Author, teacher, image and career coach, Mari Lyn has guided thousands of actors in a career that spans four decades. She was the director of casting, East Coast, for ABC NY for over thirteen years and discovered talent for the ABC talent and development program.  Her workshops and seminars on on-camera techniques, script analysis, auditioning and impression management have been presented in cities and universities across the country.

She has co-authored five editions of HOW TO BE A WORKING ACTOR with the late Lynne Rogers. Dubbed the ‘bible of the biz’ for over 30 years, it has received praise from industry professionals, educators, and celebrities. Tony winning actor Joe Mantegna has called it ‘one of the most comprehensive books on show business I’ve ever read and I highly recommend it as an addition to any actor’s library.’  (www.howtobeaworkingactor.com)

For over twenty years Mari Lyn was on the guest faculty of The Circle in the Square Theatre School (NYC) advising students about career preparation and the realities of the business.  She is the founder of the Society for the Preservation of Theatrical History and producer of the program “Stage Struck: Reclaiming the History of Women in Theatre” to honor those actors who made contributions to the profession of acting as a respectable occupation and inspired those who followed them.  As a theatre historian, Mari Lyn was the director of the heritage program for The League of Professional Theatre Women (www.theatrewomen.org) and in 2019 she received a Special Award from LPTW at their annual gala for her contributions to the industry, advocacy and heritage.

She is currently writing a new book entitled The Total Actor: A Guide to Survival, Success and Heritage and hopes to update and revise her graduate thesis “Change Your Act or Go Back to the Woods: The Drama in American Vaudeville 1893-1925.
Degrees: BA, San Jose State University; MA in Theatre, Catholic University of America, Washington D.C.  Member, Episcopal Actors Guild, NYWIFT, Authors Guild.