Who is Amanda?

I am a director who functions as a cultural worker in many ways. Afro-Futurism is at the core of a lot of my work. Putting my people’s narratives into the future so that generations long after me know there is a place for them. Ntozake Shange once wrote, “I write for young girls of color, for girls who don’t even exist yet so that there is something there for them when they arrive. I can only change how they live, not how they think. I want to say, ‘Here, look where you can live, look what you can think." A grounding oracle question:  Am I dreaming and building a world that my people don’t regularly need to escape from?

Afro-Futurism speaks to the past. Unearthing the narrative that centered my people in constant search to find the re/memory of their lives. I constantly ask,"Is the future they dreamed of the present moment we live in? Or is there more freedom to be found? To walk in? Can I honestly say I am their wildest dreams?"

These thoughts come into my head when I approach a script to direct. How does this text impact the narrative of my people?

 Music is another element I think about when approaching a text. Where words fail, sounds can sometimes carry you to the next moment. adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategies and Holding Change has heavily influenced my work. As we come together to do this work we call theatre, we will also hold each other in the best way possible. Process over product. Most importantly, Human over product.

So now dear reader, I offer you a glimpse into my soul. An amalgamation of many people, moments, and planes is my makeup. The art offered in this section is a composition of creations

that fuels my soul, which informs my artistry. Art that allows me to frolic and gives me peace in the storm.