Meet Marc D. Lyons

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marc D. Lyons. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marc D. below.

Marc D. , so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

There’s a line I wrote for one of my plays that says “It’s hard being a black man in America, then you want to add being gay and you’re just asking for trouble!”

I found myself often being the “only one” in rooms . Whether it’s the only gay guy or the only black guy. And in this era, suddenly you’re required to form an opinion or make a declaration that will speak for the entire community just by being there.

I have found that maintaining my Individuality is always the best option. Making it very clear that you speak for you and you alone. Yes, Providing insight and guidance is always important but also making it clear that the “community” is as wide and as vast as it can be and no two are alike.

Understanding that one day when someone says, “some of my closest friends are black / Gay “ and knowing that they are talking about me makes me feel like there is a duty to represent myself in the best way possible. Knowing that I have the ability to change someone’s perspective for a lifetime.

Ignorance is always going to exist, but it’s my response to it that will make the difference. Having a positive mindset and a whole lot of patience has saved me from a lot of outbursts and stress filled conversations.

Oh and having a great sense of humor. Life is way too short to not find some sort of humor in even the darkest of moments.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

It’s been a crazy year! I declared this the year that I “do the thing that scares me!” And I stuck to it. Every project I picked this year had some element that forced me to go deeper or challenge myself in some way. I’m done being afraid and timid when it comes to performing. If I fail I fail but at least I tried. Thats how I look at things now.

That confidence led to Quite a busy year of Theatre, Television and Fashion Week! The most memorable would be walking in Fashion week, taking a quick nap and performing that same night in a sold out production. I thrive in settings like that. I love to work, that’s when I’m at my best. Give me something to do and everything else falls perfectly into place. I’ve struggled with ADHD my entire life. Keeping busy and being productive has always brought me the greatest pleasure.

But that’s a common thing in my life, I crave visual stimulation and productivity. I’ve been a lifelong lover of film and television. As long as I can remember it has been the center of my childhood. I definitely consider myself one of those 90s kids who were raised by the television. A sitcom aficionado. By the age of eight I could tell you the entire prime time lineup of each network and what the ratings for that season were. I could name every film star and quote lines from films that I watched way too young. I knew every jingle. And could quote Oscar statistics the way some people quote sports statistics. There was never any other profession for me. No question about it.

I got my start in acting at the age of 6 in church. I was hooked on the rush of pretending to be someone else. I loved getting lost in characters and storytelling. It wasn’t long before I could also be found in every school play and musical. Often juggling multiple shows at once. Always keeping busy. Writing scripts in between and getting my friends to perform them.

Once I graduated from high school, I continued to work in community theatre productions and started producing my own work. I knew college was going to be my ticket something greater, so I threw myself into it. I worked multiple jobs and took early morning classes as well as year round courses. While other took summers off, I doubled down on the academics, I wanted to learn everything and experience it all. There was always this drive and ambition inside of me that kept telling me to keep going. I spent my entire twenties that way. Learning, hustling and grinding.

After undergraduate concluded, I was finally accepted into my dream college. I had wanted to attend the New York conservatory for dramatic arts since I was a junior in high school. I auditioned during my senior year of high school and was accepted. But due to lack of financial support I couldn’t attend. I devastated me, but I spent the next few years working as many jobs as I could and attending community college to build up my GPA and save as much money as I could. You name the job and it I’ve done it. Everything from a waiter, telemarketer, barista, census enumerator, environmental conservationist to a film / media teacher with the boys and girls club. I was determined to get there. And in 2013 I finally made it. And the rest as they say is history. My history.

My time at NYCDA was something of a rebirth for me. It unlocked a part of myself that I wasn’t able to tap into prior. It was a creative awakening! I’m still connected with a few of my professors from that era.

The life lessons of that time are still fresh in my mind today. Both creatively and personally. It also helped me secure my first agent after graduation and pushed me into the next phase of my career.

My life and career since then has seen many changes. Ive made some amazing connections with terrific artists. I’ve had incredible experiences and opportunities. And along the way I’ve created some wonderful pieces that I’m personally proud of.

Coming out at the age of 30 officially kicked off the greatest chapter of my life. It was the first time I ever felt truly as myself and the work I’ve done since reflects that. I began to see how black queer men were represented on stage and in media and I wanted to change that and be a small part of the conversation if I could. I wish I had seen more men such as myself when I was younger. It would have saved me so many years of anxiety and stress. I have devoted the rest of my life to providing that for the next generation as much as I can. Someone is always watching.

As a black actor I understand the importance of representation. And as a black queer man, it only adds to the overall mission. We matter and our stories matter. The narrative must be shared.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Trusting your instincts is crucial to success. My instincts have protected me from many situations that could have had terrible outcomes.

For most of my life I was a huge people pleaser. I was the strong friend, the reliable one. The one that would go without in order to make sure everyone else was taken care of. The problem with that was that it attracted the wrong kinds of friends. And I spent years in dead end friendships that stalled my growth. Now older I know it’s important to understand that actions speak louder than words. It’s what people do not what they say that ultimately matters. Someone can say that they love you but everything they do says otherwise. So it’s important to guard your heart and keep your eyes open. The right ones will always make themselves known to you.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

While watching an interview on television, a popular music artist talked about the influence “the alchemist “ had on his success. I had never heard of it before that but I figured id check it out.

I grabbed it one day on my way to my restaurant job that I absolutely hated, and read it on the train on my commute home at 2am. At the time I lived deep in Brooklyn in the Quiet town of Borough Park. And experience I’ll never forget. I practically lived on the F train.

The Alchemist is one of those books that immediately stop you dead in your tracks! From the first chapter you’re brought into this universe of deep dreams and imaginations and you find yourself relating to the journey of the main character.

The journey of knowing there’s greater out there for you, and having the courage and determination to go and get it. Despite the challenges that come along. You fight and you will yourself to keep going because you know someday it’ll be worth it.

And the biggest lesson I took away was the power of manifestation and execution. Life works in your favor when you start working with it. You cannot become comfortable. You cannot settle.

I know way too many people who gave up or settled for less just because the road ahead looked too difficult and impossible to get through. I was determined to never be one of those people.

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• Instagram: themarclyons