I’m a shy person. But the day I met Mary Dawe, she told me, “By the end of our classes, you’re going to be out of your shell. I’m gonna get your personality out of you.” And she was right.

Mary is an acting coach, (she doesn’t like being called Ms. Dawe) who grew up in a family who thrives in the same department. She explained how her family was involved in theatre, some even winning Emmy’s, and an uncle who is the executive producer of CSI...and it rubbed off on her. She now shares her knowledge with people, young or old, and helps them pursue their dreams in the comfort of a small office--even shy kids who needed to break out of their shell.

On the first day of class, I walked to her classroom--a small space, down a set of stairs, right beneath a small business. Through the door, I was greeted by headshots of her past actors and actresses, all of the immense talent that walked through the same door. It is an exhilarating feeling. A corner table sits not far, with two chairs--and to the right of that stands two single lights, a camera, and a mic hanging from the ceiling tiles. It’s a small place, but it is overfilled with knowledge, and talent, all of which Mary wields, and is eager to share.

Over the weeks, we worked on skills, such as fear, happiness, and sadness--and we prepared for sitcoms, commercials, and comedy.

In one of the earlier weeks, we practiced a commercial for an airline about hopping on a plane to Hawaii. After the first take, Mary said, “Be more excited. Put yourself in the situation. You’re in Hawaii...act like it!” and with that, we started the next take. When she signalled action, I read my lines.“Mom, you may be wondering where I am…” --but then something clicked-- “I’M IN HAWAII!” I yelled the line, and leaned back with my arms out to show my excitement. As I finished the commercial, I could tell Mary was holding back a laugh, because neither of us saw that coming.

She called cut, and we laughed for a solid minute--we had a tendency to laugh a lot. I realized I had broken out of my shell, and most likely made the business up stairs pretty angry.

Mary is more than a teacher. She is like a director for her student’s careers. After classes are done, she helps her students get jobs. She has helped me get auditions, and I am very grateful.

I finished classes almost a year ago now, and this coming January, some of her students and I will be taking a trip with her to L.A. for a competition that helped people like Eva Longoria, Aaron Paul, and Katie Holmes get discovered.

Mary Dawe is not just an acting coach. She is also a casting director, a down to Earth person, and a comedic woman. She loves to share her knowledge with the world, and she can make shy people like me shine.