My journey in acting and the world of performing began at a very young age. Being born to actor parents, I was constantly surrounded by the industry, and was inherently drawn to it. As a toddler I was seen in the feature film "Flannel Pajamas" by director Jeff Lipsky, and then - as I jokingly like to say - took a break from the industry to "pursue my academics" (in preschool). In elementary school, I studied for a few years at the Alvin Ailey School. My heart then moved to music - I learned piano and guitar, and began over a decade’s worth of voice lessons.
In middle school I was acquainted with my first Shakespearean sonnet & my love shifted entirely to the theatre. I begged my parents for an agent, and made it my goal to attend the Fame School, aka LaGuardia High School. At the age of 13, I was accepted to LaGuardia for both Drama & Vocal Music. I chose drama! At LaGuardia, I had the privilege of being a part of several shows and making my television debut.
Over my pre-teen and teen years I had the fortune of being parts of many different professional projects: performed at the esteemed Feinstein’s 54 Below a total of 4 times, made my regional debut in the play I AND YOU at Penguin Repertory Theatre in Stony Point, NY, been a cast member of a world premiere of a new play at Keen Company, gave voice to characters in several scripted podcasts, was the radio voice for Montefiore Health during the pandemic, and continued to audition and work professionally while doing in-school shows.
I am a firm believer in the magic & the importance of storytelling. I chose to pursue this passion at the collegiate level at Boston University’s School of Theatre, where I am obtaining my BFA in Acting with a concentration in Music Theatre. I am now both NYC & Boston based, a member of SAG-AFTRA, and continue to audition, work, & hone my craft professionally and in school. I made my Boston debut at SpeakEasy Stage, and will be in the world premiere of a new show at Boston Playwright's Theatre this fall. I am also a content creator, yoga sculpt teacher, and website designer! I look forward to further developing my journey in this field, and I hope you'll stay here a while and explore my little corner of the internet :)
“I love the theater as much as music, and the whole idea of getting across to an audience and making them laugh, making them cry - just making them feel - is paramount to me.” - Stephen Sondheim
Thanks for visiting my website <3
Instagram: @mairead0neill @maireadnyc
Other stuff: madebymairead.com