m incredibly blessed to have had so much light and laughter constantly beaming from my Papou. He was probably one of the most incredibly generous, brilliant, goofy, and humble healers I had ever known. I was always told growing up, mainly from my Yiayia and Papou, that I’d be a great Doctor or Pediatrician. If I didn’t have a true passion for creative arts, I definitely would have pursued medicine especially with children. But I truly believe my stars are aligned on a more creative path and I’m proud to say that I am an artist. I’ve been enjoying each moment of this unpredictable roller coaster ride called “Hollywood”! Hop on and buckle up with me, because this will be a beautiful ride!

I’d love to end this story today with some inspiring words that one of the most gifted actresses I have studied, Eleonora Duse, known for her potent magic in the Theatre, said about art; “…a great force capable of spreading beauty and understanding, whose function it was to quicken in the minds and hearts of the people an appreciation of the nobility of suffering, to awaken in them a sense of the sublime; to rouse them from their torpor and through a heightening of the motions make them aware of the mystery and wonder of the human spirit” (The Mystic in the Theatre, Ella Le Gallienne).

Amazon.com: The Mystic in the Theatre

Mary Rachel Gardner

My Journey as an Artist

I am Mary Rachel Gardner, nickname MayRay; born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by a big Greek family. I’m known for my sense of humor, genuine presence and yummy cooking. Since I was a child, I loved sharing stories and challenging perspectives with almost anyone.

I graduated from USC in 2013 with a major in Acting and double minor in Business and Film Production; I also spent a semester abroad studying at a theatre conservatory in London (BADA). I have been performing since I was six years old; constantly active with dance, musical theatre, and filmmaking. While at USC, I acted in numerous student films and had the pleasure of performing in Top Girls as Patient Griselda/Nell, and Tristan and Yseult as a Love-spotter. I wrote, produced, and acted in some of my own short films as well.

While theatre and film are significant players in my life, I am also passionate about the “behind the scenes” aspects of entertainment. I worked at several production companies, such as Steve Carell’s Carousel Productions and agencies such as William Morris Endeavor. I even had the incredible opportunity to work at The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where I learned about the production and operation elements of running a live television show.

All of these amazing experiences have further fueled my passion for entertainment; which is why I am currently pursuing my acting, writing and producing career in Los Angeles. Since graduating from USC, I have starred as the lead in several plays, musicals, short independent films, and I was a featured dancer in the upcoming feature-length film Breaking Legs. I have also developed many of my own independent projects with my production company Kalliste Zoe Productions; including music videos, parodies, comedic sketches and short films.

I am eager and ready to contribute my talents and collaborate professionally with others in the entertainment industry as an artist. I truly feel at home when entertaining others, whether I am on the stage, in front of or behind the camera. These past few years have reassured me that I have found my niche and am truly looking forward to the new adventures ahead.

Some inspiration for my fellow artists; You, actor, must master the art of observation…for what matters is not how you look but what you have seen and can show us…Your task, actors, is to be explorers and teachers of the art of dealing with people. Knowing their nature and demonstrating it, you teach them to deal with themselves. You teach them the great art of living together — (Bertold Brecht)

One of the Radiant Fabrics of Society

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2016 is to purge through everything I own and keep only essential items. This is definitely easier said than done, because I found it difficult to throw certain things away as I stumbled across them. I was recently going through piles and piles of old papers, throwing out what I don’t need anymore and scanning copies of documents I should save just in case. I’m also an environmental freak; I reuse paper, plastic bags, utensils, and I unplug appliances when I don’t use them. Ideally, I’d like get to a “paperless place”, but realistically that will take  time and lots of patience. Instead, I decided to keep certain notes from inspiring classes, essays and memorabilia items such as tickets, playbills, letters, pictures etc.

One essay in particular that I re-discovered was this contest I won during my senior year of High School. It’s a short, enjoyable read and it was about my mother, Sia Glafkides, who is very close and dear to my heart. She has overcome so many obstacles in life while being a single mother, raising two children; she always put her family and career first. Therefore she became a successful Real Estate Broker, helping hundreds of families in the San Francisco Bay Area. I admire her incredible spiritual strength, intelligence, creativity and generosity. She has been an amazing support for me while I pursue an unpredictable career in entertainment, so I dedicate this post to her. Thanks mom for always believing in me. I can’t wait for you to help me find my Home Sweet Home one day!

Sia Glafkides Real Estate

If you can manage to read the essay from the picture, please enjoy a compelling, inspirational story about a real estate agent that changes lives. If people are really interested and have trouble reading it, please comment and let me know; I will gladly re-type it for all to enjoy.

 

The Open Call from Hell

I was able to muster up the courage and strength this morning to attend my first open call of 2016. While I managed to stay mostly positive, productive and patient, I couldn’t help but remember why I hate this process. Why did I think the New Year would make these open calls feel any different? In the world of Theatre “open call” auditions, unless you have Equity Membership standings, you’ll be doing a whole lot of waiting. Equity members can call ahead to make appointments and even if they don’t, no matter what time they show up, they move to the front of the line with the rest of the members. It’s discouraging every time when I attend these open calls, because I can’t help but wonder if it’s even worth it.

Floating around in the Non-Union abyss unfortunately has its downfalls:

1. You have to show up hours before the “sign-up” time, which is already early as it is, and it’s nearly impossible to gage when it’s the best time to show up so you’re at the front of the line
2. Waiting outside in the cold morning air; most lines start outside of the audition buildings while you wait for someone to open up and pile everyone in
3. Your place in line is constantly changing; you’ll keep getting bumped down the list as every Equity member shows up
4. It’s unavoidable, but you’ll end up entering the audition room with a huge “NU” scar across your forehead. Watch out for the Death Eaters!

Even what you wear goes into consideration. Do you dress cute, casual and go in as yourself? Or do you go all out and walk in as if you’re ready to perform in a show? Obviously it helps the panel to imagine you as a particular character if you’re dressed right for the part or time period, but should it really matter? I also have never seen so much makeup, fake bouncy curls, and fancy dresses matched with glamorous heels at these open calls. Do the heels really help ladies or does it end up distracting from your real talent?

The one thing I do enjoy about these auditions is the people watching. I always find it fascinating to observe how my fellow competitors behave while waiting. You’ll consistently see the nervous nellies, the overly confident royalty, the nerds, the outlanders, and the gossiping group of friends that won’t shut up. As the stereotypes bring me back to high school, I stumble across judgmental, darting eyes and uneasy energy. Hence, why I always bring something to stay occupied and distracted with; whether it’s a compelling book, my IPad or headphones to tune out the chatty Cathy’s.

There really is a significance to the words “commitment” and “dedication” at these overly-populated open calls. The big accomplishment for the day is when your name is finally called, you get the opportunity to be seen and you can feel like you didn’t waste your entire day. However, is “being seen” really even worth it in the end?

I can’t help but wonder if the Equity talent gets more of the lime light because they have shiny membership cards. When it’s considered an “Equity Open Call” and they allow “Non-Union” actors to sign up, will they actually consider the non-union talent for the roles or is it just a courtesy audition because we showed up and waited for what seems like days? I’d rather they look at my headshot/resume beforehand, consider whether I look right for a role in the show or not, and then say yay or nay to going through with an audition. How can we “non-unioners” ever get a fair chance at being a part of some incredible productions and joining the union with this process?

When you’re waiting for five hours straight and haven’t eaten much, the mind does tend to wander, judge and over-analyze each step of these open calls. So it’s important to stay focused, positive and trust the journey. I obviously don’t attend every single open call, but I definitely try to attend one any chance I can, because in the end you never know what might happen. The projects that are meant to be will be. I might get lucky at one of these open calls and land a lead role, or more realistically, I might not. I treat each one of these open calls as another opportunity to challenge myself, play and share my truth.

Mary Rachel Gardner