Mary Boldish James

When I entered high school, they told us our class would be the first to throw ourselves into a creative senior project that demanded we research two fields of study. I was already a playwright, so I tied that to my love of history and wrote the single worst scene I'd ever written. Then I filmed it.

Since then, I've been produced on stage, written and produced national television commercials, developed a full game narrative bible during my MFA, and created, written, and voice-directed *The Fracture of Ophelia*, an original sci-fi audio drama. I write horror short fiction and short films on my own time because it's the genre I keep returning to, no matter what else I'm working on. I've collected a portfolio of pilots, plays, features, and worlds that even surprise me.

I may switch between mediums, but story, and the people who bring it to life with me, is always the driving force. Let me tell you my next one.

I believe a good story is found, not forced. Whether I'm in a writers' room, a voice booth, or blocking a scene with actors, the best work happens through collaboration and the freedom to follow a character where they actually want to go. I write across mediums, but the process is always the same: get curious, stay loose, and let the story tell me what it needs.

Collaboration is the key to great storytelling. I believe that direction is managing good collaboration. I allow actors to find their own way through the story while helping to guide them. 

Storytelling is as essential to humanity as movement. It's how we connect to each other, and back through the ages as our oldest technology and our greatest teacher. I'm drawn to the stories that unsettle a little before they resolve: horror, myth, and the unknown have always taught us the most about who we are.

Have a project, a role, or a story you think I'd want to tell? The contact buttons above will get you to me.

*The Fracture of Ophelia* — Creator, Writer, Lead Voice Actor & Co-Director. An original sci-fi fantasy audio drama with horror elements.

My most sustained narrative work to date. This is an ongoing project.

Stage direction, TV pilots, and short plays