meet Marianne Matthews
A native New Yorker, Marianne’s story begins in Rosedale, Queens where she spent her childhood writing, directing and performing shows for friends and family in her basement and backyard. Often her lines were drowned out due to a constant flurry of deafening jets overhead enroute to nearby Kennedy Airport. But Marianne kept going! And, the audiences kept coming.
After perfecting the art of perseverance, Marianne went on to hone her craft, playing a wide range of characters in New York City and regional theatre productions. She also earned an MFA in Acting from The Actors Studio Drama School where she spent three years of rigorous conservatory training in acting, voice, movement, and dance.
One of Marianne’s greatest professional theatrical challenges was when she had the good fortune to command the stage alone in a New York City production of Willy Russell’s funny and poignant one-woman play, Shirley Valentine. The show was a joy to perform, but the cast party was rather lonely.
The daughter of a New York City Police Lieutenant and wife to a world-renowned jazz musician, Marianne has long been drawn to colorful characters—on stage and off. In recent years she has played a number of quirky types including Ouiser in Steel Magnolias and Jeanie, an intimidating Eastern European spa attendant who keeps everyone on edge, in the TV pilot Wellness, Inc.
In addition to acting, Marianne has been writing ever since she could hold a Crayola. Her creative works include poems, essays, and plays, and she is a published co-author of a book about a historic house in Manhattan, The Luxembourg House on Beekman Place: Three Portraits in Time. She is also a seasoned business writer who has penned a wide variety of materials for corporate and non-profit clients. One favorite area of expertise is speechwriting, which marries Marianne’s performance and writing skills.
A resident of Manhattan, Marianne also owns a home in the beautiful Hudson Valley. When not acting or writing, she enjoys bicycling, cooking, reading, traveling, and listening to jazz music.
One of Marianne’s greatest professional theatrical challenges was when she had the good fortune to command the stage alone in a New York City production of Willy Russell’s funny and poignant one-woman play, Shirley Valentine. The show was a joy to perform, but the cast party was rather lonely.
The daughter of a New York City Police Lieutenant and wife to a world-renowned jazz musician, Marianne has long been drawn to colorful characters—on stage and off. In recent years she has played a number of quirky types including Ouiser in Steel Magnolias and Jeanie, an intimidating Eastern European spa attendant who keeps everyone on edge, in the TV pilot Wellness, Inc.
In addition to acting, Marianne has been writing ever since she could hold a Crayola. Her creative works include poems, essays, and plays, and she is a published co-author of a book about a historic house in Manhattan, The Luxembourg House on Beekman Place: Three Portraits in Time. She is also a seasoned business writer who has penned a wide variety of materials for corporate and non-profit clients. One favorite area of expertise is speechwriting, which marries Marianne’s performance and writing skills.
A resident of Manhattan, Marianne also owns a home in the beautiful Hudson Valley. When not acting or writing, she enjoys bicycling, cooking, reading, traveling, and listening to jazz music.
