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; Portland, OR; and Seattle, WA. 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, and played on Portland’s Dropped Notes, appeared in The Secret Aardvark Show, and Mosaic Improv with Kickstand Comedy. Mary wrote her Master's 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 is Education Lead for Bandit Theater, a pro-player for CSz Seattle, coaches The Loop, a long-form improv club, and directs The Couple’s Quiz in a Pretty Little Flower format. She is available for workshops, coaching, and teaching.