We are joined with actor, director, producer & teacher & writer Marishka S. Phillips to have an awesome conversation on the craft of acting!
Marishka S. Phillips was born into the entertainment business. Her mother, Sandra Reaves-Phillips is an award-winning actress, in addition to being a writer and a singer. Marishka grew up immersed in theater, film and television, so it was not surprising that she would follow in her mother’s footsteps.
Ms. Phillips had been honing her skills as a dancer, taking classes at Alvin Ailey School of Dance and Broadway Dance Center, and had begun performing at a very early age. She got her first major theatrical break at age 13 when she was cast for the European tour of RAISIN. This opportunity offered her a chance to explore the world and served as an important confidence builder.
Her career path has been anything but traditional, though it started off that way. She landed on Broadway, cast as part of the ensemble, on the musical UPTOWN: IT’S HOT starring Maurice Hines, in which she also understudied for the female lead. She continued amassing credits on Brodway with roles in BUBBLIN’ BROWN SUGAR, FAME: THE MUSICAL, THE WIZ and THE ME NOBODY KNOWS. On television, she had re-occurring roles in the last two seasons of THE COSBY SHOW spin-off – A DIFFERENT WORLD.
When she was not traveling the world with a musical or as a backup singer with recording artists like Sean “P Diddy” Combs and Cece Winans, she was developing and fortifying other aspects of her talents. She never considered herself a one trick pony. Like her mother before her, she began writing and eventually set her eye on directing, but not before fate would bring her together with the multi-faceted Susan Batson, who among her many other talents, was a world-renown acting coach who worked with some of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities.
Though she did not abandon any of her other career goals, Ms. Batson did open up new possibilities which she embraced with the same passion that she has every chapter of her life’s journey. Today, in addition to being known as a working actor, Marishka is also a writer and director whose credits continue to grow. Her short film, Melinda: The Movie starring Tony Award-winning performers, LaChanze and Lillias White won numerous awards on the short film circuit. Ms. Phillips directed the one woman play, DOWN TO EARTHA, written and starringDierdra McDowell, which was a tribute to the invincible entertainer/civil rights and social justice activist, Eartha Kitt.
Coaching other actors has become a central part of Ms. Phillips career development. She has been an instrumental force in helping actors such as Kerry Washington (Scandal), Nicole Beharie (Miss Juneteenth) and Celia Rose Gooding (Jagged Little Pill) achieve some of their best performances, and has received credit for doing that, as a result, she has become a much in demand acting coach. (visit her on YouTube)
The Marishka Method. She currently coaches Nafessa Williams (I Wanna Dance With Somebody), Taja V. Simpson (The Oval) Shaquita Smith (Wicked City) and many more.
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