Mierka Girten

Recent Stage Productions

The WallsNow Showing

This new wonderful Lisa Dillman play is keeping me on my toes. It examines mental illness and has been such a wonderful and heartbreaking journey. My character Lucy has no boundaries due to her bi-polar disorder and her energy level is through the roof so, trying to keep up with her is a constant reminder that there can never be too much coffee before “places” is called. I am having a blast at the Steppenwolf garage with these friends at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble.

What the Critics Say:

  • "...The Walls is also quite funny—especially Lucy (Mierka Girten), a self proclaimed ‘whack job,’ whose electric and jagged charisma is impossible to resist."

    —Anna Pulley, Centerstage

  • "…As the energetic and earnest Lucy, Girten is just sensational."

    —Robert Ianish, robertian.wordpress.com

  • "…each performance is brilliantly played by its leads…a must see."

    —Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times

With or Without Wings

These are some photos of the last run of my one-person show about my struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. My brilliant friend and writer Michael Thomas adapted my story for the stage so that we could educate and entertain an audience. We surely have! We have done the show in Chicago at A Red Orchid Theater, Victory Gardens and Gallery 37. This little hilarious piece has been the force behind my non-for-profit organization Mookie Jam (http://www.mookiejam.org), which has been benefiting artists with Multiple Sclerosis for the past 9 years. It is the hardest show I have ever performed.

What the Critics Say:

  • "...it’s her vinegary sense of humor and unblinking self-awareness that make this show more than just a feel-good, carpe-diem homily."

    —Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader

  • "By crafting such a vocally intense and physically exhausting show (she plays 15 characters), she obviously has no intention of letting MS rule her life."

    —Lucia Maurio, Chicago Theatre

  • "Girten has guts…lots of guts and lots of heart…and a wicked funny bone…she and her show have become Chicago treasures."

    —Randy Hardwick, ChicagoCritic.com

Weapon of Mass Impact

My character Sylvia was so special. Shy, repressed and isolated—so different from me! This Brett Neveu play was one of the scariest and most rewarding experiences of my acting career. There’s nothing like being interrogated to pieces.

What the Critics Say:

  • "...Sylvia’s very placidity makes her seem the most troubled of the three, especially in Mierka Girten’s understated, mesmerizing performance."

    —Justin Hayford, Chicago Reader

  • "...humble Sylvia (the quietly sensational Mierka Girten)."

    —Web Behrens, Chicago Free Press

  • "…the three women in the play—superbly played, especially Mierka Girten, who in the end, really has your heart in your mouth."

    —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

The Meek

Where else can you play a Greek Goddess who is part human and part book? Only in a Brett Neveu play. Creating “Voni’’ is something I will never forget—nor will I forget my spray tan, blue contacts and toga designed and crafted by the incomparable Karen Kawa.

What the Critics Say:

  • "Dressed in a white silk, toga-style gown, and clearly caught in a time warp, Mierka Girten has a certain comically anachronistic charm that she renders with exuberance and panache."

    —Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

View From the Bridge

This show was performed at The American Theater Company. I was so excited to play a more serious role at this time. My character Beatrice helped me prove to myself and an audience that I could play a hot-blooded Italian woman who wasn’t going to necessarily make you laugh out loud. This was the beginning of my love affair with Arthur Miller.

What the Critics Say:

  • "…Eddie’s wife, Beatrice (the very strong Mierka Girten)."

    —Nina Metz, New City Chicago

  • "...Girten, a sympathetic and credible characterization."

    —Rick Reed, Windy City Times