Originally from Darien, Illinois, Mariah grew up inspired by theatre-making she saw in the Chicagoland area where she began her career. She has most recently graduated from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, where she received her MFA in Acting and began developing her original, one woman play, body of work.
After graduating from Northwestern University, where she received her Bachelors of Arts in Theatre and Psychology, as well as a Music Theatre certificate, she found she had a passion for developing new and meaningful plays that reflect the world around us, while continuing to innovate the form. She has worked on productions of new and classic works at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Yale Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare on the Sound, Northlight Theatre, About Face Theatre, and others.
In addition to performing, Mariah’s background in psychology and social justice has led to her work in community spaces for the healing and connection of people of color. At Yale, she was a co-director and producer for FOLKS, a group for Black drama students, originally founded by Angela Bassett, as well as a teaching artist for the Dwight Edgewood Project, a day program for local New Haven elementary/middle school students to learn the basics of playwriting. Mariah is a certified Truth and Racial Healing Transformation Practitioner and has previously worked as the Equity Program Manager for Planned Parenthood of Illinois, which included being a speaker for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America's national conference.
Mariah lives in New York City with her husband Alex and her dog Mabel. She loves crocheting, weightlifting, and acquiring books twice as fast as she can read them.