Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Drewes.
Hi Amanda, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Hi, thank you so much for having me! I guess I’ll start at the very beginning. So, I am a bi-coastal actress, singer, and dancer that got my start in Los Angeles, California. As a young child with copious amounts of energy and countless attempts at all sorts of extracurricular activities, Musical Theatre was the first one that stuck. It first started as a hobby at age 6, and continued throughout my life until high school; theatre summer camps, production after production at my local community theatre, and finally, taking part in my high school theatre productions. At the time, I was also playing Volleyball, and it came time for me to choose between the two, as the time commitment between them as well as juggling AP classes became overwhelming. After multiple conversations with my parents, directors, and coaches, it became clear that I could not live without theatre. From there, I went on to pursue a BFA in Musical Theatre degree in one of the best programs in the country at Penn State University. After graduating in 2021, with Covid-19 still on the mend, I decided it was best for me to move back to Los Angeles and pursue screen acting until New York was fully up and running again. I shot my first few projects and some background work in LA, and then in August of this year, I decided it was finally time to take the leap and move to NYC. Since being here, I have worked on numerous short films, Television Pilots, and my first feature-length film/movie. It has been nothing short of a dream, and I can’t wait to see where 2023 takes me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, boy! Well, let me start by saying this. We all know that the life of an actor is not an easy one, but nobody can truly prepare you for a life in acting once you leave a very rigorous university program. During my time at Penn State, we spent the majority of 4 years training for around 16 hours a day, juggling classes, shows, donor events, and whatever other activities we had committed to. This may sound like the hard part, but what has been most difficult is leaving this set schedule and beginning a career as an actor which means a LOT of waiting. Right out of school, most of my non-theatre friends secured office jobs with a clear hierarchical structure, working 9-5 daily with formulaic approaches to promotions and upward growth in their companies. On the other hand, most of my musical theatre peers and I left college with a degree but no secure job in sight. You get used to your classes being set for you, whether that be voice lessons, dance class, or acting class, and a set group of shows each year that draw from the small pool of actors in your cohort. When you get to NYC, you are accountable for scheduling your own classes/training, submitting yourself for shows/projects you would like to work on, and competing with a talent pool that is now 20x bigger than before. It is a very lonely career. You don’t have a group of co-workers to rely on; your journey is entirely your own, and you often receive no validation whatsoever. You must keep fighting for your dream and remind yourself daily why you chose this path in the first place. This career path is completely unstable and unpredictable, and sometimes it can get really lonely.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Well, for almost all of my life, my only interest was in musical theatre and being on Broadway one day. And let me be clear – this is still a major goal of mine, however, I had never considered Film and Television. But about halfway through college, I discovered that I also love acting on screen. Throughout my time at Penn State, I was known for being the comedic, sometimes sassy, ingenue-type soprano, playing roles like “Margot” in Legally Blonde or my go-to song being “Vanilla Ice Cream” from She Loves Me. And I thought my life would be just that: playing these types of roles on Broadway, and I was thrilled. However, post-grad, I learned I could be seen as much more. Although I still dream of taking on roles like “Glinda” in Wicked and “Elle Woods” in Legally Blonde one day, I was also given the opportunity in some Film and Television projects to play characters that were a lot grittier and darker. It has been so thrilling to be given these opportunities and challenge myself to play characters I would have never seen before. I am very proud of myself for forging my path post-grad, knowing that Broadway is still the goal, but also finding these new goals in Film and Television that I never would’ve dreamed of previously.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and are any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I think I can confidently say that the Broadway community was one of the hardest hit by Covid-19. Shows that had been running for years or even decades were forced to close their doors for the first time in the history of Broadway due to the Covid-19 crisis. And even post-2020, when things were starting to improve, shows would still have to cancel or postpone performances due to the high volume of Covid-19 in their cast/crew members. This taught everyone in the theatre community that our art is delicate and sometimes fleeting, making storytelling even more vital. You never know when the opportunity to chase your lifelong dream of being a performer could be snatched from you in a heartbeat. If possible, it has made me and many others more appreciative of what we do. Theatre/Film/Television is an escape from reality. When everything around us seems to fall to pieces, this art is here to lift us and distract us, even for a little bit, taking us to an entirely different world. I have never been more inspired by theatre than in the past few years. It was also an essential lesson to the rest of the world that when everything falls into chaos, the people we turn to for hope are not only our doctors and medical professionals but also artists. It has given new importance to this career that people may have seen as silly or unimportant for so many years. Artists heal. And I could not be more grateful to be part of such a wonderful community.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amandadrewes.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/amandaakristine/
Image Credits
Emily Farthing Photography, Jmontfilms, Kelvin “Mista” Crain
