Bridget McCarthy (SHE/HER)

BridgetMcCarthy.net
@bridgetmccarthyishere

Bridget is a multi-hyphenate theatre maker and currently serves as the Engagement and Education Director at Stage Door Theatre. Previous favorite credits include: Peter and the Starcatcher, Circle Mirror Transformation, Midsummer…Dream (Stage Door Theatre), Henry V, Much Ado about Nothing, Hamlet (Atlanta Shakespeare Company), The Little Prince (Synchronicity Theatre), Matilda (OnStage Atlanta). As a therapist and trauma informed theatre maker, Bridget has worked at the intersection of theatre and mental health with dozens of institutions and universities, including Shakespeare and Company, Alliance Theatre, Geva Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Shakespeare Behind Bars, and many more. She has also worked with transformative justice focused nonprofits like Recovery Rising, Justice Arts Coalition, Connecticut Department of Corrections, Georgia Department of Corrections, and New Haven Housing Authority as an applied theatre facilitator creating original pieces of community engagement theatre. Finally, her solo show, Fat Juliet, has toured nationally and features Bridget’s love of stand up comedy, Shakespeare, and AC/DC. 

In 2021, Bridget partnered with trauma therapist Amanda Edwards to pioneer the role of Mental Health Coordinator, co-founding the Association of Mental Health Coordinators. MHC is a new helping profession within the performing arts supporting responsible and compelling portrayal of mental health and challenging or traumatic themes. This includes individualized training, dramaturgy, assessment, cultural intervention, choreography, and crisis management. Within this role, Bridget has worked with Hulu, ABC, Onyx, Netflix, PassionFlix, Discovery, and many independent and student film projects as their inaugural Mental Health Coordinator.

Bridget holds a BA in Theatre and Spanish from Hope College, an MS in Clinical Counseling from New England College, and (as of summer 20204) is a candidate in Doctor of Behavioral Health program at Arizona State University.  Additionally, Briddget holds certifications as a Trauma and Resilience Trainer (CTRT), a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist (CCTS), and is a Certified Mental Health First Aid instructor with the National Council for Behavioural Health.  In 2020, they were recognized by Young Nonprofit Professionals of Atlanta as a member of their “30 Under 30” Cohort, and in 2024 named one of American Theatre Magazine’s “Theatre Workers to Watch”. 

Outside of work, Bridget fills her life with hiking, stand up comedy, ariel hoop, competitive powerlifting, farmers markets, and as a part-time personal assistant to her dogs Oberon and Suvi.