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[0:00] Mason Bray: Um, so we have my very own theater teacher and high school director, Mrs. Mari Lyn Clark. And I can call you Mari Lyn because this is my show and I can do what I want. Um, so in addition to um teaching at Boonville High School, she is oh my god, my clipboard. Um she is back in school to get her master's degree at Mississippi University for Women and hosts the YouTube channel called Clark in Parks, where she um highlights her wonderful camping trips with her amazing family. Uh hi, Mrs. Clark.

[0:27] Mari Lyn Clark: Hi, Mason.

[0:28] Mason Bray: You actually do listen to me when I talk. Like those are things I've told you.

[0:33] Mari Lyn Clark: Well, so you've told me where you go to college like three times.

[0:38] Mason Bray: But I f I searched our emails from when I asked you a few weeks ago.

[0:41] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah.

[0:42] Mason Bray: So, yeah.

[0:43] Mari Lyn Clark: Good.

[0:46] Mari Lyn Clark: Good. See, I I think maybe you don't listen, but you do.

[0:50] Mason Bray: See, teachers are creating a lasting impact. Uh, so how are you?

[0:56] Mari Lyn Clark: I'm great. How are you?

[0:58] Mason Bray: I'm doing good. I do have um one starting question for you.

[1:01] Mari Lyn Clark: Okay.

[1:02] Mason Bray: Why are you at the school on a Sunday?

[1:04] Mari Lyn Clark: I am at school on Sunday grading senior memory scrapbooks. So all the seniors have to make a scrapbook. They include 13 essays that they have to write and then pictures throughout their entire lives. And it takes me like 45 minutes to grade one. So I have four and a half left.

[1:25] Mason Bray: You're so close.

[1:27] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah.

[1:28] Mason Bray: Um, so starting out, can you talk about growing up in Boonville and now being able to take over Thespian Troupe number 950?

[1:36] Mari Lyn Clark: Well, that's not something I ever thought that I would do, but I did grow up in Chandler and then in Boonville, and I went to Boonville High School, and I never really expected to stick around, because I think a lot of students in Boonville are like, This place sucks. I don't want to be here. There are so many better places in the world. And sometimes I still do feel that way. But um this program specifically, like Thespian Troupe number 950 was so influential to me and my drama teacher, Judy McNeely. I still think that she hung the moon. And so the opportunity to come back and give back and maybe create some of those same experiences for other students is really important to me. So here I am still.

[2:28] Mason Bray: Yeah. Um, what was your original education um going into becoming a theater teacher?

[2:34] Mari Lyn Clark: Well, my degree is actually in literature, so um I have been learning in my master's program a ton of things that I didn't know before because I don't have any formal theater education. So everything I know comes from what I learned in high school or what I learned in community theater and being involved in community theater, and just from being in education, um, because I have an English teaching license, so I'm working toward um having a more formal education in theater rather than just in English and in education.

[3:13] Mason Bray: How crazy that you're doing assignments um in your master's program.

[3:19] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah.

[3:20] Mason Bray: And not anyone else.

[3:22] Mari Lyn Clark: Mason helps me occasionally, that's what he was leading me to say. Mason does occasionally help me, but to be fair, Mason made our press release uh before I knew it was an assignment, so it was something I already had.

[3:35] Mason Bray: You're gonna get me kicked out of college, Mason.

[3:38] Mari Lyn Clark: Is the college listening? Are you gonna send this to your college?

[3:41] Mason Bray: I hope so. I yeah, I think so.

[3:44] Mari Lyn Clark: You're gonna take it with you this summer and just like blare it.

[3:47] Mason Bray: Absolutely. On campus. I'll be like, hey, I don't know how to build a flat, but I was on this podcast, and I'll just play it.

[3:55] Mari Lyn Clark: Do I need to help you build a flat?

[3:57] Mason Bray: I think I can do that.

[3:58] Mari Lyn Clark: Perhaps, yes.

[4:00] Mason Bray: Is that one of the assignments?

[4:02] Mari Lyn Clark: Well, I don't I don't really know. I have to go for two weeks and and hopefully there's not a lot of manual labor. But we'll see.

[4:10] Mason Bray: Yeah. Um okay, I'm gonna add to my calendar a trip to Mrs.

[4:17] Mari Lyn Clark: No, Mason. I do my own work.

[4:19] Mason Bray: Yes.

[4:21] Mari Lyn Clark: Um so this season, um, it was a lot. You went through a lot. It was your first year directing. Um, how did you choose the shows?

[4:33] Mari Lyn Clark: Um, the complete works and leader of the pack. Well, um, I had directed at a middle school and then at Central High School where I came from. Um, so the hardest part about choosing shows for this school was that I didn't know any of the kids. So even though I don't pre-cast, you do have to know like where your strengths and weaknesses lie when or when you choose something. Um, and I just had no idea. So the fall play was something that I had wanted to do forever. Um, it's something that I I love. Complete works of William Shakespeare abridged, and it's so um like so goofy, and you can have as many or as few people as you want in it. It doesn't really matter, gender. Um, so I knew that that was something that was doable for us, no matter who was there, and then leader of the pack.

Um, I also wasn't really sure in a high school, it's hard to know, especially boys, how many boys you have that are talented, and I just didn't know. So um, we chose something that had kind of minimal boy roles, but also was something that was really flexible that gave a lot of people room to shine, and just something that was fun and and what I thought might be easy, but really wasn't easy because it had like 26 songs in it.

[6:00] Mason Bray: Was there 26 songs?

[6:02] Mari Lyn Clark: I don't know. It was something great, it was an insane number of songs. There's like almost no dialogue, it's all songs.

[6:08] Mason Bray: That's insane.

[6:09] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah, it's a lot. But it was great. Um, people are loving it. Like one of the teachers um who never apparently stayed through shows, stayed through the leader of the pack.

[6:21] Mason Bray: Yeah.

[6:22] Mari Lyn Clark: I I even watched him leave an intermission for the fall play, and then yeah, he was like, I stayed the whole time. I loved it. And to be fair, I went to dinner with friends yesterday, um, and one of them is a is a teacher here. Shout out to Mr. Cheshire. Um, but he was even talking about like how good he thought it was, and I didn't even bring it up, like he just kind of started talking about it. So yeah, it's great to to get some recognition, you know.

[6:46] Mason Bray: Yeah. And going into the next season, we are doing um The Giver and the Addams Family.

[6:53] Mari Lyn Clark: Yes. Um, how did you choose those shows after knowing us for a year?

[6:57] Mari Lyn Clark: Well, um, those were two shows that I knew I always wanted to pair together just because I liked I always like the idea of color, like choosing a color scheme and and making it visually appealing. So the idea in The Giver that everything is gray until it turns, you know, he first starts seeing red and it turns different different colors and then just all of the the references to like black clothing and darkness in the Addams Family. So I I knew I always wanted to put those together, and I just think we have some great people that'll fill those roles. So yeah, it was it was an easier decision than I thought. I was nervous about the Addams Family because of all of the props um and set pieces, but we're gonna pull it off.

[7:48] Mason Bray: Is there any hot tips that you want to give on who you think is gonna fit each role?

[7:52] Mari Lyn Clark: Um I can go down the list. Mason Bray will be townsperson number seven, and that's probably all I've thought about.

[8:00] Mason Bray: That's an upgrade. I thought it was gonna be a tree.

[8:02] Mari Lyn Clark: Oh no, the tree might have a line, so I need to give me a number.

[8:08] Mason Bray: Yes.

[8:10] Mari Lyn Clark: So I wrote down a note. I don't know what it means.

[8:14] Mason Bray: Oh, I do that all the time.

[8:15] Mari Lyn Clark: Is that are you making fun of me when I take notes and give notes?

[8:19] Mason Bray: I'm like, oh, I wrote this down, I'm not sure what it means.

[8:22] Mari Lyn Clark: No, but that that is very relevant.

[8:27] Mason Bray: I thought this was you making fun of me.

[8:29] Mari Lyn Clark: I thought this was like a dig at me.

[8:30] Mason Bray: No, I usually do this in every episode, but cut it out.

[8:35] Mari Lyn Clark: But this has to stay in now.

[8:36] Mason Bray: Oh, because I am making fun of you now.

[8:39] Mari Lyn Clark: Are you gonna cut out the part where you implied that you help me with my homework?

[8:43] Mason Bray: No. Because I helped you with your homework.

[8:45] Mari Lyn Clark: I didn't do your homework.

[8:47] Mason Bray: That's true. You helped me with my homework, yes.

[8:50] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah.

[8:51] Mason Bray: Yeah. And Mason thinks he deserves a bachelor's degree since I'm getting a master.

[8:55] Mari Lyn Clark: I deserve a BFA for helping you with one class.

[8:59] Mason Bray: Well, you know, I'll see what I can do.

[9:02] Mari Lyn Clark: I'll ask you.

[9:03] Mason Bray: Ask them in the summer. Go to the dean and be like, so there's this kid named Mason Bray.

[9:09] Mari Lyn Clark: Oh no.

[9:10] Mason Bray: He's my favorite student.

[9:12] Mari Lyn Clark: Oh, you want me to lie to this man?

[9:16] Mason Bray: No, Mason Bray, you're Mari Lyn.

[9:18] Mari Lyn Clark: No, do not call me by my first name, but you are great. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

[9:22] Mason Bray: I was just kidding. Um.

[9:24] Mari Lyn Clark: So.

[9:26] Mason Bray: Um, for this ne for these next two shows, it's gonna be very technical.

[9:31] Mari Lyn Clark: Yes.

[9:31] Mason Bray: Um, to pull off um, whether it be black and white for um the fall play um or for the Addams Family. Um, what are some things that we can look forward to as um students in the Thespian troupe, but also audiences coming up this year?

[9:49] Mari Lyn Clark: Well, I do think the technical elements will be stepped up. So technic I feel like I've spent a lot of time on this podcast talking about things I'm not good at, but technical things are not my strong suit. I actually bought a book today called Technical Theater for Non Technical People. Uh, but I think that what I want to focus on mostly is creating an atmosphere. So however we're able to do that with lights or set pieces or props or music or whatever, um, to maybe create an experience for people, uh, rather than just like a show. Like I want them to go and feel like they were a part of something. That's kind of what my goal for the technical elements this year are.

[10:36] Mason Bray: Yeah, and I think that's very possible for us to do.

[10:40] Mari Lyn Clark: Um very what?

[10:41] Mason Bray: Possible.

[10:42] Mari Lyn Clark: Possible, yeah.

[10:44] Mason Bray: It's possible.

[10:45] Mari Lyn Clark: Joan.

[10:47] Mason Bray: What?

[10:48] Mari Lyn Clark: It was a Suessical reference.

[10:50] Mason Bray: I'm sorry.

[10:50] Mari Lyn Clark: It's possible.

[10:52] Mason Bray: Yeah. I was literally in that show.

[10:53] Mari Lyn Clark: Um and I did not understand your reference.

[10:55] Mason Bray: So sorry.

[10:56] Mari Lyn Clark: I was the assistant director for that show at Central High School.

[11:00] Mason Bray: Um I Oh.

[11:06] Mari Lyn Clark: So something that you are really good at that I want to highlight um and I have it specifically written down to go over is how good you are at watching and referencing Real Housewife of Beverly Hills.

[11:22] Mason Bray: Oh no I thought this was going to be a genuine compliment I thought this was going to be something nice and then it wasn't.

[11:29] Mari Lyn Clark: It okay I'm I want to give you a very public space to talk about your love for real housewives. So go ahead.

[11:36] Mason Bray: Thank you. Well uh this morning I actually talked to my husband about perhaps attending BravoCon because it does fall within our fall break next year. So I'm hoping to maybe see I'm gonna merge all of my loves because BravoCon is in New York and so during the day I could meet some real housewives and then in the evening I could go see a show. So that's kind of my headspace right now I'm very excited Atlanta has returned to new season of Real Housewife of Atlanta Real Housewives of Beverly Hills um has just started the premiere aired last week so I'm excited for the new episode coming up this week.

[12:17] Mari Lyn Clark: And for one of my favorite housewives, Erica Jane to become the super villain that she is.

[12:22] Mason Bray: So for those of you who don't know Mrs. Clark, um, in our fall play, we added in a reference about Erica Jane because what was written was not relevant.

[12:34] Mari Lyn Clark: Yes.

[12:35] Mason Bray: We I just wanted to update it. And you know, Eric celebrated.

[12:40] Mari Lyn Clark: Some people got it.

[12:42] Mason Bray: Yeah. No. And if you got it, you got it. And if you didn't, then you need to go and watch Real Housewife at Beverly Hills.

[12:48] Mari Lyn Clark: Which I was educating the masses.

[12:52] Mason Bray: Which is really what you do as an arts educator.

[12:55] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah. Well, and it's it's culture.

[12:59] Mason Bray: It's peak culture.

[13:02] Mari Lyn Clark: It really is. And so if I want students to be well-rounded and cultured, Real Housewife is a part of that.

[13:09] Mason Bray: I think this is the best interview that I've ever done in my entire life.

[13:12] Mari Lyn Clark: Oh my god.

[13:14] Mason Bray: Well, I tell Mason that he's always auditioning, so that's he already insulted me a couple times, so now he's saying compliments.

[13:23] Mari Lyn Clark: No, but you are a really great director.

[13:26] Mason Bray: Thank you.

[13:27] Mari Lyn Clark: I try real hard. Um, like all of our team this year, like uh Sam, the Morgans, and um you, you are all great at um creating connections between us because we were terrified going into this year.

[13:39] Mari Lyn Clark: Well, you should be.

[13:41] Mason Bray: I we were terrified of you.

[13:43] Mari Lyn Clark: Good.

[13:44] Mason Bray: No, I wanted that at the beginning.

[13:47] Mari Lyn Clark: But now I can't say that we're best friends.

[13:49] Mason Bray: You know we're not gonna get me.

[13:51] Mari Lyn Clark: Well, actually, can I tell you something? Um, so I was he I'm here to grade senior scrapbooks. My husband brought me lunch, and then I was telling him, I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna do this podcast with Mason, and then Sam was here earlier, and so he asked me how many books I had graded, and when Sam was here, I was like, oh, zero. And he's like, So you just hung out with Sam, and I said, Yes. And then I said, and then you know, at three, I need to do this podcast with Mason. And he was like, So what you're telling me is you're just gonna hang out with your friends all day, and you're not actually grading scrapbooks. And I was like, well, Mason is not my friend. And he was like, okay, yeah, whatever. So, you know, my husband believes it. But we are not. We are not friends.

[14:28] Mason Bray: We are not friends.

[14:31] Mari Lyn Clark: Um you're not even my favorite teacher.

[14:35] Mason Bray: Oh my gosh, Mason.

[14:38] Mari Lyn Clark: That's so mean.

[14:39] Mason Bray: That's fine. I mean, there are a lot of great teachers here, and that's totally fine. This is so much fun.

[14:45] Mari Lyn Clark: Okay. Um, do I have yes, I have a life. I mean, do I have questions? I don't know.

[14:55] Mason Bray: Oh. So for people wanting to go into like um the career paths that you're going with, um, going back to get your master's, what should they expect in those um master's programs, the workload and all that kind of stuff.

[15:09] Mari Lyn Clark: Well, I think for me, even this the things I thought I was good at, I realized that there's a lot of gaps in my knowledge. So I think when people go back um to school for something like that, it's important to to realize that there are things that you know and that you're great at, and there are tons of of just like gaps in our knowledge. Like as you move through elementary, middle, high school, college-like there are things that you just kind of miss, and so it's okay to not know something. So that's something I have really learned. Um, being I've really liked my master's program. I've enjoyed all of my classes. Uh, and I really thought things like play script analysis, I was like, oh no, I'm great at that.

Like that is top tier what I'm best at. And then I realized that there were things I just didn't know. Um so I I think anybody going back uh for an MFA or any master's program or higher education just needs to be open to learning. I know that sounds silly, but that's kind of what I've I've gathered in the last year.

[16:18] Mason Bray: And what are the highlights of your program? Um whether what plays you like reading best or anything like that.

[16:25] Mari Lyn Clark: I did just take a class called Um Southern Drama, where we just read like plays from the South. And even though I knew a lot of Tennessee Williams and I knew a lot of Lillian Hellman, like even just being assigned readings of plays that I had never heard of, um, is really cool to me. So it's just like I maybe wouldn't ever pick up um the young man from Atlanta like as a play to read, but now I think it's great. Like I I have just been exposed to so many more things.

[17:00] Mason Bray: Are you telling me that I'm gonna have to read these? Are you gonna make me read these?

[17:05] Mari Lyn Clark: Um, I actually in my master's program had to read a doll's house, which I knew what it was, but I had never read it. And then next year it's in the freshman English textbook, which seems wild. It does not seem like anything that a freshman in Boonville, Indiana would ever care about, but maybe we'll read it in theater arts because we'll have it in the textbook, so it's pretty cool.

[17:28] Mason Bray: Which I think I'm gonna be in. I think I'm gonna be in theater arts next year.

[17:32] Mari Lyn Clark: Great, Mason. Uh you should be.

[17:33] Mason Bray: I should be able to do that. I steal you from Spanish all the time anyway.

[17:37] Mari Lyn Clark: And apparently I that's fine.

[17:40] Mason Bray: Yeah.

[17:41] Mari Lyn Clark: Um, you can take me whenever.

[17:43] Mason Bray: Yeah, but only when you don't have homework. You gotta you gotta get good grades in Spanish, Mason.

[17:48] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah. Spanish is important too.

[17:52] Mason Bray: So I want I usually asked all my guests, um, education versus experience. If you've ever listened to my podcast, you would have known that.

[17:59] Mari Lyn Clark: Um she doesn't listen to my podcast, everyone. Listen, I am subscribed because I want to support, and I do intend probably this summer to listen to a bunch of them. But I talk to Mason every single day. Um, and though he does have a very professional, soothing voice, I I am up to date on what Mason Bray is doing, and I listen to his voice a lot. Like a lot. So I don't usually want to go home and and also listen to his voice. And I have a lot of real Housewives podcasts that I listen to. But I promise Mason that I am I'm gonna get around to it.

[18:35] Mason Bray: Okay, well, anyway. Um so I usually ask education versus experiences, but as a teacher, um, I want to ask you what you think is most important about arts education for the next generation, not just working in it right now.

[18:49] Mari Lyn Clark: I see your face. I know. Because I don't know if I know the answer. Um, the most important part of arts education moving forward future generations to you. Like, what's the most important part to you to be able to pass on?

[19:06] Mari Lyn Clark: Oh, for me to be able to pass on. Um, I think arts education is different than any other type of education because it has to be collaborative. Like you don't have to collaborate with other people to do calculus or whatever, but arts, especially theater, theater is collaborative. Like you can be in a one-man show, but there's I guess you can write it, but you can't run the lights while you like everything has to be um a group effort. So I think just being able to work with other people, um, is probably what I think is most important about arts education is realizing when to take feedback, learning when you you don't know everything, um, learning how to depend on other people, which I um like know that I need to do differently, um, because it's hard to delegate things, but then there are lots of things that I know that I don't know, so I delegate a lot to like Sam because he is great at a lot of things that I'm not great at. Um, but just kind of learning how to work with other people, I think is is most important for for kids going forward, even if they don't end up in theater, like you have to work with other people.

[20:28] Mason Bray: And you say that to so many people every day.

[20:31] Mari Lyn Clark: I do.

[20:32] Mason Bray: I think so. Like there's sometimes in homeroom, you're just like, well, you're gonna have to work with people.

[20:37] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah.

[20:38] Mason Bray: Your entire life.

[20:39] Mari Lyn Clark: You are.

[20:39] Mason Bray: Yeah, you are, and sometimes they're not gonna be good people, and sometimes they're going to be hard to work with, but you still have to do it. Even if you work from home, like on your computer, like there are still people that you have to interact with at some point.

[20:55] Mason Bray: Um, and one of my closing questions, um, what shows are you looking forward to seeing when we go to a New York trip when we have um real talk with uh Mason Bray and Mrs. Clark in New York in 2023? What shows do you want to see?

[21:11] Mari Lyn Clark: See, and I don't I don't really even know what will be there then because it's just always changing. I feel like it changes so fast. Um my goodness. Like, I don't know what will be there. If you were to go right now, what would you want to see?

[21:26] Mason Bray: If I were to go right now, um, I want to see a strange loop uh really bad because I just read I like seat clips and I read synopsis of it, and it still doesn't make sense to me, but everybody says it's so great, and and I think it might be something that you have to see because it's like a play within a play within a play, right? And so I think so, like that's very confusing, and I think maybe seeing it in front of me, I don't know. I think the music is great, and I that's what I would want to see. I think part of their cast album came out on Friday, but I could be wrong. I don't know. I haven't listened to it yet, but I want to listen to it.

[22:03] Mari Lyn Clark: Yes, four songs came out. Um, and what is the Oh no? There was one more that I I really it was another Tony nominated one that I oh no. Oh, what's the one with all the Bob Dylan songs?

[22:20] Mason Bray: Mr. Saturday Night?

[22:21] Mari Lyn Clark: No, that's Billy Crystal.

[22:23] Mason Bray: Same thing.

[22:25] Mari Lyn Clark: Bob Dylan and Billy Crystal are not the same thing.

[22:28] Mason Bray: I don't know. Hold on, I'm gonna find out.

[22:31] Mari Lyn Clark: Dylan Musical.

[22:34] Mason Bray: Girl from North Country.

[22:36] Mari Lyn Clark: Yes, I would like to see that as well. Um, because I love Bob Dylan music, but I hate Bob Dylan's voice. And so I don't want to hear him sing things, but I love like covers of his songs. Like, I think he's a great songwriter and a terrible vocalist, so um I think I'd probably like that show too.

[22:54] Mason Bray: We have big opinions coming out on this episode of Real Talk with Mason Bray.

[22:58] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah, don't like tag Bob Dylan in this or anything.

[23:02] Mason Bray: Um, but fun fact um in that there's this actor named Austin Scott. You might be like, why why do I care? Um he was Hamilton when I saw Hamilton.

[23:14] Mari Lyn Clark: Oh.

[23:14] Mason Bray: And I met him at the stage door. He's my best friend.

[23:19] Mari Lyn Clark: Just like I am.

[23:21] Mason Bray: Yeah. I meet people once and I call them my best friend.

[23:24] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah, that's fair. It's fine.

[23:27] Mason Bray: But yes, he's in Girl from the North Country.

[23:30] Mari Lyn Clark: Oh, yeah. I don't know much about it other than it's Bob Dylan songs, which I like. I saw a TikTok today about it. Um apparently one of their actors got COVID and they all of their understudies were either on or out. Um there was this random guy that was an actor on TV that's married to one of the people in the cast, and he just went on with like five hours notice.

[23:53] Mari Lyn Clark: Oh. That's cool.

[23:55] Mason Bray: Which is crazy. Um so is there anything that you want to add, whether it be about high school theater, about your life, about how real housewives, anything?

[24:05] Mari Lyn Clark: Um, I mean, I don't know. Uh Mason Bray, I do think you're great, and I give you a hard time, but you are the hardest working kid at Boomville High School, maybe.

[24:17] Mason Bray: Take everyone.

[24:19] Mari Lyn Clark: Huh?

[24:21] Mason Bray: Uh, and I really appreciate that. Because I think that's something that a lot of kids um have somehow missed, and I don't know if it's like the struggles of COVID or whatever, that sometimes work ethic is really hard for some people, but Mason Bray, you're doing it.

[24:36] Mari Lyn Clark: I think you're great.

[24:37] Mason Bray: I really appreciate that, Mari Lyn Clark.

[24:40] Mari Lyn Clark: That was very close.

[24:41] Mason Bray: That was very close.

[24:42] Mari Lyn Clark: Well, you called me Mason Bray, so I think I get to call you Mari Lyn Clark one more time.

[24:46] Mason Bray: Yes, but you're my student, and I'm your teacher.

[24:49] Mari Lyn Clark: School gets out.

[24:50] Mason Bray: And when you graduate, you can call me Mary Lynn.

[24:52] Mari Lyn Clark: School gets out in nine days.

[24:57] Mason Bray: When you graduate.

[24:59] Mari Lyn Clark: Which is two years.

[25:01] Mason Bray: Yes, in two years.

[25:04] Mari Lyn Clark: That's scary.

[25:07] Mason Bray: No.

[25:08] Mari Lyn Clark: It's gonna be great.

[25:09] Mason Bray: It's gonna be great.

[25:10] Mari Lyn Clark: It's gonna be great. Um I will be auditioning for both shows next year. Be prepared for me. I also have a speech coming up this week.

[25:17] Mason Bray: Oh, do you want to tell the story of how I got my role in the fall play really quick?

[25:21] Mari Lyn Clark: Um, so Mason is in my homeroom, and I did not know him from Adam. Like, it was one of the first days of school. This is my first year here, and Mason was like, I am going to make a presentation. And I was like, okay, to homeroom? And you were like, Yes, I have a lot of thoughts. So I have like a poster that my sister-in-law got me that's like Broadway costumes, and it's just drawings, it's kind of like clip art costumes. Um, and Mason didn't like the poster.

[25:52] Mason Bray: Uh, and so he's it was missing several iconic shows.

[25:56] Mari Lyn Clark: Okay, okay. Like I didn't make the poster, it was a gift to me. And so he just got in front of the class and gave he had a whole PowerPoint, like a whole presentation on how terrible he thought this poster was. And part of his role in complete works of William Shakespeare Bridge is to give these like presentations. So he was auditioning but didn't know it.

[26:22] Mason Bray: So everything is an audition for real.

[26:24] Mari Lyn Clark: Yeah, it really is. I mean, your work ethic is an audition. Everything is an audition. When you call me Mary Lynn instead of Mrs. Clark, that's an audition.

[26:33] Mason Bray: I will keep that in mind.

[26:34] Mari Lyn Clark: Yes.

[26:35] Mason Bray: Um Garcelle Bove from Real Housewife of Beverly Hills. She, her iconic tagline, Life is an Audition, and honey, I am getting that part.

[26:49] Mari Lyn Clark: So that's my that's my life motto. Before you say anything else about how Real Housewife, I'd like to thank you for being here.

[26:58] Mari Lyn Clark: Oh, thanks for having me, Mason. I really appreciate you being able to do this and taking time away from scrapbook grading um to talk.