Photo: Thomas Brunot

Hi. My name is Marianna. I am an actor based in New York City. I received my M.F.A. from the Juilliard School Drama Division as a proud member of Group 51. Prior to Juilliard, I earned a B.A. in History from Yale University, where I studied the intersections between American public history, cultural collective memory, and methodologies of storytelling.

When not onstage, I work at the South Street Seaport Museum and volunteer at the American Museum of Natural History as a tour guide and exhibit interpreter.

NEWS:

I recently performed the one-person play VANYA as Andrew Scott’s understudy during its NYC run off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (adapted from Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya by Simon Stephens, directed by Sam Yates). VANYA played its final performance on May 11th, 2025.

https://playbill.com/article/marianna-gailus-will-be-andrew-scotts-understudy-in-vanya-off-broadway

Here’s an interview with Dan Rubins at Theater Mania about that experience: https://www.theatermania.com/news/interview-how-marianna-gailus-became-the-one-woman-understudy-for-andrew-scotts-one-man-vanya_1777185/