BWW Blog: From Ballparks to Broadway - Actor Aesthetic's Maggie Bera

Maggie Bera, founder of Actor Aesthetic and creator of the viral Tik Tok sensation "Broadway Stars in Shows They Were Definitely Not In", is no stranger to performing.

She had her first taste of live performance at 8 years old. She was among 10 chosen from an audition pool of 100 hopefuls to sing the "Star Spangled Banner" at local minor league baseball teams. After that, "the opportunities just kept coming", she said. In short order she moved up to the Majors, singing the national anthem before crowds of NY Mets and Philly 76ers fans.

That "Big Leagues Anthem Tour" inspired her to continue performing, and she eventually added theatre to the mix. Similar to the origins of Broadway greats, her first role was Annie in ANNIE at a local regional theatre. Her voice teacher at the time suggested that Bera and her sister reach out to agencies in New York. They both were signed to DBA, and began to book roles. Bera did some film and TV work, and her sister booked the national tour of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE with Kara Lindsay. Bera went on to originate the role of Ruby in the off-Broadway production of HELEN ON 86TH STREET.

From fostering a connection with Lindsay, she learned the importance of being kind and easy to work with. " It's something to be admired in this industry, and wanting to make connections with others on a personal level that makes them want to continue to work with you, feel safe with you, and feel confident that you will do your job well."

After 8 years of training with the Paper Mill Theatre Company, she went on to earn her BFA in Musical Theatre from Texas State University. Now, she runs Actor Aesthetic, an actor lifestyle blog, podcast, and online learning community. Her podcast has featured big names such as Lindsay Heather Pearce, Allison Bailey, Shereen Pimentel, JJ Niemann, Jane Bruce, and more. She also writes for Backstage.com.

"As a professional actor," she explains, "I quickly discovered how important it is to be your own advocate. Being an actor not only requires creativity, but also a business mindset. Even if you are extremely talented, if you can't market yourself, others may miss out on you and what you have to offer."

@actoraesthetic is a one-stop shop for everything you can think of: interviews, online courses, social media for actors coaching, college audition prep, repertoire recommendations, and college audition coaching. Learn more at actoraesthetic.com.

If you want to keep up with what Maggie is up to, be sure to follow her on Instagram, @maggiebera, and check out her website, maggiebera.com. Bera is certainly during her part to keep art alive and thriving in these trying times. I can't wait to see what she does next; it's sure to be another home run!