Caught my sister, Lisa Carlson, in the wonderful performance of “Marius” now playing at Fort Mason Center. Beautifully staged and directed by David Valayre, based on the French play by Marcel Pagnol. Lisa gives an intense and powerful portrayal of Honorene, the mother of the gorgeous Fanny played by the beautiful Nastassia Maltsava. As the only daughter of our mother Marcia, Lisa had excellent reference material to work with! She certainly does our family proud. If you happen to be in San Francisco this month catch this witty and vibrant performance.
- Anthony Carlson

Anthony Carlson

“I have had the great pleasure of working with Lisa on a series of training modules for care managers that I produced for the San Francisco Family Service Agency’s Felton Institute.

The role Lisa was assigned required a great deal of sensitivity, a strong connection to the material and an ability to both improvise and maintain character for extended periods of time. Lisa came though on all fronts. She exhibited a tremendous natural instinct as an actress, took direction well and offered very valuable ideas for improving both her own character as well as the development of the interpersonal relationships between characters.

Not only did she handle a complex role of a 60 year old Latina with seeming ease, but she portrayed it in fluent Spanish. Her delivery was so good in fact that it took a bit to realize that Spanish was her second language and that she was merely speaking “in character” when I first met her in the studio.

I would absolutely love to work with Lisa again as she is clearly able to handle a wide range of roles with great enthusiasm and little guidance, which of course makes my own job that much easier."

Casey Peek

We hired Lisa as an actor in our healthcare compliance series. We could tell from first meeting her that she was engaged and very intelligent. She did an excellent job in our production and we will hire her again in the future.

Karie and Anthony Rego, Rego Digital Studios

Thank you Lisa for your time and energy during the shoot. You were amazing and that french accent was perfect. You even know some profanity which i think will add a nice touch for our french viewers. Your dedication on the balcony was extremely important …

Anthony Vincent, Producer, "Cahiers du Cinema"

Lisa Carlson’s performance in Real Women Have Curves was a hit, an emerald gem, she captured the essence of a Latina mom!! As a Latin woman raised by a Latina mom with all of the dilemmas that are placed upon us by “mom,” Lisa’s performance captured what is at the heart of Latinas; how we feel about life, love, our bodies and the bonding with our female friends and family that help us get a better understanding and meaning of life. Great job Lisa!!! You embody the true latin spirit!

Thank you for a wonderful evening!

Claudia Russo

.“..The nuns are very funny and add measurably to the madness in this household and are played by Lisa Carlson (the lead nun), Maureen I. Williams (second nun) and the most delightful Sukanya Sarkar (as the latently irreverent “little” nun).”

Charlie Jarrett, Theater Reviewer

I really think it turned out great … and your performance was amazing … everyone’s been really impressed… the client loved it."

Dan Carlson, Director, HelpSOS Video

Pam and I were looking forward to seeing my old Film Production Class colleague, Lisa Carlson, in The Little Nebbish. We were jazzed by the performance, 2 thumbs up. First of all, Lisa played a strong role really well. Her character was completely believable. Her affected accent was totally real, as well as the costume and make-up. We are used to seeing small productions and the Berubians managed to pull it off with aplomb. The staging and lighting were simple, but effective. There was a lot of furious scene changing. The final scene worked and we were taken aback. Good show.

Lothar Vallot

Lisa was an amazing actress when I cast her for my school project. So much in fact that when it came time to work on a contest, I called her up for that as well. She has an amazing breadth of voices to her and she can take great direction, even some not so great. If asked who would I work with again, I would undoubtedly choose her if the role was right for her. Drew

Andrew Nevis, Director

Lisa’s deep perception and intelligence allows her to immediately grasp the aesthetic goal of any scene. Her performances ever exceed my expectations, as she always comes in on mark requiring minimal direction. Her voice work has been a joy to edit — an editor’s dream, in fact — consistent and beautiful all around. Thanks, Lisa!

Kristin Cato, Director, "The Lighted Bridge"

Lisa did a great job in our film. Very smart, asked questions and professional. Happy to use her in our next shoot.

Karie Rego, Director, Compliance Films

Lisa was cast as the Head Nun for a recent production of The House of Blue Leaves at RPE, a theatre where I serve as Artistic Director. Although fairly new to the acting world, Lisa was a quick study. She worked hard to make her character realistic, funny and moreover believable. I would certainly welcome her to audition for me again.

Sue Trigg, Artistic Director, "The House of Blue Leaves"

Lisa is a pro. She was perfect for the role and hit her marks great. She helped out with wardrobe and was extremely pro-active and flexible despite the chaos of the set. She takes the craft seriously and I’d work with her again, given the opportunity.

Brant Smith, Director, "In-World War"

Lisa is a real pro…in 2 languages.

Oscar Bassinson, Director, InterMedia Advertising

Lisa is a professional and gifted actress.Even when have had to work under a significant time crunch and focused and calm even when we have worked under high pressure situations. This is important because it has an effect on everyone on the set! Lisa has been asked to step in at the last minute when I knew I needed someone I could count on. She can play a wide range of characters, takes direction well, and brings her insight and wisdom to every role. I plan on using Lisa in other training films in the future because of her reliability, acting ability, and her ability to work well with others.

Tricia Day, Producer/Director