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MARY BIRDSONG just completed shooting the Paramount/Fox feature film "RENO 911: MIAMI" playing the beloved role of Deputy Kimball. She recently co-starred with Martin Short in the Broadway musical "Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me". Other roles include "Vixen Fox" in Elaine May's "Adult Entertainment" at the Variety Arts Theatre in NYC. TV credits include the CBS pilot "Rubbing Charlie," a guest starring role on NBC's "ED," the Dennis Leary in Contest Searchlight on Comedy Central, and segments for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show w/Jon Stewart." Mary was a series regular in the CBS sitcom "Welcome to New York", and co-starred in the pilot, "Loomis." Mary appeared on "Normal People" (FOX TV pilot), and "Talk To Me". She has done guest spots on MTV's "Apt. 2F," Comedy Central's "Viva Variety," NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" & "The Howard Stern Show" on E! (fully clothed). As a writer/performer Mary created 25+ original characters in the NBC sketchcomedy pilot, "Live On Tape." She has also written a series of one-acts forher alter-ego, the 1940s B-movie star Janet Lamé, who recently made her smallscreen debut on NBC's variety show "Late Friday." She has also performedher other one-woman shows "The Very Mary Birdsong Show" & "The Respectable Race" in L.A. at the HBO/WB Workspace and in New York @ PSNBC. Her one-woman show entitled "Judy Speaks: Gumm's Last Tape" was produced at the Ars Nova Theatre in New York City. Other film credits include "Above Freezing," "Let It Snow," "In God's Hands," (starring Peter Sarsgaard) and "The Last Request" (starring Danny Aiello.) Her voice can be heard on many a commercial, and she also sings in the rock band Cottonhead.

Interviewed by Joanna Parson, posted 02/08/2007

Reno 911! is a dream job for anyone involved in improv comedy. Tell us how you became involved with the show.
I was in Los Angeles for yet another pilot season, auditioning for various TV pilots. Right as Reno 911 was about to start shooting it's 3rd season, I received a call from my manager, who said that the show was looking to add another deputy to it's current cast of seven and did I want to audition? I said yes, and was asked to come in ready to improvise and be interviewed spontaneously in character. The only criteria they gave me for the role was that she should be tough, and a far better cop than the other seven.

I came in and was interviewed by Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, and Kerri Kenny-Silver (the stars, exec producers and "writers.") In addition to interviewing my "character," they also asked me to improvise a typical Reno 911-type scene (which they videotaped) with Thom Lennon. The casting director was also in the room. And the director might have been there too, but I honestly can't remember. Some time later I got the call that they wanted to cast me in the role. I did a little celebratory dance on Sunset Boulevard as I got the phone call.

Did you target the show as an opportunity for yourself, or was it serendipitous?
I didn't target the show, but it also wasn't serendipitous either. I'd done a guest role on RENO 911 the season before, doing a scene I'd pitched to them (of a masochistic Asian masseuse who beats the crap out of Robert Ben Garant's character).* And years before that I'd done a guest role on an entirely different show that Thom and Kerri and Ben had on Comedy Central called "Viva Variety." And years before that I'd known the three of them from doing a ton of different little bits in various downtown comedy rooms in New York City in the mid 90's.

So we all knew each other's work and sensibility pretty well before the audition even came about. The fact that they respected my work before I even walked in the room made the audition itself much less scary. It is proof to me that any successful audition is the result of many many small things done over many years as opposed to any one PARTICULAR thing one does for that SPECIFIC audition.

* it's good to remember too, that when I pitched them a few ideas for various characters and scenes for that guest role in season two, the one they wound up using was the one I never thought they'd go for. When I pitched it, it was prefaced with "well, this is probably too weird, but…"

The DVD’s of the show feature some of the full length takes that are cut down into the final scenes. It seems to be largely improvised, can you describe how a scene is created and performed for the cameras?
Before the season starts the 'writers' (Thom, Ben and Kerri) map out every episode so the production crew can make sure we have all the technical needs and locations in order. But none of the dialogue is written. Only the scenarios are written. So one scene might say simply "Comedian 'Carrot Top' is throwing things from his hotel room as the sheriffs try to talk him into coming out and turning himself in." That's all we get as the actors. The rest is made up (or "improvised" if you wanna get fancy).

The only exception to that are the occasional "commercials" or public service announcements that the sheriff’s department does. The dialogue is written out on large cue cards, but we never see the cue cards until we are actually shooting the commercial. This gives those spots that wonderful local cable commercial awkwardness.

Reno 911! has made a movie—Reno 911: Miami! which will be out in theatres on February 23rd. How was the process of shooting the film different from shooting the television show?
There truthfully was not a whole lot of difference between the two as far as acting goes. The locations were different (it was shot half in Miami), and we had bigger toys to play with (helicopters and things like that). And the schedule was tighter. But it was probably more different and more challenging for the production and technical staff than the writers. The movie was improvised and mapped out in the same way the series is.

Tell us about your co-stars—what surprised you most about working with Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver, and the rest of the cast?
I think I was most surprised at how fearless they are on camera. They really are inspirational and challenging in that there seems to be no "wrong choice" when they are acting.

Reno 911! has spawned some of the funniest guest spots on television. What can actors do to make themselves marketable for guest spots or character roles on the show?
(See question number two for this answer.) But also, I don't think there is any one thing an actor can do to make themselves "marketable" for those roles except to constantly and tenaciously generate their own material and their own characters and make sure those characters are seen beyond the confines of someone's late night party or goofing around in the lobby while waiting for an audition to start. Does that make sense?

In other words, if getting on Reno 911 is the ultimate goal, then I'd immerse yourself in the comedy scene. Do characters or sketch comedy anywhere you can in the area until people can't help but talk about what you are doing. The comedy community is always talking. Everyone feeds off of what everyone else is doing. If you put yourself out there repeatedly and do what turns you on, it will be noticed eventually. Don’t chase what you think "THEY" want. They don't know what they want. Do what makes you feel excited. People will gravitate towards your excitement and the joy you generate from doing it.

You also recently starred on Broadway in Martin Short’s Fame Becomes Me. When did you first audition for that role?
I auditioned probably in September of 2005.

Had you anticipated going back to theatre after spending time working on television?
I was always actively seeking roles in television and film and theatre simultaneously. I never drew a line and said "now I'm going to pursue theatre, or now I'm going to pursue TV, etc." It was just the way things worked out. For years it felt as if I wasn't being let into the theatre "clique" and was thought of as a TV actress. But the majority of my years performing have actually been on stage.

Not the Broadway stage, but the stage nonetheless. Doing improv, sketch comedy, or musicals, or my one-woman shows. They were never huge, well-known projects, so the industry didn't much care about them. But they were under my belt. And they were on stage. Tiny stages. Tiny stages with sometimes only 5 people in the audience. For years I tried to get in a Broadway show and just felt out of place at those auditions. So I guess to a certain extent I did say at one point "Hmm. This doesn't seem to be going so well. I don't feel like I belong at these cattle calls for theatre. So I guess I'll pursue sketch comedy." And that's what led (eventually) to getting TV work down the line.

I think getting the TV work wound up helping me get thru the door to legit theatre later. I came to New York City in 1986 and wanted nothing more than to be in "Les Miserables" on Broadway. But it didn't happen that way. It literally took 20 years for me to get to Broadway. But it happened at exactly the right time and in exactly the right way and with exactly the right vehicle-- none of which was the way I imagined it would be. I like to think of those 20 years as the equivalent of Moses wandering around the desert for 40 years.

Fame Becomes Me is embarking on a national tour. What do you advise actors auditioning for future openings in the ensemble?
I really don't know if that tour is happening or not. That'd be a question for the producers. It all depends on everyone's availability and many other factors.

But beyond that, if it DOES happen, I'd learn everything I can about what each role requires, and work on honing those abilities between now and the actual auditions. If there is a soundtrack available (which there will be soon) I'd get it. And play it over and over again to learn the material. If there is any sheet music available, I'd try to find it. I'd send a picture and resume to the casting director with a very brief note saying why I'd be a great choice to come in and audition and ask them to keep me in mind.

With something like this show, which requires doing impressions, and singing, and doing funny characters, I'd treat it like putting together your own mini one person show. I'm a big believer in taking one's audition material to any open mic nights that have pretty flexible rules as to what can be performed. It is an invaluable opportunity to get to do your audition material in front of live people before walking in to the room.
Even when I was broke I'd try whenever possible to work with a coach before an important audition so I wouldn't be as thrown doing the material for the first time in the room. Or if a coach is impossible, beg a good friend who will be HONEST to watch you do your audition stuff. Offer to do their laundry in return. Whatever it takes.

Your Judy Garland impression in the show has been lauded by critics, but you also wowed theatre audiences with your own one-person Garland show, “Judy Speaks”. Tell us about the process of putting that show together.
The process was long and challenging but at times it was often effortless and exhilarating. I stumbled across a spoken word CD of Judy Garland late in her life and thought it'd be a great idea to perform excerpts from the recording verbatim interspersed with songs from throughout her career and tie it all together as a one-woman show vehicle for myself.

Then I quickly realized I could get sued if I did that in any venue other than some little black box theatre. And I really felt an urge to write something for myself that would go beyond some little disposable piece that a handful of people see. I told myself to take the process very seriously this time (I'd written several stage shows at this point, but never really did any of them more than once).

I decided to act as if it were entirely possible that it could make it to Broadway or Off-Broadway. So I decided to fictionalize the recordings by writing original dialogue for the show. I hired a director to help me, and a lawyer who specializes in music licensing and other issues I needed to clear to do everything on the up and up, and I produced each incarnation myself.

I put up several productions in various small New York City venues, (and even took it to Los Angeles for a performance at the HBO Workspace) rewriting and reworking things each time, until it got picked to be in the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival. That production got the interest of the Ars Nova Theatre in New York City, who produced an Off-Off-Broadway run. It helped me to get many positive reviews and a lot of press and attention.

What has been the most gratifying about writing your own shows and creating your own material over the years?
One of the most gratifying things is that when you write material for yourself you get to tailor it to your strongest talents, and shape the piece totally around what you do best, and what you enjoy doing most. If you really love to sing blues songs and play old British characters, then you can do that. If you were to rely on someone else to come along and offer to write such a show for you, then you'd probably be waiting for quite a long time. Also, there is something doubly satisfying about getting a laugh for a joke not only for the way you deliver it, but for the way you wrote it.

Are there any downsides or difficulties to writing and producing your own vehicles that our readers might not have anticipated?
I think the main difficulty is remembering that it takes a LONG TIME (in most cases) to develop a piece from start to finish. The best thing I ever did was to not give in after I put something up the first time and was not pleased with it. Even with "Judy Speaks" I felt really embarrassed at how the first performance went.

But I didn't just say "Oh well, next thing." I made a decision and a commitment to stick with it, and learn from my mistakes every time I put it up, to make it better each time. And doing the Martin Short Broadway show was very educational. I watched Tony award-winning writers and directors and actors at the top of their game. That show didn't work flawlessly right out of the gate, even with such amazingly talented people on board. They did tons of rewrites and drastic overhauls and toured the show for months on the road before they felt satisfied.

And I remember hearing (a while back) that the creators of "Hedwig and The Angry Inch" were so frustrated that they were ready to quit entirely before they got their Off-Broadway run which then turned into a successful movie and a tour. Hearing how long they worked on that show and how much they rewrote and changed venues, etc really had an impact on me. It opened my eyes that it's the people who just plain don't give up who wind up making it.

To top it all off, you front the rock band Cottonhead, a favorite of the downtown NY music scene. How do you fit those performances in? Do you find that your ambition cools for one area of your creative life when another is rocking?
Well, unfortunately my band and I don't really play live much anymore. My acting career became more time-consuming (a good thing!) and I had to spend more and more time in L.A., and my partner had two babies which is not conducive to doing gigs.

And as far as my ambition cooling for one area of my creative life when another is rocking? Well, I always want to do it all. So it really boils down to who is willing to pay me at what time for what task. The dream is that one day I will have a show where I truly get to exercise all the different creative muscles I have to work with.

Have you trained vocally? How do you take care of your voice?
I took a few vocal lessons over the years, but not many. I think it's great to train. But after a certain point, I think it's best to leave the nest and try out all the tools you get in lessons by practicing them in live performance.

I'm not a legit singer by any stretch of the imagination, but I guess I try to take care of my voice by taking care of my body. Running helps me a great deal. Getting as much sleep as I can is good. Not partying. I quit smoking over a year ago which has been a huge help. I think it is really important to knowing what your voice can (and can't) do. Just like pulling a muscle when you push yourself too hard, it's important to accept what you are capable of at any given time and work with it. It's good to push yourself too, but in a gentle and patient way.

The real way I learned to sing was just shutting myself up in a room with whatever I was listening to at the time and trying to copy it. It could be Jennifer Holiday or Pat Benatar or Kate Bush or Judy Garland. I just loved to mimic great singers as best I could. That's what was fun for me.

For that matter, and with your schedule, how do you take care of your physical self?
Well, I guess I answered that above. But the I practice the basics-- exercising five to six days a week, drinking lots of water, running or walking or hiking. About 10 years ago I really was not happy with the way I looked. And I didn't want to play only play chubby parts, so I started exercising, and following a Zone® type diet, and not drinking alcohol.

It opened up a whole new world of opportunities for me. I lost about 40 pounds and have pretty much kept it off ever since. That's not to say I couldn't have worked a lot at the weight I was, but it felt good to give myself a goal of transforming my body and changing my lifestyle. The discipline of exercise and running also crossed over and helped my ability to stick with my pursuits, and to not quit before I'd crossed the finish line.

When I was doing the Broadway show, I found it hard to fit in going to the gym, so I decided to walk to and from the theatre each day. It's about 3 miles each way, and besides keeping me physically fit, it was a great way to "wind down" from the hyped-up state of performance mode without putting toxins in my body and paying the price the next day. That was enough to maintain my shape and fit into my costumes. And the sheer adrenaline of doing a show eight times a week is a great help to stay in shape. In TV work it's way more difficult because you are much more sedentary, and have to constantly walk past the catering table with a lot of junk food on it.

Besides taking over the world, what’s next for Mary Birdsong?
Ah, so you are aware of my diabolical plan!!!!!! Now you must die. But before I send my spies to destroy you, I will shoot the 5th season of the Reno 911 TV show on Comedy Central here in Los Angeles, and hopefully have a fun time going to the premiere of our feature film "Reno 911: Miami" on Feb 15th. After that? I hope to be able to create that show I mentioned earlier… the dream show where I get to do everything I want to do whenever I want to do it. That'd be nice, huh?

p.s. I don't know if I'm allowed a "p.s." but I think it's important to mention that I couldn't get an agent for 10 years. And I'm talking about 10 years of trying really hard. An agent isn't going to make you successful in this business. You are. Forge ahead. If you consistently do work you are proud of and stay true to who you are and excited about what you love, they'll find you. They really will. They will sniff you out and hunt you down. Let them come to you.

p.p.s. All of the above "p.s." is a paraphrased quite from Yoda. And he's totally connected in Hollywood, so listen to him. He's close personal friends with George Lucas.

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