Wise Women Wednesday: Mary Boyer
Q. Who are you? What is your background?
A. I don’t know! And I love that at nearly 70 years old I can say that. I say that because I have been and done so much in my life and I am still evolving! I hope I will be saying that at 100 years old. I have never believed that we can only grab one brass ring on the carousel ride. But to try to answer your question: I am a middle child from a very large Midwest family and within my family I am the organizer, the caretaker, the funster, the cleaner, the risk-taker; to family and friends I am known as ‘the energizer bunny’.
I graduated from The University of Detroit with a BA in Theatre and took that degree with me right to NYC as soon as I graduated. I lived in NYC for 47 years making my living as an Actress, Acting Teacher, Owner of a well-respected acting studio, Director, Producer, Office Manager for a large corporate concern, Veterinary Technician, and a New York City Police Officer for about four years along the way!
Most importantly, I am mother to six cats.
I moved back to my hometown of Toledo, OH two years ago, back with my family, to start a professional theatre company here. Toledo has a fabulous Symphony, Opera Company, Ballet Company, world renowned Art Museum, and deserves a professional theatre company as well.
Q. What is your work?
A. My new theatre company, The Lakeside Theatre Company, was co-founded with my best friend of 50 year. It is dedicated to fostering a resurgence of comedic and dramatic American classics, particularly of the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. We want to celebrate the overwhelming power of theatre to illuminate the human condition. Live theatre is one of the greatest shared human experiences there is.
Our first production will be The Heiress by Ruth & Augustus Goetz and opens July 25th, 2019. Please check out our website for all of the wonderful details of this show and the rest of our first season: www.thelakesidetheatrecompany.com.
Q. What is one project you're excited to be working on right now?
A. The premiere production of our new theatre company is the culmination of years of dreaming of starting a regional theatre. As a new not-for-profit company there have been numerous hurdles to overcome, and when you work with a limited budget, you have to be prepared to wear many hats to get it off the ground: Director, Set Designer, Costume Designer, Props Mistress. Lights I leave to someone else! My cast is glorious and production work began several weeks ago and rehearsals begin June 24th. I can’t wait.
Q. What is one thing you've done recently that's scared you and took courage, but you're glad you did?
A. Clearly starting this company is risky…very risky…but a life without risks is no life at all. Many things that I have done in my life have taken a great deal of courage. I am glad that I am still willing to risk, and that I have never lost that ability (no matter how scared I am inside of failure…and I am!).
Q. What is the work you most want to be doing and are you doing it? If not, why not? What's stopping you?
A. Well, I am doing it. But I think that whatever we do in life, we have to embrace it and say ‘I have chosen to do this’. Even doing what I want to be doing is not always fun, not always rewarding, not always successful. I’ve had to take detours numerous times in life because of things like family, paying the bills, etc. But I have chosen those detours ultimately to be able to do what I want to do. We can’t think of the detours as stopping us. They enable us to do the work we want to be doing. We can’t resent those detours. But we have to manage them well and not lose sight of our goals.
Q. What would you tell your high school or college self?
A. I would tell myself to stop constantly thinking about myself and my problems and increase my awareness of other people (especially those that I love) and the world around me. I was too oblivious in my youth and I regret that. I missed too many opportunities to become a richer human being when I was young. I have worked to make up for it, but it is too late for some of those chances as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles have passed on.
Q. What's one piece of advice or motto you love and use in your daily life that you would like to share with my sweet readers?
A. “And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once”, Friedrich Nietzsche. Dancing gives almost every single human being joy. I am not talking about formal dancing…I am talking about what I call ‘silly dancing’. I can be talking to someone and break into a moment of fake tap dancing with flapping arms and big full-face grin! It relaxes me and boosts my spirits. It makes me laugh. I dance for my cats; I dance for my laundry.
Q. What keeps you creating when you don't feel like it?
A. See 7! DANCING! And…thinking about the effect my work will have on an audience member; transporting them, helping them to laugh, to cry, to empathize.
Q. Anything else you'd like to share?
A. Live in the moment. We hear it all of the time…we struggle with it all of the time…but we should never give up trying. How amazing it is when we can.
Q. What's your favorite yoga pose?
A. The child’s pose; it feels so ‘right’.
Q. How do you live a life of abundance?
A. Acting as if I already have it. When I can do that…abundance comes. When I begin to be worried and fear gets ahold…abundance goes out the door.
