Marian Brock ('05)
New York City
Degree in:
Theatre
Favorite movie:
Too many to count. Random favorites in no order — The Fountain, The Lion in Winter, Elf, Singing in the Rain, Amelie and The Cutting Edge.
Favorite UNT memory:
Hanging out with friends, rehearsing shows, Fry Street Fair, writing papers in the Willis Lab at 4 a.m., drinking coffee outside the RTVF building and the Banana Awards.
Definition of success:
Having a happy and well-balanced life, but still having a goal to work toward.
What I love about acting:
I love living someone else's life. I'm a pretty boring person. I like playing Scrabble and watching movies. So playing people from every walk of life can be a fascinating challenge. I also love the collaborative aspect of film, theater and television. Getting all kinds of different artists together to create something greater than ourselves is inspiring and, frankly, a lot of fun.
Favorite role at UNT:
Marie in Woyzek. The cast and crew were fantastic, and the design had this incredible grotesque circus feeling.
What people would be surprised to know about me:
I am a member of TIFD (Texas International Folk Dancers) and have been an international folk dancer since I was a kid.
Strangest role I ever had:
I was once in 4:48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane. I played the Mind of Sarah, and was (very basically) attempting to make the Body of Sarah commit suicide. My director made it site-specific, and we performed it inside an abandoned surgical supplies warehouse in Brooklyn that had not been touched since the late ‘80s. I was surrounded by rusty scalpels, old medical files, and a bevy of strange and dusty computer equipment. I wouldn't necessarily call it strange, but it was certainly unlike anything I had done, or have done since.
Best advice I ever received:
The profession of acting is a marathon, not a sprint, and when you work hard and do not give up, great things can and do happen.
A big influence on me at UNT:
I learned the work of being an actor from Marjorie Hayes, a remarkable acting coach and performer. She not only taught me how to find a character's goals, desires and expectations, but she also taught me how to research the details in each character — how does he or she walk, talk, breathe? Where were they born, what are their parents like, what did they eat for dinner last night? Those nuances can make a performance truly dimensional.
My ultimate goal:
My ultimate goal is to make my income entirely from acting work. And to make a very comfortable income through acting work. Oh OK, and to win an Oscar for Best Actress. Yeah. That's my wildest dream come true.
