Ah, October. One of my favorite times of year. I'm a summer lover, but fall has it's merits. Crisp days and changing leaves, pumpkin flavored everything, and of course....HALLOWEEN! My actor friends and I often joke that Halloween is "Actor Christmas" because we can go all out in crazy costumes, and everyone else is along for the ride too. Not to mention, many of us get the chance to scare the pants off our friends by working in various incarnations of haunted houses, horror shows, and so on. This will mark my 3rd year performing in the Audience Annihilated series with Dream Theatre Company. For the uninitiated, Audience Annihilated is a part-haunted house, part-horror play that blurs the lines between audience and actor. Audience members have the option of playing the "lead" and interacting directly with the actors, or if you're too scared, you can watch from the safety of the gallery. This year we're performing "The Trouble with Angels", another original concept by Jeremy Menekseoglu. More info and tickets on my Current Projects page. I'm super excited for this one, as it touches on a lot of my personal fears, we've expanded the cast, and tickets are already selling fast. It's 1/2 the price of most haunted houses, and arguably a lot scarier - definitely check it out of you're a horror fan! Reservations are required due to the intimate nature of the performances. I'll have to switch gears next week - as I start rehearsing for It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play with Oil Lamp Theater in Glenview. Definitely a much more cheerful show ;) This will be a fun one for me, as I've worked with all but 1 member of the cast before, and they're an amazing bunch of people. Tickets are on sale now, and OLT now offers reserved seating! On a more personal note, October has also been quite dreamy, as on October 7th, my 7 year anniversary with my significant other Jonah, something pretty exciting happened.....we got engaged! In true theatrical fashion, he surprised me at a callback audition at Oil Lamp Theater, and even conspired with the theater director and some of the staff to pull it off. We're both super excited, and have planned a vacation to celebrate in January at Universal Studios Orlando (let's be honest, we're 90% going for Harry Potter World). I will be changing my name to Amanda Winston. Name changing is always an odd-thing in the actor world, as your name is your "brand". However, I think that Amanda Winston has a more unique ring to it than Amanda Meyer, and I won't need to carry my middle name to stand out for the 1,000's of Amanda Meyer's out there (there are tons of us....one was a math teach at my high school). While I have started to make a name for myself in the acting world, I don't think my brand will suffer much from making the switch to Amanda Winston. My inner feminist wants to say "you don't need to take his name", but what can I say, I like the name Winston! Have a Happy Halloween everyone, and I hope to see you at the theatre!
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Rehearsals have also begun for Audience Annihilated 3: The Trouble With Angels, the next installment of Dream Theatre Company's intimate horror experience just in time for Halloween. As we keep saying in rehearsal, this show is "going to ruin people". It's pretty freaking messed up, and I don't scare easy. I like to describe it as "The Strangers" meetings "Going Clear." This is a very unique experience, I definitely recommend it for Halloween thrill seekers. I'll be playing the character "Drill". Tickets are now on sale! https://www.artful.ly/store/events/7190
Soon I hope to share an webisode of #SelfieGuy that I appeared in. It's a very goofy web series, and it was a lot of fun shooting with that group. We shot a couple spots, so hope to see that soon!
Check out the links below for some past #SelfieGuy videos!
It's going to be a busy Fall and Winter with the podcast, DTC's show, and then Oil Lamp Theater's It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (I'm playing Sally Applewhite/Mary).
More updates to come! Sorry for the bit of a pause between update! I like to take a hiatus from major theatre projects over the winter holidays if I can help it, but things have not been silent on the Amanda front. "Day-Job" Career News: I have officially left my position as Assistant Manager at Adagio Teas, to pursue a new path in project management. It was a really tough decision, as Adagio has been incredibly good to me over the years, providing stability while I navigated the theatrical waters. As luck would have it, I assistant directed Rio nearly 1 year ago with the lovely and talented Laura Gouin, who was looking expand her project management team. Laura is a project manager with 10+ years experience, and has taken me under her wing as her protégé! The truly wonderful thing about this change, aside from being able to work from home and more or less working the hours I want, is that I can also work from anywhere in the world that I have an internet connection. So now traveling to perform in shows is a logistical possibility! Dream Theatre Company News: Talent Coordination time is in full swing! DTC is currently casting for our 2015 Season on February 21st, and the response has been nearly overwhelming (I've got it under control though ;) We've decided on the season's line-up and done a promotional photo shoot as well. I can't make any official announcements yet, but I will definitely be acting in at least one show, possibly more! We also did a special performance of The Mechanical Man at the Midwinter Gaming Festival, to a lovely turnout. It was definitely a fun rump up to Wisconsin (my first time!). Made it home with local beer and cheese curds, so I'd say it was a successful trip for sure ;) Next up I've got lots of auditions on my plate, and hopefully we'll begin principle photography/shooting for Terms come April/May! That's all for now! <3 Amanda
New photos of Medea here and Mechanical Man here!
ONLY 2 WEEKENDS LEFT! MEDEA - the epic tale continues at DREAM LABORATORY PURCHASE TICKETS MEDEA must close September 14th. Tickets are still available for the last two weekends. 5 more performances play on September 6, 7, 12, 13 & 14. Closing weekend is expected to sell out quickly and seats are limited in our intimate storefront space. *No performance Sept. 5* Don't miss you chance to see the show critics have claimed, "is like nothing else you'll see on a local stage." As Medea, "Martindale is outstanding" and "Jeremy Menekseoglu's range is impressive" and "the language rich and powerful."THE BUZZ ABOUT MEDEA: Chicago Theatre Beat: 3/4 Stars NewCityStage: Recommended EDGE Media Chicago: Recommended Chicago Reader: Recommended DTC Audience Member Letter THE MECHANICAL MAN This all-girl, silent, steampunk play full of debauchery, revenge and insanity tells the of the struggle between an inventor's scientific obsession and his daughter's innocent connection to the virtues of humanity. The audience is transported into a dark world reminiscent of turn of the century silent film. FINAL 2 PERFORMANCES Thursday 9/4 @ 10:00pm Friday 9/5 @ 7:00pm PURCHASE TICKETS CHICAGO FRINGE FESTIVAL Ketchup-less Stage (The Gift Theatre) Located at 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave more info: www.chicagofringe.org The Mechanical Man opens Saturday 8/30 @ 2:30pm! So excited to make my Chicago Fringe Fest debut with fellow Dream Theatre company members, Nicole Roberts, Madelaine Schmitt, and Anna Menekseoglu. Writing and projection design by DTC Artistic Director Jeremy Menekseoglu, and directed by company member Greg Callazzo. Anna also designed our awesome costumes! Check out these photos for our crazy awesome all-girl, silent, steam-punk play of insanity, debauchery, and revenge! Edge Chicago had some very nice things to say about MEDEA, as well as some kind words about myself! Medea by Colleen Cottet Wednesday Aug 20, 2014 Since my first encounter with Greek mythology at the age of nine, I've found myself endlessly fascinated by the stories of these gods and mortals entangled in struggles of power, romance, and intrigue. The story of Jason, hero in the quest for the Golden Fleece, and his sorceress wife Medea is fraught with all the elements of good drama. This tale of adventure, heroism, betrayal, and murder has been brought to life in all manner of art form: sculpture and paintings, epic poems and novels, operas and, of course, plays. When I discovered that Dream Theatre, an Off-Loop company newly established in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, was bringing its own original adaptation of "Medea" to its intimate stage, I was eager to take it in. In doing so, I was pleased to find a very worthy production to which I'm happy to offer my recommendation. The story opens at the beachside shack that is home to Medea (Rachel Martindale). Created from the rotting shell of the ship Argo that once brought Jason (Jeremy Menekseoglu) to Medea's land and heart, the shack is a visceral analogy of the demise of a once epic romance. Medea, descended from gods and once a princess as well as a practitioner of magic, is now a middle-aged woman with two young sons and a husband with a wandering eye. Jason, having grown tired of wife and family in their adopted land of Corinth, has won the heart of the virgin princess Glauce, a maneuver no doubt as politically driven as passionately. Despite having aided in Jason's heroic quests and even committing murder to ensure his success, Medea has been cast away, left now with sons in whom neither parent seems to have interest. We see Medea scold her sons, Mermerus (Anna W Menekseoglu) and Pheres (Madelaine Schmitt), relentlessly, going so far as dunking Mermerus' head underwater for a perceived slight. She remembers aloud the time before the children's births, when she was young and beautiful and the object of her husband's desire. She clearly blames their presence as a factor in Jason's betrayal, and her contempt is palpable. Jason arrives, and Medea pleads for the return of his affection. But Jason is here to offer Medea a bribe to leave Corinth for good, and to take their sons with her. Having failed to convince Medea to depart, the youthful and gentle bride-to-be Glauce (Amanda Lynn Meyer) takes matters into her own hands, and brings an offer of her own to the scorned Medea: allow for a peaceful wedding, including the blessing of her bridal gown, and take a position of priestess in a high temple of Hera. Though the offer is made in earnest, Medea's anger soon boils into rage, and she plots to destroy the bride, demoralize her wayward husband, and rid herself of her burdensome children once and for all. The bloody conclusion, seeming inevitable given its players, is interrupted as Hera, Queen of the Gods (Kaitlin Stewart) descends, in deus-ex-machina fashion, to intervene on Medea's behalf. Dream Theatre's "Medea" was written by Jeremy Menekseoglu, who, in addition to performing as Jason, also directed the production. The language is simple and straightforward, guiding the actors to more intimate performances than one might expect from Greek theatre. The tone of the technical designs (under the direction of technical director Paul Knappenberger) was reminiscent of '50s melodrama, very effective and fitting. The performance space is very small, seating less than 30 by my estimate, and too much grandeur would have no doubt overpowered audience and actor alike. Given such a small space, the acting is the theatrical element that is most under scrutiny, and the ensemble cast of "Medea" had no weak links. In particular, Martindale was powerful yet achingly human as Medea, and as Glauce, Meyer had a humble but steadfast presence that was surprising given how typically superficial her role tends to be. The play as written was very quick-paced, roughly 75 minutes with no intermission. As a technical aside (and because I'm fussy), a mid-performance scene change dragged too long, taking the audience out of the stream of the action. It would have been more appropriate to find ways to quicken the change, or commit to an actual intermission, for the comfort of the audience.
According to the program, Dream Theatre's mission "is to shatter the barrier between actor and audience... and deliver the highest art possible in its most raw, unflinching, and entertaining form." With this solid production of "Medea" under its belt, Dream Theatre will no doubt continue to execute its mission in its new home for many productions to come. "Medea" runs through September 14 at Dream Theatre Company, 5026 N Lincoln Ave in Chicago. For information or tickets, call 773-552-8616 or visit www.dreamtheatrecompany.com Announcement time! In light of an actor having to drop out, I have been promoted from "button pusher" to "Mrs. Heckwick/Prossie" in Dream Theatre Company's The Mechanical Man, to be performed at the Chicago Fringe Festival! While unexpected, this is exciting news, as many of you may have gathered, I'm a girl who likes to be on stage. This silent all-girl steampunk German Expressionist play is like nothing else you'll see in Chicago, let alone at the Chicago Fringe. We started rehearsing tonight, tried on some costumes, and I am already in love with this show. Anna Menekseoglu, Managing Director of Dream Theatre, actor, director, knitter, costumer, and podcaster extraordinaire, did a podcast interview with Vinnie Lacey, co-founder and Executive Director of the Chicago Fringe. Anna teases Mechanical Man, reveals the origins of Dream Theatre, plugs MEDEA currently running at DTC, and explains the wonders of yarn bombing the Fringe. Check out the podcast below! Another excellent review for MEDEA!
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/medea/Event?oid=14462936 Medea When: 8/8-9/14: Fri-Sun 8 PM Price: $20 Jeremy Menekseoglu continues his rigorous, bracing reimaginings of classical Greek tragedies with his most idiosyncratic offering yet at Dream Theatre Company. His Medea, a powerful witch whose sorcery won Jason all his famous battles, is now middle-aged, fleshy, and abandoned. Living in squalor in the remains of the Argo, she blames her marriage’s demise on her children, for whom neither she nor Jason have any affection. In typical form, Menekseoglu artfully combines muscular poetry, well-chosen anachronisms, and epic cruelty. But this time the seams occasionally show, and the cast struggles to find a unifying tone. Even the normally unimpeachable Rachel Martindale as Medea struggles against the script’s ever-shifting currents. Still, Menekseoglu’s imperfect vision is consistently interesting and intermittently thrilling. He’s one rewrite away from another great play. — Justin Hayford From the Newcity Stage review by Hugh Iglarsh: Medea/Dream Theatre Company "And the acting is like nothing else you'll see on a local stage." Congratulations to the amazing team at Dream Theatre Company! RECOMMENDED
The character of Medea haunted Greek culture like a nightmare, embodying patriarchal anxiety and guilt. It’s a fitting subject for Dream Theatre Company’s resident playwright Jeremy Menekseoglu, who has taken Euripides’ familiar tale of the horrific vengeance of a woman wronged and transformed it, for better or worse, into a graphic horror story suited for an age not of gods, heroes and Fate, but rather of family dysfunction and random violence. Rachel Martindale is a seriously crazy Medea, enraged at her husband Jason of Golden Fleece fame. Jason–played by the same Jeremy Menekseoglu, who also directed and designed the production–has dumped her for the young and pretty Glauce, princess of Corinth (Amanda Lynn Meyer). With a royal marriage in the offing, the graspingly opportunistic Jason has use neither for his aging wife–whose sorcery skills saved his fleece many times during his Argonaut days–nor their two neglected young sons, Mermerus and Pheres, played convincingly by Anna Menekseoglu and Madelaine Schmitt, respectively. The parentally challenged Jason cannot even remember their names, referring to them simply as “your sons.” Medea also is not the epitome of unconditional love, waterboarding her children as a disciplinary measure. What most distinguishes this version from the Euripidean original is that the kids are not props and plot devices, but rather the moral center of the play–the tragedy is theirs, not their absent and abusive parents’. On its own hyper-subjective terms, the play works well. Dream Theatre seems to be basically a one-man show, built around Jeremy Menekseoglu’s interesting artistic and personal vision, and every moment has a quirky intensity and a what-will-they-do-next suspense. The haunted-house set, lurid-toned lighting and kitschy but catchy background music, juxtaposed against the classic text, together create a campily sinister mood, somewhere between Caligari and Rocky Horror. And the acting is like nothing else you’ll see on a local stage. In an age of flattened affect and minimal selfhood, here we have an almost Victorian display of posing and mugging, verging on parody yet controlled and effective. Jason’s entrance is a masterpiece of nonverbal revelation, with his toy-soldier stiffness and pomposity betrayed by a twitchy, distracted air that testifies to his deep-seated fear of his abandoned wife and her witchy ways. Martindale’s Medea is a force of nature, cowing all those around her, including even Hera, queen of the gods (played by Kaitlin Stewart), who saves her at the end from Jason’s desperate attack. “She’s a demon,” protests Jason. “Yes, but she’s my demon,” retorts Hera, the serially cheated-upon wife of Zeus. Here the adaptation falters. Euripides, like all the Greek tragedians, was obsessed with the workings of justice in a society on the cusp between archaic religious morality and the emerging, reason-driven humanism. Tragedy was an attempt to revisit the primitive myths in light of newer values, such as–in Medea’s case–the basic injustice and dire consequences of flouting marriage vows and treating women and children as disposable property. Euripides’ Medea continues to fascinate us exactly because she’s not a monster, but a mother in desperate straits who knows that in her world there’s no future for an abandoned wife or rejected child. Her motivation is anger and vengeance, mixed with an element of twisted compassion. In this updated version, all is reduced to petty jealousy and resentment, with Jason and Medea recast as bickering narcissists who richly deserve each other, but are not worthy of their children. Medea’s supernatural rescue is puzzling, considering that the idea of her becoming a priestess of Hera was broached by the princess Glauce, whom she has just murdered. Preserving all of the original’s considerable cruelty and gore, but less of its sublimity and scope, this “Medea” still packs a punch. As I write this, youngsters in Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere are dying in wars they had nothing to do with. Sadly, the theme of children sacrificed on the altar of adult insanity remains as relevant and necessary as ever. (Hugh Iglarsh) Dream Theatre Company, 5026 North Lincoln, (773)552-8616, dreamtheatrecompany.com. $20. Through September 14. (No show August 31 or September 5.) - See more at: http://newcitystage.com/2014/08/12/review-medeadream-theatre-company/#sthash.RCjLnQdc.dpuf |
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