December 15, 2015
DGA National Board Member Mary Rae Thewlis will become the 30th recipient of the Frank Capra Achievement Award, which will be presented at the DGA Awards ceremony on February 6, 2016. The Capra Award is given to an Assistant Director or Unit Production Manager in recognition of their career and service to the industry and the DGA.
A DGA member since 1993, Thewlis first became interested in the industry a few years after college. “I approached the film industry as something of a second career,” she recalls. “I was in graduate school at UC Berkeley with an emphasis in Directing and I worked as a Director for several years in the San Francisco Bay Area. Then life took some twists and I ended up in New York — perfect for theatre, right? So of course I decided to explore the world of film!”
Her first big entry into film came after she was one of five trainees accepted to the DGA-Producer Assistant Director Training Program in New York. “I was by far the oldest trainee in my class (not saying how old) but that really didn’t seem to matter — the hours were brutal, the demands great and the learning curve extremely steep.”
She recalls one of her most demanding jobs as a trainee on Martin Scorsese’s feature The Age of Innocence. “I was in charge of the ‘first team’ putting sometimes a dozen actors a day through hair, make-up and wardrobe, which with extreme period costumes was sometimes a three hour ordeal. Working with Joe Burns, the 2nd AD, I earned the nickname of ‘air traffic controller’ because of the precision of scheduling and timing required. We had a few near misses, but no planes collided on my watch.”
The reputation she earned as a trainee served her well after she joined the Guild in March of 1993 after one of her mentors in the program, AD Howard McMaster, remembered her. “Howard had only recently joined the Guild himself and when a TV movie came up, he knew very few DGA 2nd 2nd’s. And there I was with my DGA card! So my first Guild job was a combination of ‘right place, right time’ and luck. I subsequently worked with Howard on several projects, and was able to return the favor years later by introducing him to my colleagues at Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where he had a long and happy run.”
A long and happy run could also apply to Thewlis’ involvement with Law & Order. Her tenure with that group of shows stretches back to when she was first hired as a Key 2nd AD. “Nobody at L&O knew me. I had to interview four times over the course of a year, but in 1995 I was finally hired. That began a career which spanned 15 years in the Dick Wolf family. I went, in a rather traditional career path, from 2nd AD to 1st to UPM. In 2001, Law & Order: Criminal Intent Producer John Roman, another mentor, gave me an opportunity to UPM and Produce on that show and I remained there for ten seasons.”
Thewlis has also worked as a Unit Production Manager, Assistant Director and Producer on such feature films and television series as Up Close & Personal, Above the Rim, The Ordained and 666 Park Avenue. Since 2013, she has worked as a Unit Production Manager and Producer for the hit FX series The Americans. “I knew early on that episodic television was where I belonged. Although I love film, my temperament is not well suited to it. The idea of shooting two pages a day for four months is wonderful if you’re a filmmaker, but as an AD I love the challenge of doing a little movie every seven or eight days. I love constantly working on a new story, but with a team of people with whom I click and enjoy working with.”
Although busy with her burgeoning career, Thewlis also found the time to give back by becoming more involved with the Guild at the suggestion former DGA National Vice President Ed Sherin, who was also serving as an Executive Producer of Law & Order. “If I were to give a prize for ‘Best Mentor’ it would go to Ed. In addition to career advice, he urged me to get involved in the DGA. I’m so glad he did.”
Thewlis’ service to the Guild began more than 15 years ago when she was elected Secretary/Treasurer of the Eastern AD/UPM Council. She has since served six consecutive terms in various elected positions including Chair and 1st Vice Chair. Currently a National Board Member, Thewlis was first elected in 2005 as an Associate and has since served six consecutive terms. Additionally, Thewlis is a Trustee of the DGA Pension and Health Plan (first appointed in 2007), the DGA Training Plan (first appointed in 2004) and the DGA Foundation (first appointed in 2014). Her various committee appointments through the years include: the Eastern Diversity Steering Committee, the 75th Anniversary Committee, the DGA Honors Committee and the East Coast/West Coast Residency Committee. “From being a Council voting member to my current position as a National Board Member in my second term, I’ve found a wonderful place to learn about the Guild and its politics and policies, and to make, I hope, a meaningful contribution to an organization that has done so much for me.”
Thewlis also served on the DGA Negotiations Committee for the 2001, 2011 and 2014 negotiations cycles, and as a delegate to the DGA Biennial Conventions. “I’ve had many wonderful opportunities for Guild service: National Board Member, Trustee of the Pension and Health Fund, participant in many committees. Participating in the 2011 Negotiations was very satisfying. Because of my experience in both episodic and cable television, I felt I made valuable contributions of knowledge and insight in that arena. But I think the one that satisfies me the most personally is serving as a Trustee for the Training Program, where I got my start. I love the opportunity to choose new trainees and, maybe, find that Trainee who, like me, is a little older or a little different, or who might not otherwise have a chance.”
Thewlis also loves being able to pass on the same sage advice given to her by Sherin. “What I have to say to other Guild members is tried and true: Get involved. Go to meetings. Run for office. Volunteer for a committee. You’ll get more out of your career and your Guild.”
Asked how she feels that both her Guild service and her career achievements are being honored by the highest award the DGA can bestow upon a member of her category, Thewlis finds herself somewhat surprised. “I am honored and flattered to be chosen by my peers for the Capra Award. When I go to National Board Meetings and see the pictures of past recipients on the wall, it never crossed my mind that one day my picture would be up there. The people on that wall are rock stars. I couldn’t be more proud to be among them.”
Mary Ray Thewlis portrait by Marcie Revens
Past recipients of the DGA Frank Capra Achievement Award
- Phillip M. Goldfarb (2015)
- Lee Blaine (2014)
- Susan Zwerman (2013)
- Katy E. Garretson (2012)
- Cleve Landsberg (2010)
- Kim Kurumada (2009)
- Liz Ryan (2008)
- Jerry H. Ziesmer (2006)
- Herb Adelman (2005)
- Stephen Glanzrock (2004)
- Yudi Bennett (2003)
- Burt Bluestein (2002)
- Cheryl R. Downey (2000)
- Tom Joyner (1999)
- Bob Jeffords (1998)
- Peter A. Runfolo (1994)
- Willard H. Sheldon (1993)
- Howard W. Koch (1991)
- Stanley Ackerman (1990)
- Alex Hapsas (1988)
- Henry E. “Bud” Brill (1987)
- Jane Schimel (1985)
- Abby Singer (1985)
- William Beaudine Jr. (1983)
- William C. Gerrity (1983)
- Wallace Worsley (1982)
- David Golden (1982)
- Francisco “Chico” Day (1981)
- Emmett Emerson (1980)
- Robert Caminiti (1999)
- C.J. Rapp-Pittman (1998)
- Joseph L. Dicso (1997)
- Don Lewis Barnhart (1996)
- Larry Carl (1995)
- James E. Wall (1994)
- James “Woody” Woodworth (1993)
- Marilyn Jacobs-Furey (1992)
- Chester O’Brien (1991)
- Mortimer O’Brien (1991)