Art & Life with Maria Patti

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Patti.

Maria, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York from an extremely talented family of artists on my father’s side. They were singers, painters, actors and musicians. I was blessed with an OCD cleaning family on my mother’s side. This made for interesting dynamic situations for a child. I played outside all day with friends creating a world of fantasy and theater. Besides, who could go inside the home when the floor is mopped with bleach 24/7. LOL. When inside, I would talk to a mirror and make up mock commercials holding a container of baby powder. I was recognized for having a great sense of humor and timing. By the age of 4 years-old I was already singing on stage in a comedic way! This set the tone for who I am today. The family stayed in Brooklyn until I was 9. We moved to Queens, NY. There I went to a fabulous H.S. It had a wonderful academic curriculum. More than that, it exposed me to the art of dance and acting.

As an adult, I met my husband who I have been with since I am 19. We are blessed with 2 wonderful boys; my husband got a transfer from the bank in which he worked. We set out for a new life in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am an award-winning actor in Film, TV and theater. I would say I am a character actor in that I can transform my looks for any role. I do many dialects; Russian, British, Cockney, Italian, French, Irish, Jewish/Yiddish, New York and Southern.

When I got to AZ I wanted to continue my career. I enrolled at Scottsdale Community College in their Screenwriting/Acting/Film curriculum. Here I learned these crafts. At that time there were many mentors to shape my life. I took years of private lessons. There are some mentors of whom I still keep in touch with today. I decided to try my chops and go to LA to learn Stand-Up Comedy. I flew back and forth each week to learn the craft at The Comedy Store. When I returned to SCC Administration asked me to teach it as a course. I with another instructor put through over 100 students in a short time. Some were doctors, lawyers, moms, dads, clowns, etc. It was probably one of the most exhilarating things I have done to date. Students I have taught have gone on to become successful stand-up comediennes.

I have written 2 full-length screenplays, produced and sold a play, continue to write short films, wrote an episode submission of Home Improvement and a comedy bit for the Howard Stern Show. I appeared on his first Fox TV show. My passions for these crafts go very deep into my DNA and my soul. It is who I am. I wouldn’t know how to be myself without it.

How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
My acting and screenwriting are authentic. I define it by doing my job. Success is when I finish a project and when I see great results. I am very tough on myself. There is probably no such thing as perfection. Admitting that I have made some big mistakes takes the anxiety away. It’s better to laugh at a bad audition then to dwell on it. Follow film I am in at film festivals nationally and internationally: Sam, giving up the Ghost, Here We Go, Grief, Ilyushin, The Corner Room and Sunday Bloom.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I am inspired by many of the great actors. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges and the late Bette Davis. What I feel inspires me about this group is that their craft comes from a loving place and they have a true emotional state of mind no matter what their characters are. They seem never to be rehearsed, their characters have a life and death objective to match their unique body languages. With that said, I study them. I watch TCM and movies to which I understand why they are who they are.

I feel when I act, when I tell the story I take away these techniques to reach audiences doing film/TV/Theater. I did a play called, “Over the River and Through the Woods.” I played a much older woman. She was the matriarch of an Italian family.

It was the first time I did theater in the round. All 4 sides of the theater were filled with seats. It was a challenge to emit emotions to each side. It was stated in The Arizona Republic News Paper when it was reviewed that it wasn’t what Maria Patti said, it was what she didn’t say. At the end of the play patrons were crying and hugging me. They stated that they were moved with such emotions. I won for Best Actress. I guess I did my job!

Contact Info:

• Phone: 602 228-6126
• Email: mocomedy7@aol.com
• Facebook: Facebook Request
• Other: IMDb.com – Maria Patti (demo reels, video clips, photos)

Image Credit:
www.joyludwigphotography

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