Anna Marie Sell: Aspiring Actress in New York City

Anna Marie Sell, a Towson graduate and aspiring actress, is a passionate storyteller who embodies the characters she portrays on the stage. While she plays on the stage at night, she spends her days auditioning for new plays and working at her day job. Her mystical and magical life is one that many little girls dream of having. Anna talked to Her Campus Towson about how she is living her dream. Ever wonder what it takes to “make it” in New York City as an actress? Anna Marie’s inspiring tale will give you an inside peek.

How are you “making it”?

Honestly? One day at a time.

What is a typical day like for you?

It sounds like an NYC actor cliche, but if there are auditions, I get up around 6 a.m. or 6:15 a.m., leave my Brooklyn apartment and head into Manhattan to wait in line to get an appointment at whatever audition I’m going to that day. I get my appointment when they sign people up at 8:30 a.m., sometimes I go to the gym or eat breakfast, then I do my audition and head to my day job. I usually get to my desk by noon and work till 5 p.m. Evenings vary. If I’m rehearsing, I rehearse. I try to go to the gym. I see a friend’s show. Or I go home and make dinner and think about cleaning my apartment.
 
What has been your favorite part that you have played or job you have had?

I am very lucky that this is a really hard question to answer. Can I pick two? Roxane in “Cyrano de Bergerac” with the American Shakespeare Center touring company. It’s a story I love and a role I felt lucky to live up to each night. I had a great relationship with the actor who played Cyrano. I also had been trying to work with American Shakespeare Center for a long time. Amelia in “The Credeaux Canvas” with The Seeing Place Theater in NYC would be my other favorite part. I grew so much playing this part and did things as an actor I was definitely afraid of — and it was amazing to put together an entire production with people that I love very much. This show was the first production of a theater company in NYC that I helped start and I have never been so proud of putting something up on stage that was truly a group effort.
 
What is the most exciting part of your job?

Playing with other actors. The thing I love about acting is that it is truly collaborative – I don’t know how to describe the “magic” that happens when two people agree to explore fictional circumstances together, to risk accepting whatever happens, and to tell a wonderful, or funny, or heartbreaking story together.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

 I’ve never had a “long-range plan” for my life or my career which in some ways has allowed me to just enjoy where the trip has taken me, but in others has, perhaps, prevented me from laying the groundwork towards concrete “progress,” a difficult thing to define in this career. Also, my answer to this question 10 years ago would undoubtedly have revolved solely around my theatrical career. As I’ve gotten older, however, I’m learning, sometimes painfully, that the relationships and people around me are just as, if not more, important than my acting dreams. So while I may dream of performing on Broadway or being a residential company member somewhere, realistically I hope that I’m laying the groundwork to be working at least 2-3 professional acting gigs a year, either regionally or in NYC, continuing to work part-time at a day job I enjoy, working part-time for The Seeing Place as an actor and administrator, and continuing to enjoy the good friendships I have while keeping the door open to other new and exciting people. If Mr. Right would like to come along too, I hope I’ll be ready for him.

If you could be in any other profession other than your own what would it be?

Oh boy. That’s part of why I’m an actor. I’ve been lucky to have a number of day jobs that I actually enjoy – bookkeeper for an architect, receptionist at a law firm, and currently I am a graduate school admissions officer… But I can’t imagine doing any of those things without knowing in my heart that it is a means to an end- that I’m really an actor doing other jobs well so that I can pursue the career I love without panicking over finances.
 
Perhaps a fiction writer? That was my second major at Towson. The problem is that I learned I preferred being IN the story to telling it on paper.

What is your favorite memory at Towson?

There are lots of shows I’m thinking of, a few parties, a few conversations in the back hallway of the theater department… I think I’m going to say: an evening right before the end of my freshman year. Four other girls from my Acting II class and I stayed in the studio theatre till I don’t know WHAT time of night, helping each other rehearse for our final performance exam. It was so much fun to be in the studio, late at night, with some of my best girlfriends working on the art that we all loved.
 
Do you have any advice for Towson students who are about to graduate and chasing their own dreams?

Be the kind of person you would like to work with. Don’t take anyone for granted, and try to be kind. Don’t be a doormat, but do recognize that everyone has their part to play, no matter what field you are entering. We all have individual responsibilities in any workplace or rehearsal room, but it always takes a team to accomplish something truly great.

If you would like to learn more about Anna Marie Sell or contact her visit her website.