Marty Gnidula

About Me

Life Facts

I grew up in Orange, CT, where I attended Amity High School. My first theatrical production was as Viola 2 in the school’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. I fell so in love with live theatre that I would come home too excited to sleep. It wasn’t until the next year, when The Addams Family was announced as the school musical, that I realized I couldn’t remain in the pit (there was no viola section). I practiced and practiced and managed to summon the courage to audition, where I was cast as Uncle Fester (the first time). From that moment on, I’ve been constantly involved with theatre and it has become my life. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had and how lucky I’ve been.

Since then, I’ve been committed to immersing myself in theatre. I am an avid play reader and collector, as well as a huge musical theatre nerd. Some of my favorite theatre makers are Brandan Jacobs Jenkins, Brecht, William Finn, Bess Wohl, Mel Brooks, Bob Martin, Margret Edson, Arthur Miller, and Duncan Macmillan.

My Work

I am a theatre artist in all ways. While acting is my main pursuit, I have plenty of experience in all areas of theatre (set construction, scenic painting, costume shop, props, lighting tech…). Because theatre is such a collaborative art form, there are so many ways to help a production thrive, all with their own challenges and rewards. Every part of a production is absolutely essential, and all areas should be treated with their own reverence.

My mission as an actor is to find the joy in everything I do. As a light-hearted and generally goofy person, I try to bring laughter into every space that I work in. I believe that comedy is a universal tool for connection and rehabilitation. It’s what brings us together and helps us shed our insecurities and fears. Without comedy, even the most tragic drama loses its edge because, without comedy and love, there would be nothing worth fighting for. While escapism is a completely valid (and fun) goal for entertainment, comedy roots us in reality and in paradoxes, much like the world we live around us. Tools like satire, irreverence, and abstraction can help approach a touchy subject by steamrolling the “touchy” bits and getting us to real questions.

Physicality is a large part of my practice. As my acting skills continue to develop and change, I find myself leaning more and more into clown and physical theatre. There is something so magical about the shared agreement of a person acting like an idiot for the amusement of everyone, including themself. This interaction exists in a childlike state where audience members forgo their ideas of physics and morality. Much like a cartoon come to life, the excitement exists in the difference between the expected result and the uncanny result. For instance, we see an anvil and red paint in the Looney Toons the same way we see Mary Poppins’ bag suddenly work magic. The distortion of reality is so joyous not only to watch, but also to perform.

Off stage, I bring the same excitement for joy to my work. I’ve never thought of myself as a digital marketer, but once I found the passion for getting new audiences excited for plays, it became a big part of my life. Getting people to the theatre is so necessary and that starts with simply letting audiences know that something fun is going on. There’s often a gap between theatre companies and local theatre people because the gap between professionalism and approachability is difficult to land. In my experience, however, audiences respond extremely well to no-nonsense marketing because it doesn’t come with an air of pretension.

Other stuff

This is my best friend, Murphy! He’s the best little man in the world. He loves peanut butter, watermelon, belly rubs, and getting carried around like a little baby.