PIERRE — Growing up in Pierre gives children the benefit of being able to be outdoors — on their own or with friends — without constant supervision. That is one thing Pierre native Mary Gen Fjelstad, 38, won’t forget or take for granted.

“I feel so lucky to have experienced a small, safe community that offered me many opportunities,” she said. “I was lucky to have teachers and community members who inspired and nurtured me as a fledgling performer.”

Fjelstad, a long-time lover of theater, practically grew up in the then-called Studio 109 where she watched her mother, Donna Fjelstad, devote hours and hours to “sharing her talents on the stage and off.”

Shawna Bleecker | Capital Journal Mary Gen Fjelstad (left) works with local teenager Rayleen Rathbun in a group Imrov session Thursday afternoon at The Right Turn. Advertisement

“I remember watching dramas, comedies and musicals with a deep curiosity,” said Fjelstad. “I would feel shivers go up my spine watching stories come to life on the stage. I think I made the connection early on that storytelling has the potential to change lives.” 

Throughout her teen years Fjelstad acted in plays for both school and the community theater and said playing Anne Frank in “The Diary of Frank,” is one of the productions that stands out in her memory.

“Growing up in Pierre has influenced my perspective as an artist profoundly,” she said.

After high school, Fjelstad moved from Pierre to downtown Miami.

“You can imagine what a shock that was,” she said.

Fjelstad earned her undergraduate degree at the New World School of Arts in Miami. Since then she has lived in cities across the United States.

Fjelstad went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and is currently a member of the Actor’s Equity Association.

She currently lives in Eugene, Ore., with her husband, Kato, and 10-year-old daughter Olivia. Fjelstad describes her job as “a freelance teacher-actor-director and a mom.”

“I feel that stories and storytelling have the potential to transform lives,” said Fjelstad. “Theater exposes our differences and illuminates our commonalities.”

Fjelstad is currently in Pierre to teach a theater Improv class to interested area teens from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., daily from July 27-31, with a second session from Aug 3-7, at the Right Turn.

The class, made possible by a grant from the South Dakota Arts Council, is a week-long teaching tool for teens to explore new avenues of self expression, problem solving, communication improvement as well as a way to build self-esteem.

“I want to encourage beginners or people with no experience at all with doing theater to come,” said Fjelstad.

For more information on the class contact The Right Turn at 605-773-4755.

“Theater humanizes us,” said Fjelstad about her work. “Theater holds a mirror up for us to take a look at ourselves, each other and how we connect. It is a collaborative art bringing many people together with a unified goal, which can challenging, exciting and a lot of fun.”

Fjelstad has lived many places and seen a lot of things, but South Dakota is home and would one day like to return.

“When I think of central South Dakota I think of vast prairies and endless sky,” she said. “The imprint of that vastness inspires my sense of wonder and leaves me ample room to roam and grow as a person and in my work.”