In this episode of the podcast our guest is the exhuberant and groundbreaking Maria Cary. 

Maria Cary is a professional Theatre for Youth educator. The current Drama and Dance Resource Teacher for Orange County Public Schools, she holds an MFA in Theatre for Young Audiences from the University of Central Florida and a BA in Theatre and Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The past seven years have brought Maria opportunities to teach, perform, and share her love for young people internationally and throughout the U.S. 

Her credits as a teaching artist include Flat Rock Playhouse (Flat Rock, NC), The Coterie (Kansas City, MO), La Isla Bonita (San Pedro, Belize), The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C) and Orlando Repertory Theatre. Her passion for creative drama inspired When Pigs Fly, a Theatre for the Very Young piece based on Maria’s thesis work, which made its professional debut Fall 2019 at Orlando Repertory Theatre.

She loves to collaborate and can be reached at [email protected]

In this episode of the podcast Maria and I explore what "Theatre for the Very Young" is and what it looks like. As a parent of young children, I have been so impressed by her work and we get the chance to unearth her creative process and finding herself within TVY.  The episode explores a fledgling aspect of TYA that can be seen sprouting up all over the country due to the innovative practices from leaders such as Maria Cary. 

If you want to expand your reach of theatre to the very youngest audiences, you have found the perfect launching point. I loved this conversation with Maria, and think that her leadership in our field is essential. 

Audio Engineer: Darius Fletcher | Lumber Beard Designs
Theme Music: Wallpaper by Kevin Macleod