Meet Mandy Lahey | Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mandy Lahey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mandy, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from the Berkshire Hills of Western Mass. The area has a vibrant arts scene and my parents made sure that I got full exposure to all that could be taken in from summer stock theatre to evenings with the symphony to modern dance performances. This made me fall in love with the stage and I couldn’t wait to get up on it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a lover of arts and the stage. I went to the University of Colorado where I was accepted into the Bachelor of Fine Arts Acting program. However, after a year in the program, I started to worry that I lacked the looks and confidence to make it as a professional actor. I stated that I didn’t need to go to school to learn how to starve and I wandered off in a completely different direction for the next 10 years. I fell in love with the Boulder music scene and did every job under the sun from security to management and publicity.

In my thirties, I moved up to Longmont and was raising my young son when I started to notice that there were several community theatres around and I decided to audition. I quickly got a part in a play and continued to act regularly in and around Boulder County over the next 17 years. Throughout this entire time, I have always had a day job, but theatre is my true passion.

I met my husband on stage 15 years ago and we have created something very special together. We have directed, produced and acted in myriad productions together over the years. In 2020, we got the most amazing opportunity to rent a home in Old Town Longmont. There was a stipulation in the lease that in exchange for a rent subsidy we had to create a micro-center for the arts at our home. For 3 years as Porchfront at The House of Cellista we hosted music groups, variety shows and one-act plays on our front porch.

Most recently, my husband and I worked on the feature film “Swollen Creek” with director Dominic Martella, which is now in post-production. We are currently doing Becky’s New Car at Coal Creek Theatre of Louisville.

Despite having been paid for some of my work in recent years, I don’t consider myself a professional. I believe I do professional quality work, but I am grateful to still have a day job and not feel like I have to depend on the thing that gives me so much joy to also provide for me. I work with an adventure travel company that focuses on conservation and it pays the bills while also being an extremely enjoyable occupation.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had a friend visiting from out of town, we would of course have to go for a hike, but the altitude can be a bit tricky for folks. There is a wonderful easy trail with my favorite kind of fairy forest in the hills above Jamestown called the Ceran St. Vrain Trail. It meanders along the river and you can make it as long or as short as you want. Afterwards, we would head down to Longmont for Colorado’s best pizza at Rosalee’s on Main St. In the summertime, their back patio is a quiet oasis and you can’t go wrong with sparkling wine on tap.

On day two, we would hit Boulder and maybe have some Thai at Busaba on the Pearl Street Mall before catching a play at the Dairy Center for the Arts, home to several incredible theatre companies.

The next day we would have to head down to Coors Field to take in a Rockies day game. I would make sure to pick some good seats that aren’t boiling in the sun. Afterwards we would head over to RiNo to take in the amazing street art and grab some food and drinks at Improper City.

Another great outing is a day at the Denver Botanical Gardens followed by a beer and a burger at The Vine Street Pub with its fun hippy vibe. If we still have energy we could always go to the Mission Ballroom for an awesome intimate rock concert.

Of course no visit to Denver is complete without catching a show at Red Rocks. Lots of time can also be spent doing some “city hiking” wandering through the many vibrant Denver neighborhoods.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A great inspiration for me as a kid was a theatre company called Shakespeare & Company. In the summer time they would perform on the most magical outdoor stage at the edge of a lush forest. Imagine the faeries of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in this setting under the stars and you can see how a little kid could easily get drawn in to the theatre. When I got to high school, this same company had begun this amazing program called the Fall Festival of Shakespeare where students are immersed in the world of classical theatre. Young professional actors from the company stepped into the role of high school theatre directors and it created this amazing alchemy. I felt seen and supported by my fellow actors and it was pure bliss. Of course, I am forever grateful to my parents for bringing me to the theatre at a young age and encouraging my love for the arts.

Instagram: @laheywho_74

Image Credits
Lisa Siciliano, Dog Daze Photo, ThinAir Photography