Bio

Nancy McArthur is an actor, singer-songwriter and teaching artist based in New York City. She was born in Washington D.C., raised overseas in Europe and Southeast Asia, and spent most childhood summers in a small West Virginia town by the Potomac river.

On stage, she has starred in a wild variety of experimental works under the direction of Danya Taymor, Ping Chong, and O-Lan Jones. Her one-woman show Shenandoah was featured at the 16th Prague Fringe Festival, where she was nominated for Best Performance and received a Fringey Award for “making audiences fall in love with America again.” On TV, she’s had the privilege of working with the likes of Rachel Morrison and Spike Lee. In independent film, she’s collaborated with directors from all over the world, from Cuba to Iceland and Brazil. When she isn’t performing, Nancy teaches theater to New York City Public School students, through the non-profit organizations Community Word Project and Pink Fang.

Nancy’s recent collaboration with Claire Barnett and Oliver Demers, a short film called FREAK, premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival in the Pardi Di Domani International Competition, where it received a Special Mention from the jury. It won the Audience Award at the Glasgow International Short Film Festival, celebrated itsNorth American Premiere at Vancouver International Film Festival, and was also exhibited at MoMA's Documentary Fortnight.

Her directorial debut, Littlest Thing In The World, is currently in post-production. The film was written by Nancy McArthur, co-directed by McArthur and Claire Barnett, and produced by Ariana Taveras.

As a musician, Nancy writes songs in a genre that might best be described as alternative-folk-with-dad-jokes. Her debut album I Would I Were Thy Bird was released in December 2023 to a sold-out show at Brooklyn Music Kitchen. She recently recorded her second full-length album in Ireland with Oli D Remembers and Belfast-local artist Muckno. It is set to be released in Fall 2026.

Nancy holds a BFA in Drama from Tisch School of the Arts’ Experimental Theatre Wing and Stonestreet Studios.

A blend of indie, folk, and melancholy, Nancy McArthur’s songs are meditative, heart-searching, and unexpectedly sarcastic.

She’s gigged at venues across New York City from Pete’s Candy Store and the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe to the late Rockwood Music Hall.

Her debut album I Would I Were Thy Bird was released in December of 2023, to a sold-out show at Brooklyn Music Kitchen.

Album Cover by Claire Barnett.