Today we’d like to introduce you to Mayanna Berrin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mayanna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It’s weird to think about how I “got started,” if I’m being technical (which I guess I am) I starting acting when I was a kid. Just not professionally. I’d like to say I’ve been funny since I was born but that’s probably wildly inaccurate.
When I was seven years old my teacher asked me to play the lead role in our school play. It was “The Little Red Hen.” I was shocked that she had asked me considering it was the part that had the most lines and I was probably the shyest person in our grade. I didn’t really think of myself as a performer, I knew I liked playing pretend with my friends but whenever anyone would watch me I would get really self-conscious. (I mean, it’s not like shy people can be performers right??) Despite my shyness, I went on to do theatre camps in the summers and in high school I auditioned for the fall musical, “The Wedding Singer.” I played Glen’s Secretary (and I definitely created a much richer backstory for her than necessary!)
When I was 16, my parents signed me up for improv comedy classes at the SAK Comedy Lab in Orlando, which is where I lived at the time. I had always been fascinated with “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (classic improviser origin story.) Once I started taking classes I immediately fell in love.
I got my BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Miami and less than a year after I graduated I moved to Los Angeles.
My parents surprised me right before I left by calling ahead to Second City and signing me up an audition for their conservatory program. I got in. I’ve been involved with the improv and sketch community in LA since I moved here. I completed the conservatory program at Second City and I’m currently taking classes at Impro and UCB.
Has it been a smooth road?
Hell no, has anyone’s road been smooth!? Can you get me in touch with them? I have questions.
When it comes to the struggles I’ve faced I would say many of them come from personal insecurities and hang-ups that I have about my own performance abilities.
There’s still a part of me that’s afraid to be seen by others. Especially when I’m doing comedy. I’ve had to learn how to silence that voice inside me that tells me I’m not worthy and that I’m not good. I don’t always win that fight but I’m happy to say that I have more good days than bad ones nowadays.
I won’t sugarcoat it, Los Angeles is a tough city. It’s expensive and isolating at times. I understand why so many people here are not able to achieve everything that they want to. This place can make you feel like you’re nobody. But you can’t fall for that. It’s not true. Overcoming that is a huge part of it. You have to get out of your own way. Then make LA get out of your way too.
Tell us more about your work.
I’m a comedic actor who writes and performs sketch comedy. I’ve recently performed at The Second City in Hollywood as well as The Pack Theatre.
I am most proud of the fact that I have a huge depth of love and passion for the people around me and I am constantly in awe of all of the incredible talent I get to witness.
As a result, I am really good at forging and developing deep and enriching friendships with people and those friendships have lead to a lot of success and opportunities for me this year. I think kindness is paramount to everything that makes life good and I try to keep that at the core of everything that I do.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
For the sake of myself and others who look like me, I hope diversity will continue to be a priority in storytelling. There are still so many stories that haven’t been told yet. Comedic as well as dramatic.
Films like “The Farewell” and “Blinded By The Light” should not be rare and I imagine there will be an increase in stories told about perspectives that we haven’t heard before and that’s a good thing. It’s sorely needed and necessary to push the entertainment industry forward.
Additionally, I hope TikTok dips in relevancy but that’s really more of a personal preference.
Pricing:
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Reservoir Stage Hogs: Criminal Intent –Neon Apocalypse –
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayannaberrin/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bemayanna
Image Credit:
Todd Tanner, Halie Albertson, Iris Chandler, Jordan Tandowsky, Dianne Dominguez, Jessica Sarah Flaum, Morgan Van Gemert, Elyssa Phillips, Michael Villanueva, Zach Jobe, Robert Atkinson, Alek Nieberlein, Azim Hirani
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