At a very young age, Amanda was given the nickname “Sarah Bernhardt” in honor of her highly dramatic antics. Her public performances began at 3 years old, offering heartfelt renditions of “Frosty the Snowman” on her front stoop. She was famous for her feigned injuries, fooling her parents into thinking she constantly had fractured limbs. This began her deep descent into “Method Acting.”
Her parents realized she needed to be on stage, so they put her in dance classes. After years of jazz, tap and ballet, Amanda shifted her energy to vocal work, and joined her Elementary School’s Choir. Her first official acting gig was in 8th Grade as Lucy in “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.” (She still has a VHS version for interested parties). Her singing continued into High School when she joined the Sopranos, one of the School’s highly competitive singing groups. A close friend convinced her to audition for the Spring Musical, and she landed the role of Mrs. Peterson in “Bye Bye Birdie,” the first in a long line of her signature character roles. Her next favorite would be the part of Vera Charles in “Mame,” since she got to play a talentless, raging drunk who truly believes that the Man in the Moon is a lady.
In the end of her Senior Year, she prepared audition monologues for Undergraduate Acting Programs, with the help of one of her beloved acting teachers, Mr. Scott Sax. And to her extreme joy and elation, she got accepted to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts: The Experimental Theatre Wing.
At ETW, she met the vivacious and unbelievably talented Raina Fernandez von Waldenburg, who introduced her to the world of Physical Acting. This newfound world intrigued and perplexed Amanda, and 4 years of study just wasn’t enough.
Upon graduation, she ventured out into the world, unsure of where to turn. Eventually she took a job at a prestigious Talent Agency to try a go at the Business Side of the Acting World. She soon realized some part of her soul was missing fulfillment, and began working with a fledgling theater company, Rabbit Hole Ensemble, led by the talented director, Ed Elefterion. This relationship reminded her how much she missed performing, so she then decided to apply to Graduate Acting Programs in order to deepen her training and become a better, more versatile actor.
Next came Columbia University. Before graduating from Columbia, Amanda had the opportunity to work with the most brilliant instructors in the world: Kristin Linklater, Anne Bogart, Andrei Serban, Niky & Ulla Wolcz, Larry Singer, Kim Weild and Andrea Haring, among many others. She has worked on every kind of technique and every kind of role possible and is now FINALLY ready to face the inimitable “Industry.” Bring. It. On.