Marla was raised in a riverboat town in Iowa, where she fell in love with storytelling, art, and music. Her passions led her all the way to Vassar College, where she was immersed in experimental theater, and then on to London to get classical training at the British-American Drama Academy.

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She earned her MFA in acting from PlayMakers Repertory Company at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Highlights include working with Gene Saks in The Front Page as well as with Joseph Haj in Cyrano de Bergerac, and David Hammond in Caesar & Cleopatra. She also became a big fan of new work after playing “Moll” in Jordan Harrison’s Kid Simple, directed by Shelley Butler.

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In New York, Marla performed all over downtown and outdoors, including Abingdon Theatre, HERE Arts Café, and The Brick, in addition to two national tours. She loves playing intelligent, complicated women living on the fringe of society.

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Due to the events of 2020, she recently transplanted to South Carolina where she hopes to collaborate with peers in the local theater community.