Mara Jill Herman is a multidisciplinary Jewish artist who endeavors to abolish anti-semitism, advocates for gender equity, and protects human rights.

“I view theater as a change agent, an interactive experience between artists and audiences that teaches us to laugh, heal, and grow. In its greatest form, theater leaves a lasting impact and breeds a culture of empaths.”

Mara produced the first production of Pink Pancake’s Today You Are A Man! at The Tank. She was the Associate Producer on Matthew LaBanca’s Communion (the cell) and produced the first SOLD OUT run of S. Dylan Zwickel’s The Moss Maidens (SheNYC Arts Summer Theater Festival). The production won Best Ensemble and Best Play and made history with two extensions (a first in the festival’s eight-year existence).

Benefit concerts conceived, directed, and produced include Ruth Sent Us: A Benefit for Reproductive Justice, Changemakers: A Celebration of Women and StateraArts, and Stronger Than Hate: A Benefit for Tree of Life Synagogue. Additional producing credits include Museum of the Moving Image (Technotherapy NYC) and ART/New York (Parent Artist Advocacy League).

Mara’s performances have been noted as “comically spooky,” "charming," “hilarious,” and "rich with style and flare.” She was nominated for BroadwayWorld Houston’s Best Supporting Performer in a Musical for her portrayal as Fruma-Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof.

Other favorites: Rent (Maureen), Guys and Dolls (Adelaide), Baby (Lizzie), On The Town (Hildy), and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Maria). International Tours include Disney On Classic (Mother Gothel) and Jesus Christ Superstar. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in We Are Here: Songs From The Holocaust with solo appearances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 54 Below, and Chelsea Table & Stage. Developmental highlights include The Band’s Visit, Sam’s Room, and The Bubble. Mara is featured on the 2022 concept album How To Repair A Mechanical Heart (streaming on Spotify/Apple Music/Amazon). Her satiric music videos have been hailed as “perfection,” “very versatile,” and “absolutely spectacular.”

Mara received NYFA’s City Artist Corps Grant and YoungArts’ Creative Grant for generating original work. She was featured on CBS Mornings with the Queens Theatre Senior Ensemble for Storytelling and Devised Theatre work. For the past decade, she engaged thousands of students, parents, and teachers for YoungArts as a Program Presenter, Adjudicator, and Head Resident Advisor. Currently, Mara teaches for New York Theatre Workshop.

Mara’s community organizing and campaign work includes Be An Arts Hero and Not A Lab Rat. An environmental advocate, Mara spearheaded an eco-friendly alternative to the Actors’ Equity Association plastic cards sent out bi-annually to 51,000 members. She presented the Digital Membership motion at the Eastern Regional Membership meeting, which resulted in the creation of a digital card option now in use. Passionate about gender parity in the workplace, she is a founding member of StateraArts Mentorship in New York City. Additional volunteer affiliations include Maestra Music and Knock For Democracy.