Mary C. Parker is an experienced workshop leader, improvisational theater actress, stand-up comedian, and playback theater practitioner. She has performed in London, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Pittsburgh, PA; Boston MA; Richmond, VA; and Portland, OR. She founded Pittsburgh’s only all-black improv team, The Collective, and has played on London-based improv teams, Do The Right Scene, Acaprov, and The Aquarium. Mary wrote her Masters dissertation on how stand-up comedy can serve as an applied theatre practice to elevate the voices and identities of black women and is working on a documentary on the history of Black improv. Currently, she plays on Portland’s Dropped Notes and often appears in The Secret Aardvark Show with Kickstand Comedy. She is available for workshops, coaching, and teaching.