Marci Chamberlain

Born and raised in a very small, rural town in Central Pennsylvania, Marci displayed unique artistic talent and ambitions at a very early age through painting, drawing, singing, and playing the piano. In second grade, she joined Odyssey of the Mind, a creative problem-solving competition, where she was first introduced to the stage and creating original work. Marci continued OM throughout elementary school, eagerly looking forward to high school where she could participate in the plays. Because of the confidence of an English teacher/play director, Marci was cast as the lead in "Alice in Wonderland" her first year of high school. Her other high school roles include Jo March in "Little Women", Captain Hook in "Peter Pan", and Aunt Martha in "Arsenic and Old Lace". Marci also attended the competitive and prestigious Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts where she studied Performance Theatre. After graduating high school, Marci attended Juniata College, a small, private, liberal arts school, to study Theatre. She trained with artists from The Gravity Project in Fitzmaurice Voicework, Open Source Forms, Lecoq, Commedia dell'arte, Corporeal Mime, Chicago Style Improv, and Aerial Dance. Her favorite roles from college include Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz in "Angels in America", Bella in "Big Love", and The Power Animal in the world premiere of "The Corduroy Prayer". While in college, Marci created two original works: a solo movement piece entitled "Reach" based on her grandfather's questioning of his life, and a one-act play entitled "A Culmination of Many Things" which was an absurdist reflection on her college career and struggle towards a new beginning. Most rewarding though was her re-imaging of Samuel Beckett's "Rockaby". Inspired by her grandmother's struggle with ALS, Marci played the character "V" live and recorded what remained of her grandmother's voice for the character "W". The play was set in a bathtub full of water as a young "V" spoke to her older self, "W", to accept and welcome death. Also during college, Marci traveled to Paris and London to study theatre as well as toured Trinidad with the college concert choir and was the Company Manager of The Gravity Project during her senior year. Since graduating, Marci has played the role of Jenny Clancy in the web-series "Office Hours", which is completely conceived and created by alums, faculty, staff, and students of Juniata College, and was Emma Watson's stand-in for "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". Marci hopes to obtain her MFA in Theatre to pursue a career advocating and promoting the importance of arts education while continuing to create and present original work.