Banshee, The Perfect Mate, Vagabond & more

This has certainly turned into a busy fall! Something is in the air, because not only are people excited about fun fall activities like corn mazes, haunted houses, and halloween parties (all activities I am super excited about and am definitely doing 😉 ) - but it seems like everyone is busting out projects and new ideas as well. Maybe it's the looming Chicago winter that has people eager to create something new and fun.

Here are some updates in Amandaland:

Hushed into Silence - Audiobook 
Friends. I am so close. Editing the last two chapters and this bad boy will be available super soon on Audible/Amazon/iTunes etc. Then very likely on to the next TWO books in the series! I've tracked down an affordable recording space to mitigate my at home recording issues (noisy neighbors....plane traffic...whiny puppy...it's a lot) so I hope to be able to get much more efficient with my production time. 

I Married Black Premiere 
So much fun! I walked my first 'red carpet' and even did a Q&A with the cast after the first screening. We had a great turnout, and though El (the director) wants to do some more work on some technical elements of the film editing, I'm really proud of the work we put into this film. I can't want to grab a great snippet for my reel! I'll say one thing - it's a very cool feeling to see myself on a full size movie screen with my name in the credits. Checkout these photos from the premiere: 

Banshee short film
I'm excited to have a small part in this upcoming short film project, Banshee. This opportunity came as a bit of a surprise, as I wasn't initially cast - however the producer Dave and Director Cameron asked for my direct contact info as they really liked my work and wanted to consider me for future projects. I figured I made a solid contact and that'd be the end of it for now - but as things happen, the original actor that was cast had to drop out and I was available to take over the role of "Mrs. O'Sullivan" - so here we are! This shoots super soon and I hope to gather details on an anticipated release. 

Here's our team:
Executive Producer: Michael Massari
Producer: Dave Neylon
Director: Cameron Greenebaum
Director of Photography: Max Rood
Writer: Michael Massari

"Banshee" is a drama/horror short film based on the Irish folklore of the wailing banshees that forewarned families about an impending death. We follow the O'Neill family as they, once again, come into contact with this familiar omen. 

"The Perfect Mate" - Otherworld Theatre Paragon Play Festival
This unexpected theatre opportunity popped up thanks to my lovely friend, Laura Gouin! Laura was accepted as a director for the Paragon Play Festival at Otherworld Theatre and asked me to play "M" in her chosen piece, "The Perfect Mate". I'm always excited to work with friends I know and love, but also to finally get to collaborate in some way with Otherworld Theatre. If you aren't familiar, Otherworld is a theatre, performance, and event company dedicated to the world of sci-fi and fantasy. They do some really fun interesting work and I've been dying to find a way to get involved. 

On Camera Level 1 at Vagabond School with Michael Mccracken
And the last major update of the moment - I've kicked off a 6 week On-Camera acting course with Michael Mccracken, founder of Vagabond School. After just one day I can already tell Michael really knows his stuff and I'm looking forward to adding some new tools to my bag of tricks so I can keep booking more film & commercial work. 

The Rock Agency
I am now under exclusive representation with The Rock Agency! I am so excited to see where this partnership may take me... and yes, I've already updated my business cards with Rock Agency stickers 😉 My hope is that this will expand my reach and open doors to a lot more opportunities. Stay tuned!

In other life news, my husband and I recently took a whirlwind trip to NYC (my first time back in 14 years!) and had an amazing time. Our main reason for going was that he was in final callbacks for the role of Hagrid in ​Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - for either replacements for the NYC Broadway cast or for the new San Francisco production. Unfortunately he didn't get it this time, but they had nothing but great things to say to his agent, so fingers crossed we may hear something when they look to cast future replacements or even the planned Chicago production. While we were there we got to see The Play that Goes Wrong (absolutely hysterical) and the original Broadway cast of Anastasia (so well done). We also had the chance to meet up with some friends, walk through the San Gennaro Italian street festival, ride the Staten Island Ferry (while drinking Coney Island brews), walk the Brooklyn Bridge, wander around Central Park (with a drink at Tavern on the Green), eat all kinds of amazing food, and such much more. Now I'm itching to visit NYC again!


Meanwhile, continuing to line up auditions and see where it takes me. Onwards!

As always, be sure to check back on my Current Projects page to see more details on what I'm up to.