MARY SEYMOUR
by DALE RICARDO SHIELDS
President of A ‘Dish’ Tunes LLC Music Publishing, and CEO of Barnett Group International (All Media Entertainment company), Mary Seymour graduated in 2018 with Honors at Stony Brook University/ Africana Studies: Mary is a Stoney Brooks University grad student Africana Studies Masters of Arts and eventually Ph.D. Africana Studies. She graduated from Suffolk Community College Selden Campus, Alpha Zeta Nu Chapter/Phi Theta Kappa/ Highest Honors with an Associate of Science Degree. While attending SCCC Mary majored in Theatre Arts emphases acting. She received the Theatre Scholar certificate for academic excellence. For her work as assistant director on the play Foreigner, she received a Distinguished Student Achievement honor from The Faculty Senate.
“Understanding the complexity of history and envisioning the profound possibilities of our tomorrows.”
Mary is a non-traditional student who grew up in the 1960s. She is the matriarch of her family and adores her grandchildren. For many years, Ms. Seymour had thought about going back to college, and every year she would find a reason not to make that phone call. Mary spent many successful years in entertainment and theatre arts.
Ms. Seymour is an actor, dramatist, and producer. She is an original member of the Broadway musical “Hair;” Ms. Seymour also co-starred on Broadway in “Raisin – the Musical.” She traveled the world with her disco vocal group Musique, their music “Keep on Jumping,” and “Musique II” sold millions of albums worldwide. She is a music publisher and COO of the family-owned publishing company A Dish-A-Tunes, LLC. The company won a publisher Grammy Certificate in 2005 for the Alicia Keyes hit “You Don’t Know My Name.”
She is extremely proud of her son Kenny Seymour, who is a composer and orchestrator. He is a Musical Conductor and Director for Broadway.
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
Now as Mary’s performing career slowed down, she started to think more and more about going to college.
Then one morning, she was reading Newsday and noticed an advertisement for Suffolk Community College. The advertisement explained that students could take college classes at 6:30 am and on weekends. Mary called SCCC and scheduled an appointment to meet with a college advisor.
After completing her evaluation testing, she met with the Academic Chair of Theatre Arts, Selden Campus Professor Charles T. Wittreich Jr. ’86. During Mary’s two years at SCCC, she developed an interest in writing, history, and directing for theatre.
40 years after Mary performed on Broadway as an actress/singer in the musical Hair. She worked as assistant director for the Suffolk Community College, Selden Campus 2012 musical production of the play Hair. One semester Mary mentioned to her acting teacher Professor Steven Gefroh that she wanted to study directing. Professor Gefroh, an alumnus of Yale School of Drama suggest Mary apply for the YSD summer intensive directing program. Mary took his advice applied and was accepted into the Yale School of Drama intensive director’s summer project in 2012. The following year Ms. Seymour’s One Act play “Unwritten History,” was accepted for Yale’s Summer Writers Project.
Mary is pursuing a BA/MA degree in African American History and Playwriting. She embraces the possibilities of the next step in her quest for knowledge. Ms. Seymour sincerely wishes to be an inspiration and encourage all people to embrace learning. Especially her fellow baby boomers a generation-filled tradition, wisdom, and faith.
