Bio

MaryBeth Wise is an actor, narrator, and librarian. She began her career at NLS as an audiobook narrator and reviewer, narrating more than 85 titles for the program in a wide variety of genres, including biographies, historical fiction, thrillers, suspense, adventure, essays, short stories, young adult books, and classics. Some of her favorite titles include Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley (DB50315), Donna Tart’s The Little Friend (DB55856), and D.H. Lawrence’s Women in Love (DB61435). Nonfiction favorites include God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe (DB66013) and the classic Everglades: River of Grass (DB47215) by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, both of which required in-depth research on pronunciations. As an actor, MaryBeth has performed in many DC-area theatres including Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth, Olney Theatre, Round House Theatre, the Shakespeare Theatre, Ford's Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and the Folger Theatre, and toured nationally and internationally with the National Players and the USIA. She had the honor of being nominated for a Helen Hayes Award (best actress) for her portrayal of Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker at Olney Theatre. Other favorite roles include Vita in Vita and Virginia at Rep Stage, Agnetha in Frozen (the play, not the musical) at Studio Theatre, and Mary in How to Write a New Book for the Bible at Round House Theatre. MaryBeth studied theatre and literature as an undergraduate and has an MFA in acting and an MLIS from the Catholic University of America. Although MaryBeth no longer works for the NLS Media Lab, her work can be found in the online catalog and on BARD.