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I am utterly thrilled to announce my next project! I am understudying the role of Anka in Remy Bumppo's production of ROUTES (a US premiere!) by Rachel De-lahay and directed by Mikael Burke. Remy Bumppo is a theatre in Chicago that I have long respected and have been eager to work with. I am excited to see the direction the theatre takes under artistic director Marti Lyons' vision, and am thrilled that my return to the stage after the big "pandemic pause" will be at such a fantastic institution. While I can't be sure I'll have any guaranteed performances as an understudy, I am truly thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow as an actor with this ensemble. I'm also personally excited to work with director Mikael Burke again, after last appearing in his production of MEDEA back in our college days at Butler University. Mikael is a hell of a director with fresh perspectives that Chicago needs to see on its stages. A brief synopsis of ROUTES: Olufemi hopes to return home to his family. Bashir wants to remain in the only home he knows. Kola yearns to find home in a place that’s never felt like one. Rachel De-lahay’s shattering, urgent new play looks through the eyes of immigrants, refugees, and children in conflict with the law as they fight to get home through an impossibly complex system designed to keep them out. The show performs at Theatre Wit, October 12 - November 20, 2022 - tickets are now on sale!  A few photos from our first rehearsal!    
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The short film Literal Revolution is finally released! I was originally cast in a version of this short back in 2020. Then the pandemic hit, things shifted, the script went through a full rewrite, and we finally got our shot to film this in 2021, right as everyone was getting vaccinated and filming was picking back up. I remember we shot it all in a day, everyone a bit nervous and shaking the edge off of just recently being released from mandated quarantines, and we just had fun with it. Literal Revolution was written by D.R. Johnson and directed by Joshua Pessetti. This was produced by Hollywood Casting and Film, now known as The Slate.
Another short film produced by Hollywood Casting and Film (The Slate), Lost in Love, has also been completed! I can't share the full film yet as it's in consideration for festival submissions, but I can share a short clip. Lost in Love was written by Leilani Downer and directed by Jennifer Gillenwater. It's a fun little romantic comedy we shot last summer, where my character takes "ghosting" to a whole new level. I hope you enjoy the films/clips, and more to come soon! The folks at Tin Roof have recently released some stills from the film (still in post production, aiming for a 2023 release). Enjoy a sneak peek at our camp slasher for grown ups! Also, previously released Homecoming Massacre has released a new poster art variant which features my character in the reflection of the murderous clown's knife. The poster along with plenty of great merch and copies of the film can be purchased at White Hair Productions webstore. Check it out - cheers!     A few photos from the premiere of EVIL LURKS! It was a fantastic event and so exciting to see the final product. Future showings/distribution/DVDs TBD!          The time is fast approaching for Evil Lurks to finally make its big screen debut! We will premiere this wild indie horror feature in St. Charles, IL on July 17! I was going to post about buying tickets....but we are SOLD OUT! Never fear, future screenings are being planned and stay tuned for updates as we unveil plans for a limited DVD/Blu-ray release and potential streaming distribution. It's been a long road from our first days on set back in 2019, through the pandemic and post-production process until now. It's exciting to finally see the film we all worked so hard on get the big screen debut we've been waiting for and we hope audiences will resonate with the film. It's a beast, but it's OUR beast! Check out the new official trailer here, which just debuted Friday July 1! Last week I had the absolute pleasure of filming my role (KAT) in Tin Roof, a new camp slasher indie feature film from the brilliant minds of Rob Mello (writer/AD) and Rebecca Rinehart (director). We managed to fully shoot everything in a packed week, pulling talent in from across the country, traveling to multiple locations across central Indiana, and executing several impressive practical effects to make the kills look incredible (and with SFX veteran Joe Castro at the helm, they're going to look amaziiiing). It's hard to describe the experience, but I have rarely worked with a cast and crew that worked so well together - not only did we bust our butts to get the shots, but the chemistry between the cast members was magical as well as the camaraderie between cast and crew. The group of "friends" in the film I was in quickly became true friends throughout the process - and it took real vision on the part of Rob and Becca to see that we would all work and gel together so well - especially considering the casting process was fully remote, and the first time we actually met in person was on set. I've included a few photos I'm allowed to share (can't spoil the plot or any of the kills!) below. Something very cool was making the front cover of the local paper while shooting in Bargersville, Indiana! The hope is that we can premiere Tin Roof in Summer of 2023 - in the meantime, keep an eye on our IndieGoGo campaign for opportunities to get cool perks and help fund the film! New season, new updates from the world of Amanda Winston!
Since putting my updated headshots into the world I've gotten a great response and have been keeping busy with auditions across VO, film, TV and theatre. I'm very excited to update my reel eventually with footage from my work over the past year as well, once everything is out of post-production. I had a great deal of fun earlier this year shooting background for a major beer brand, provided brand campaign VO for iv360, and started some industrial work with a national health insurance provider (shooting more this week!). We've finalized shooting dates in June for new camp slasher Tin Roof as the fundraising efforts continue - and there are many unique perks and ways to get involved over at our IndieGoGo . I play Kat in the main ensemble and it's going to be a hell of ride! And I've been continuing my NYU TV & Film certificate course, finishing a couple drafts of a short film I'm excited to bring to life! Honing my skills as a screenwriter has been a thrilling challenge, and of course so far I'm sticking to my go-to genre: Horror (#ScreamQueenForLife). It's a quick update for now as I hustle on! As always, ~Stay Weird~ ;) It felt like it was time to freshen up those headshots and get a bit more specific with the kinds of characters I play. You'll see updated headshots across my website and social media accounts, and dropping them here as well. This time around I worked with Nancy Vela Photography in Chicago. And while Nancy is relatively new to the headshot photography game, she's been doing hair and makeup for photo and camera for years, and truly has a knack and ease for this kind of photography. It was great working with her and figuring out small tweaks we could make to help tell the story of the different types of characters I often play. And the fact that she can do killer hair and makeup as well as take awesome shots is a major bonus! So here they are - and maybe it was happy headshot vibes, but I just got a callback for this weekend, so I have a good feeling about these ;)         Looks like I'm overdue for an update! I've been keeping busy with auditions, projects, travel and making the most of the summer. I shot a few new projects:
In other news - I consider myself a life long learner - and so back in February I signed up for the NYU Tisch Film & TV industry essentials certificate course. I'm working my way through at my own pace, but am excited to see how this knowledge will further amplify and influence my career - particularly my hopes of bringing my first screenplay to life. Very recently I returned from a two week trip to Costa Rica! What does that have to do with acting? Not much, other than I am a firm believer that the best actors are ones who live their lives fully and experience the world beyond "the industry". So when I had the opportunity to visit Costa Rica (never been) and chaperone a group of future veterinary students (love animals! Was an RA in college!) I thought - why not? And it was plenty of work, but also incredible. We soaked up Costa Rican culture, worked with all kinds of wildlife, spent a 2 night stay essentially in the jungle (ever woken up at 5am to the sound of howler monkeys in the trees right out your window?), toured a coffee farm, and my favorite of all - we visited the Costa Rican Sloth Sanctuary. We met the incredible Dr. Becky Cliffe, the world's foremost expert on sloth science and biology, and founder of the Sloth Conservation Foundation, who took the time to speak to our group about the vital work they're doing in understanding sloths and conserving their natural habitats. I have been mildly obsessed with sloths for several years and following the Sloth Sanctuary with the hopes of going some day - and it did not disappoint! I'm looking forward to more travel in the next several months to San Juan, Puerto Rico and to several locations in Japan (life and Covid-19 permitting) - though these trips will be purely for fun :) Live fully, stay weird, take care of each other, and I hope your summer included a few smiles :)     What on earth do I mean by Literal Scarlett Pineapples? Well news comes in threes, so I'm referencing three recent projects in various stages I'm now a part of!
Literal Revolution - written by Dylan Johnson, is a short film produced by Hollywood Casting and Film here in Chicago. This short has undergone quite the journey. Originally a concept by writer Nick Bain and cast just as the pandemic was starting to worsen in early 2020. The original concept required some crowd scenes and was indefinitely delayed. HC&F made the decision to go a different direction with the concept, bringing in their resident screenwriter Dylan Johnson and utilizing the originally selected cast. Come to April 2021, and we were able to shoot this delightful script. Looking forward to seeing the final cut in the near future! Scarlett - I stumbled upon a somewhat short notice casting for the role of "Emma" in Scarlett, an indie feature film by local filmmaker Sam Vainisi and produced by Serrawyn Pictures. It was serendipitously brought to my attention by the director of Tin Roof, Rebecca Rinehart (who also happens to have a role in Scarlett). This suspense/thriller is the sister film to Violet, Sam's first directorial feature film venture - and I was thrilled to find out I've been cast and will be shooting in Mid May! Sam's working is detailed, edgy, and puts you on the edge of your seat. Pineapples - rounding out recent project news, I had the pleasure of shooting a small role in the short film Pineapples with Great Fire Productions in mid-April. If you haven't heard of Great Fire in Chicago yet, you likely will soon. This young production company is quickly producing a number of exciting projects, from music videos, to branding videos, to narrative shorts and more. It's a very supportive group and was fortunate enough to have worked with one of the founders, Cameron Greenebaum, on past projects. I know myself and many in the industry are thrilled that work is picking back up - and best of all, I'm fully vaccinated as are more and more folks on set - back to safe sets means back to working safely. Stay safe out there friends! |
News Photo by Nancy Vela Photography Amanda WinstonCome here for the latest on Amanda's projects, reviews, photos, and more! 
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