Meet Amanda Lindsey of Atlanta

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

Hi Amanda Lindsey, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I got bit by the bug early. I have been interested in being an actor since I was 8 years old after seeing one of my best friends in a community theatre production and decided “well I want to do that for sure!” I auditioned for the program the next year and have been performing ever since. I went to Andrew College and then the University of West Ga and graduated with a BA in Theatre Performance. College was the first time I had ever performed Shakespeare and I instantly fell in love with the language.

After college, I auditioned for the apprenticeship at the Atlanta Shakespeare Company but wasn’t chosen at that time. Yes it was disappointing but I kept auditioning and got into a performance class at the Alliance with other professional actors in Atlanta and was able to learn a lot I had my first professional credit in The Collective Theatre project’s The Great McGanigan and then with Essential Theatre and their production of Stray Dogs. At the same time I auditioned again for the apprenticeship at the Atlanta Shakespeare Company and was accepted! I have been a member of the resident company since 2013 and have performed many amazing roles alongside so many talented artists.

While being an actor, I also had a desire to work with the marketing and outreach parts of the company. I began learning graphic design for production posters from Amee Vyas and social media and marketing from Jeanette Meierhofer. I love being able to bring creativity to projects and letting people know about what we have going on at the tavern all year long! I also used previous work experience with the Ga Renaissance Festival to create other performance opportunities for the Atlanta Shakespeare Company with Shakespeare Shorts! We have also been able to be a part of the Dragon Con parade for several years now and I am always looking forward to more opportunities to let people know about the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been challenging at times. As a parent, I have had to learn to say “no” to projects so that I can keep a healthy work/life balance. Before I was married and had a child, I would say yes to as many projects that would come my way. But I am realizing now, that opportunities will be there in the future for other projects and to take the time to watch my son grow and experience life and I am so glad to be exploring it with him.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Some of my favorite performances have been Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, and Maid Marian in Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood.

I think one of the things that sets the actors in the Atlanta Shakespeare Company apart from others is the fact that we can put a show together with members of the resident company relatively quickly. Being a part of the company means there is someone who has played the role recently and can cover another actor at any time. We have a running joke about how many characters in one play we have played during our time at the Tavern. For me, I have been Puck, Helena, Hermia, Cobweb, Starveling, Peter Quince, and Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. There was one student matinee performance where I was playing Helena, The actor who played Puck was not able to make it and I had to switch to Puck with no notice. It was amazing!

But of all my times on stage, there is one moment that will live with me forever. There was a student performance we were doing of Midsummer and I was Puck. I could not tell if the audience was with me or not and was not feeling fully in the character. Then at the end, as Puck gives the final speech, I said “Give me your hands if we be friends…” and the entire audience reached out their hands to me and I had to pause the final line. It was amazing and moving and I am so blessed to have had that moment.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Just that if you have a dream and you know that that is what you want to do for the rest of your life, DO IT. You CAN be a parent and have a performance career. Having the support behind you is so important. One wonderful thing about working in a theatre is that there are always babysitters in the building who will want to hang out with your kid while you work!