Who are You? 

Carly Polistina is a New York based comedian, actor, writer, and producer. Friends have informed Carly that she is the cross section of Leslie Knope and the girl who falls into the trashcan in the first five minutes of the movie as a voiceover asserts, "You're probably wondering how I got here."

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The pop-culture rock she grew up under is the cornerstone of her unique personality. Raised watching As Time Goes By and Keeping Up Appearances, she couldn’t sally Spongebob quotes with the other first graders, but she could recite the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. If that doesn't scream "cool and relatable" what does?

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Fun fact: a theater kid that opts for recess in the library will grow up to be a multi-hyphenate artist and voracious reader with a dangerous British Literature obsession.

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Polistina received her BFA in Acting and minor in English from the honors program at the University of Connecticut where she graduated Cum Laude. During her junior year, she studied Shakespeare in London. While still in school, she was nominated for Outstanding Featured Actress by CT Critics Circle for her work as Mary Warren in The Crucible. 

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Always creating, she recently co-wrote, co-produced, and performed in the award winning web series Please Help. Prior to the pandemic, her original play Annies and Kleptos had its New York City premiere. She has also co-produced two podcasts and, from those podcasts, co-produced sold out stand-up comedy shows across NYC. 

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From an early age, Polistina discovered if she could get people laughing, she could get them listening. She’s performed stand-up comedy across the country, trained in sketch and improv at Upright Citizens Brigade and the PIT, and continues to make character and impression videos.

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Having written in a journal every night for the last 14 years, Polistina understands the importance of dedication while remaining whimsical enough to follow the shiny object. A determined creator and unyielding optimist, Polistina is eager to collaborate with others.

 

She is also thrilled that this bio was written in third person because talking about herself this much in first person seems INCREDIBLY overwhelming. (Isn’t that what stand-up comedy is?) (Shhhhhhhhh)

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