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Meet Trailblazer Amanda Lindsey McDonald

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Lindsey McDonald.

Amanda Lindsey, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began performing after I saw one of my friends in a performance of The Velveteen Rabbit. After that, I was hooked. I auditioned the next summer for the Clayton Alliance Summer Theatre (C.A.S.T.) and the show was Alice in Wonderland. Nope… not Alice. I was a royal card and a door! Yeah! After that summer, I did C.A.S.T. every year. It was amazing. Performing musicals in front of huge crowds with your best friends are pretty amazing.

After middle school, I started taking on-camera classes in Atlanta and even went to an acting/modeling convention in L.A. I wanted to soak up everything. I loved performing and knew this is what I was going to do for the rest of my life.

All throughout high school, I performed in community theatre productions and some school productions. As it got closer to choosing where to go to college and what to major in, I wanted somewhere small. Somewhere where I would not get lost in the crowd of hundreds of people. I attended Andrew College in south Georgia and majored in Theatre Performance. After two years, I graduated with an Associates Degree and went to the University of West Ga. I changed my major to Mass Communications but still wanted to be a part of the theatre department. I auditioned for them in the spring and was cast! After a few rehearsals, Shelly Elman, my advisor, called me into her office and asked: “So… why aren’t you a theatre major?” I went the Mass Communications route because I thought that’s what I needed to do. But Shelly could see what I already knew. Theatre was what I wanted to do and it was what I was going to do.

All my advisors at West Ga (Amy Cuomo, Alan Yeong, Caleb Boyd, Brad Darvas, Tommy Cox) were the best. They pushed me even when I thought I could not give any more. I am forever grateful to them and their support!

After graduating, I did a performance class with the Alliance theatre where I got to perform alongside professional actors in Atlanta. It also, let me connect with people that I would be able to work within the future. Later I performed in my first professional show with The Collective Project called The Great McGanagan. It was so much fun! First time getting paid to do what I love!!!

In 2013, I joined the apprenticeship company at the Atlanta Shakespeare Company. It was my second time auditioning for them and I was excited to finally make it. It was a year of studying, performing, cleaning and I would not change it for the world. After graduation, I stayed on to do social media for the education department and that job has transitioned over into doing marketing, graphics, social media for the entire company! And I could not have done all of this without the support and love of my family, my husband and my son Matthew!

Great, 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?
It has not always been smooth. There are classes that your bank account says you cannot take right now. There are rejections from auditions that you felt sure about. But the main things that have kept me going is: I love this and I wake up wanting to perform every day, my family and friends are SOOOOO supportive of what I do, and I love when I can perform for students of all ages and then, they come up to me later and say “I want to do what you do!”

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Atlanta Shakespeare Company – what should we know?
I am loving learning all about graphic design and photoshop in my marketing position. Creating posters is one of my favorite things to do. I am also working on growing brand awareness around the city by creating videos of performances coming up, fun cast moments and also going to festivals and conventions to represent the company performing is and always will be the best thing I do. Being on the stage is the most magical experience.

I also perform for several princess party companies all over GA. It is so much fun to dress up as a princess or storybook character and surprise a child on their birthday. One of my favorite things to do is visit kids in the hospital and take their mind off of what they are going through even for a moment.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company is an Atlanta gem! The company performs at the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse in Midtown. We perform 51 weeks out of the year with a new play every month. And in June we will have completed Shakespeare’s canon, all 39 of his plays, for the second time! The Atlanta Shakespeare Company also has a vast education department whose programs have reached over 20,000 students this year alone!

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
Get out there and do it! If you want it to get it!

Self-confidence is always a huge hurdle for me. I tend to not go for something that I want because I don’t think I am qualified enough for the job. It is a personal struggle that I have and that I judge a lot of women have. But we CAN do it if we just get out of our own way!

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Princess picture: Haley Janes, Love’s Labour’s Lost pic: Jeff Watkins

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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