While on vacation in California this summer, we happened to be browsing shops on Pier 39 when we rounded a corner to see the Merrie Mary show had started. Looking for a break from our shopping, we plopped down on a bench to catch some entertainment.
Mary Evanoff from San Francisco, CA is not your typical street performer. The 57-year-old wife and mother is an incredible juggler and master of acrobatic feats. Mary got her start as a young girl by shimmying up flag poles at school and entertaining her friends with dare-devilish balancing acts.
Hoping to catch an interview with this very talented lady, I dropped a few bills into her hat along with my business card requesting an interview. Summer is a very busy time for street performers, but Mary graciously took the time to email me. I hope you enjoy the interview and visit her site to watch the video. Mary is one of the inspirations for my juggler design.
GCW: What is your main passion and describe when you first became interested in it.
Merrie Mary: I actually have too many passions, however, one is performing. I’m a Street Performer/Entertainer. I became interested in it when I married my husband, Cliff Spenger. He was a performer. I enjoyed Juggling and Acrobatics, he was a ropewalker, juggler, mime so we put together a show and took it on tour around the United States at all the big Renaissance Fairs.
GCW: Have you ever been told you “can’t” because you are a girl? What did
you do about it?
Merrie Mary: Yes, I have been told I ‘can’t’ because I was a girl. Most Street Performers or Variety Performers are men. I am one of the few successful female solo Street Performers in the United States. When I was told I ‘can’t’ I just simply persevered. I kept at it until I was doing as well or better than the men. It had to be different than what they did, but I knew it could be done. Now, there are more women in the field than before.
GCW: Do you have a favorite event or memory?
Merrie Mary: Yes, the birth of my daughter.
GCW: How would you encourage other girls who are interested in your field?
Merrie Mary: You just have to get out there and try it and see if you like it, and then keep going and see where it takes you.
GCW: What other interests do you have?
Merrie Mary: Walking, knitting, drawing, reading, bicycling, traveling.
GCW: Mary – thanks for your time and for sharing your talents with us. Folks, if you have a chance to catch the Merrie Mary show at Pier 39 in San Francisco – I highly recommend it! You won;t be disappointed. For more information about Merrie Mary, visit her site and watch her video.
