Listen | Speaker, Consultant
Mary is a sought-after speaker and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultant specializing in applying humor to deepen humility and disrupt fragility. Her keynotes and breakout sessions teach how to use the tools of applied improvisation to support individuals, educational institutions, and corporations to develop compassionate listening and collaboration skills. Now available online!
Offer| Playshops, Corporate
How can you respond to systems of oppression? Mary will support you responding to everyday oppressive sh!t through one-of-a-kind playshops to deepen self-awareness, interrupt bias, and actively engage in dismantling oppression. Mary’s approach is rooted in an applied theatre praxis of improvisational comedy, playback theatre, theatre of the oppressed, and dialogue facilitation. Now available online!
laugh | Improvisor, Stand-up
Mary is an international stand-up comedian and performer of improv comedy. She is trained in short-form, long-form, and musical improv. She has appeared in Pittsburgh, PA, Boston, MA, London, and Edinburgh including the 2nd Best Improv Festival, Pittsburgh Improv Festival, and Burning Bridges Comedy Club. During COVID-19 Mary has continued to perform online!
Testimonials
“In an era where many Staten Islanders felt talked-at or Zoom’d out, Mary C. Parker’s workshops gave our community members opportunities for digital interaction in ways that they never knew were possible. The workshops encouraged creative engagement, thinking and working outside the silos it’s so easy to operate within, and even silliness and play. We’re grateful to Mary for refreshing our local artists and providing us with tools we’re using to build new ways of engaging.”
“Mary was absolutely critical to helping us build a solid foundation for our organization’s equity and inclusion efforts that has paid enormous dividends. We didn’t have a solid idea of where to begin at first, and Mary was an invaluable guide to giving us an understanding of where we were at a roadmap of where to go, and the capacity to help us get there. I highly recommend Just Collaboration’s services to any organization that’s serious about meaningfully and sustainably advancing equity within their organization and their community.”
“Mary is one of the most insightful, smart, and eloquent women I know. Her knowledge of applied improvisation is profound and her commitment to working with communities to help support them is boundless. I have been so impressed working with her. On top of it, she is funny, clever and a delight to work with. Her workshops are going to make this world a much better place.”
“A brilliant introduction to anti-racist practices which are valuable to anyone who works in an institution of any kind. Mary held a supported space and practice what she preaches in their workshop delivery, business model, & content. I came away with takeaways for myself as a facilitator & key learnings to bring back to my theatre school.”
“Mary C. Parker is a generous leader and a great facilitator. I had fun with the other participants and learned new things that I can definitely use in my own meetings. In fact, I used one of the play activities in a meeting the very next morning! Good communication is crucial to my work in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, so anything that helps me communicate more effectively, especially given the challenges of social distancing, is a big help. Thank you! ”
