The Dining Room has ended (5th best selling show of all time at Oil Lamp Theater!) and now I have something fun to show you - the short student film from last year I starred in has finally been released! Check out "Meanwhile Drive" written/directed by Abdullah Azizi, below.  Now also on my Film Shorts page.

Also, I just finished editing together my voiceover demo! Check it out on my Voiceover page or hit the play button below.

Hey there!

I've been slacking on updates lately as I get caught up on life. So here's a quick run down on the latest.

• The Curse on Mordrake House was a hit at the Chicago Fringe - we sold out several houses and were one of the best selling shows of this year's festival!
• I had a blast with my Chicago directing debut of El Words by Elizabeth Archer, part of the Short Attention Span Theatre Festival with Fury Theatre. So much love to my cast for an amazing experience and making our piece truly sing.
• I'm acting in a staged reading, and now also directing a piece as well for the Stockyards Theatre Project at the Greenhouse Theatre Center this Tuesday at 7pm! It's a free reading that is the culmination of several writing workshops aimed at developing strong female characters. I'll be playing Ani in Shooting the Moon by Tanise Robnett, and directing Intensive Supervision by Alif Muhammad, both with Talif Productions. Each play or monologue presented will be followed by a Q&A to provide the writers with feedback.
• Episodes of Cold Reboot have started trickling onto the soundwaves with the Synesthesia Theatre podcast, a Burning Brigid Media production. Listen for yours truly as Nurse Carol in episodes 4 & 5! 
• You'll see me on stage at the Oil Lamp Theater again this January, as I join the cast of The Dining Room by A.R. Gurney. Each actor takes on between 8-10 different characters as we see vignettes of life throughout the years in the same dining room of a single home. Tickets on sale now!
• And wedding planning continues! I've slowed down my theatre activities a bit to try and get as much planning finished as possible, but will be back full steam as soon as possible.

Cheers all! Go make or partake in some art!

We've got a great show on our hands! The Curse on Mordrake House is officially open and we nearly sold out our first two performances at the 2016 Chicago Fringe. 3 more shows to go, and now we've got a stellar review to go with it. Come check us out before we run out of time or seats! 

Remaining performances:
Sunday Sept 4 at 10pm
Monday Sept 5 at 5:30pm (Labor Day!)
Friday Sept 9 at 7pm

Buy tickets at ChicagoFringe.org


Review: Claire Zajdel, Fringebiscuit.co.uk

"The Barebones Theatre Company stuns in their Chicago Fringe production of The Curse on Mordrake House, a supernatural horror about a Summer Walker’s (gypsy) curse on the children of Sir Mordrake, an apathetic, self-important aristocrat. All three of his children fall victim to macabre supernatural forces in The company’s dynamic energy and tight acting make this an exciting and unmissable theatrical experience.
Set in 19th century rural England, playwright Dan Jackson nods to the Bard by writing in elevated iambic pentameter. Jackson’s verse is both enthralling and insightful, setting rich and complex groundwork for chilling yet truthful theatre. The no set and a few props, Barebones lives up to its name, leaving the storytelling up to the precise writing and complicated characters.
Raphael Schwartzman’s direction is eerie and intricate, setting each creature and demon in this twisted world apart by its physicality and speech pattern. Quinn Leary captivates as a slimy underworldly demon, while Amanda Lynn Meyer brings sincerity with her sympathetic yet aggressive monster known as a bogart. The entire cast is more than applaudable in a thriller that sparks an otherworldly discussion of morality is both extraordinary and specifically human.
The Curse on Mordrake House is playing at The Gift Theatre Sept. 4 @ 10pm, Sept. 5 @ 5:30pm, and Sept. 9 @ 7pm. "

 Great news - The Curse on Mordrake House has finally been assigned a venue and official show times for our Chicago Fringe Festival debut! *throws confetti* 

Check out all the details on the Current Projects page! We'll be performing at the Gift theatre, primarily over the first weekend, with a final show on Friday, 9/9 at 7pm.  $10 Tickets can be purchased at the door or online starting in August at ChicagoFringe.org.  Don't forget, if you plan to see the show, you must make a one-time purchase of a Fringe Festival Button for $5 in order to gain entry to the festival. These can be purchased online or at the door also!

You can also check out the show website and subscribe to the newsletter for updates at curseonmordrake.weebly.com (PS I designed the site using Weebly!)  and consider a donation to help out with production costs at www.gofundme.com/curseonmordrake and earn some sweet rewards.

Check out our teaser video and rehearsal photos below!

​Apologies for the lack up updates - there's been a lot going on! 

Here are the big highlights:

• This is the FINAL WEEKEND for Olive and the Mouse Spider King at Dream Theatre Company. Seating is very limited so I urge you to reserve in advance now! Tickets can be purchased at: https://www.artful.ly/store/events/8709 for Thursday - Sunday performances
  • ​Limited GoldStar discount tickets available as well!
  • On a sad note, this will be Dream Theatre Company's final show in Chicago for the foreseeable future. I urge you to read the heartfelt letter from our artistic and managing directors at dreamtheatrecompany.com. It's been a dream to work with this company and create the kind of art the commercial and mainstream theatre world often shies away from. I shall miss this bold imaginative work, and wish Anna and Jeremy all the best as they embark on new adventures. 
• Episode SIX of Iron Horses Can't Be Broken is now available! Be sure to subscribe, download, rate and review on iTunes! Only 5 episodes before the dramatic conclusion.  This is the first episode I actually don't make an appearance in (I was in episodes 1-5), but don't worry, Florence Bartleby isn't done yet ;)
• Recently finished a project for Ajenda Scheduling Services, recording audio to help promote their scheduling app. Find a short clip from that recording in my Voiceovers demo section. 
• I will be taking part in a new play reading series called Studies Saturni with Talif Productions. On May 21st at the Theatre Momentum space, come see a staged reading of Pritchard's on Fire, where I will be playing the antagonist Harry/Harriet.  More details once we get closer to the reading!

And in personal news.....

Jonah and I have signed a new lease in Chicago in the West Edgewater neighborhood, AND we recently had to replace one of our cars.  So the two of us with our two Honda's, Hank and Rhonda, will be moving in the next month before Jonah leaves for Normal, Illinois to perform in the Illinois Shakespeare Festival through mid August.  Meanwhile, I have a wedding to plan.....  sleep is for the weak!!!!

​<3

Hey team! 

Iron Horses Can't be Broken is officially on iTunes, and we're already got some great early reviews! Check it out and subscribe to get in on the meaty audio-drama podcast action. The "official" launch will be after the 3rd episode, when Burning Brigid Media really starts pushing. They're really fun, and a perfect 20 minute adventure for the daily commute. Episode 2 is now available on iTunes and at burningbrigid.com. I appear throughout this episode!

Meanwhile, I'm getting ready for my second day of shooting for Emily, a short film by Abdullah Azizi, an MFA student at Columbia College. I play the title character in this film, which explores Emily's desire to get out and change her life, even if it starts with just a little conscious optimism and a couple small steps out the door. I'll definitely share when the film is complete!

I had a couple more auditions today, and several more scheduled in the coming weeks, on top of The Dreamchild Neverists rehearsals over at Dream Theatre Company. The show is really starting to take shape - the main set construction is done, several of the puppets are near completion, and we're having way too much fun rehearsing this thing. Our General C.C. Possum might be the cutest thing on stage come March. Tickets should be available soon! 

Thanks for checking in, and I hope to have more news after the results of these next auditions!!

Back from vacation and back into the swing of things!

I was just cast as Shoshanna (and others) in The Dreamchild Neverists, Dream Theatre Company's most ambitious show yet. Runs Mar 24-April 17, and this one is going to be a huge undertaking (and totally worth it). Fun fact - one of my characters is a pink vampire poodle, AKA "Vampoodle"! We'll be dealing in a fantastical world full of strange characters and we'll be creating all kinds of delightful feats of puppetry, projection, and theatrical magic to bring them to life. More details and ticket information will be available soon, check back at the Current Projects page.

Meanwhile, my second spot for Innovative Express Care from last summer is now public! Check out the video here or on my Media - Commercials page. We had a little too much fun shooting different variations of my reaction shot in this - hope you enjoy! ;)

The audio drama Iron Horses Can't Be Broken is nearly for launch! The first episodes are being made available in February, and I can't wait to hear our hard work come to fruition. In the meantime, checkout Burning Brigid Media's page and my cast interview.  I think listeners are going to love this very original steampunk western adventure story.

And finally, in an effort to continue building my strength and circus skills, I'll be taking a Circus Fitness course every Friday at the Actor's Gymnasium, next week through the end of March! I loved the Circus Arts Level 1 class I took, but it made me realize I definitely need to build up my strength in order to readily expand my circus skills. 

Ready to make 2016 mine, see you at the theatre!

Yesterday I wrapped my part on Iron Horses Can't Be Broken with Burning Brigid Media. It's a little bittersweet, as it's been a truly delightful group to work with. Everyone was a total pro, and I was utterly impressed by the level of talent that came together to make this 11 episode audio-drama a reality. It's going to be a thrilling ride and I can't wait to share the podcast with everyone once it's live! Voiceover is definitely something I want to start doing a lot more of, if I can. It's totally convinced me that it's time to invest in a good home studio mic! 

Audience Annihilated 3: The Trouble With Angels closed last weekend as well (to awesome final Halloween loving audiences) so now I can focus 100% of my efforts on my next project, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. You may be familiar with the Frank Capra film, but this rendition of the holiday favorite is performed in 1946 by a Manhattan radio station as a live radio play! The viewers become the live studio audience and will be prompted to laugh, cry, and applaud along as the actors create the characters and live sound effects on stage. There are even a couple "live commercial breaks" and complimentary cookies and hot cocoa for all audience members. I am Sally Applewhite, Miss Ohio 1943, fresh off the set of her latest Hollywood film, playing the role of Mary Hatch in the radio play. The entire cast, aside from my role, are returning from last year's acclaimed production. I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into the Sally Applewhite role and help continue this Oil Lamp Theater tradition - which is already selling tickets like gangbusters! OLT now features reserved seating, so I highly recommend getting tickets early so you get your pick of seats. Tickets can be purchased at OilLampTheater.org Use my special "Friends & Family" discount code "life" to get $5 off tickets!

​Hope to see you at the theater, friends! <3

Awesome opening weekend of Audience Annihilated 3: The Trouble with Angels -and we're HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by NewCity Stage! It's so much fun terrifying audiences - I only hope I can get the fake blood out of my clothes :) See below the break for the full text review.

Other recent developments:

Colee Wong, friend and former coworker, asked Amanda and her fiancé Jonah to appear in her team's entry into the Doritos Commercial Contest. We were tickled to appear as a young couple falling in love over our shared passion for Doritos. It was a ton of fun of fun to shoot, and thanks to Leo, our DP, and Max, who filled in as the sound engineer. Now we have a bunch of leftover Doritos to eat...

Also, Amanda's 1st appearance in the #SelfieGuy series is now on the Media - Film Shorts page. She'll be shooting another #SelfieGuy video in November, and will appear in at least on more after that. This is a fun goofy group, and I hope to work with these guys more in the future. 

More news to come!