COLLEGIATE THEATRICS: Trevecca Nazarene University's Amanda Grace Creech

Amanda Grace Creech is one of a kind: Beautiful, talented, outspoken, irreverent - and yet another example of the wealth of talent to be found on college campuses all over the USA and someone of whom Nashville theater can rightfully boast. A native of Stone Mountain, Georgia, she's a student at Nashville's Trevecca Nazarene University and a 2014 First Night Most Promising Actor.

Among her most recent credits are Josephine in Big Fish, Queenie in Honk! and Nancy in Oliver!. In addition, she was assistant director for the TNU production of Twelfth Night.

And, along with all her other castmates and crew members, she defied Snowmageddon/Icestormapalooza to wrap up the run of The King Stag at Trevecca, an experience that challenged Amanda to new heights. During a break from rehearsals she shared her perspective on the project.

"Under the direction of local actor and TNU alum Cassie Hamilton, we are doing something very new and experimental for Trevecca: My first commedia show, Cassie's first time directing solo, first time with masks (made by Hilary Frame), first show with major puppetry," she explains. "It's a big production. We are going with the classic repurposing theme. Our seamstress is using only things that we already have, ripping them up, and making new costumes. Montgomery Sparrow is hand making eight puppets including both old men and forest creatures.

"I am unbelievably excited for the role because it is so different from my usual typecast. 'Smer' is a busty and lusty lady with a large rear. My mask is a partial, giving me a unibrow and a massive nose. She is loud, proud, and physical...a nice contrast to the more serious and still roles I'm used to."

Amanda's approach to The King Stag is emblematic of her approach to everything theatrical: no-holds-barred, everything she has is left on the stage at the end of the show. Get to know her better in this week's Collegiate Theatrics...

How's your college theater career going? Has it lived up to its advance hype? My college theater career has been a dream when compared to my friends at larger schools. Trevecca's theater department is small, so I have had more opportunities for both roles and technical positions. As a sophomore, I got to assistant direct Twelfth Night with Nat McIntyre, the Shakespeare god. I have been blessed with role after role. At Trevecca, I have never had to worry about not getting to be a part of a production. There is always space for anyone who wants to collaborate. If you don't get cast, Jeff Frame (director of the department) makes it clear that he still needs you however you want to contribute.

The hype I heard was very negative going into college theater. Everyone always said it will be so hard to get cast and people will be mean and competitive. In my experience, that hasn't been the case at all. I'm sure that's mostly because we are a small department, but I have been very blessed with a department that embraces individuals rather than cutting them down. That's not to say things don't get competitive, I think most actors can agree when I say I wouldn't enjoy it if it weren't.

What's your favorite part of studying at TNU? Definitely the small bit, but also its location. I never would have thought to come to Nashville for theater. In the four years I've been here, Nashville has morphed into this rapidly growing, cutting edge area. The local theater scene has made itself known to me (and everyone else). There are so many local opportunities I can't keep up with auditions or shows. At any given time, there are multiple shows that I want to see, which I have neither the time off work nor money for. I love being in a city that keeps me on my creative toes.

Have your future plans changed since your college experiences? I always told myself I would be going to New York. In the last four years, I have had so much change. I wish I had time to tell you it all and that you had time to read it all. In short, I know very little about my future. I know that I want to be involved with the arts always, but I don't know in what capacity. I would love to act, but I also recognize that I have other dreams too. I want to direct, I want to get involved with more film, I just want to play. I have no idea. I may go to grad school, but I want to stick around Nashville a bit longer. I'm not ready to leave. I'm hoping that once I graduate I will have more time to dive in to Nashville's theater scene instead of the "one foot in, one out" dance I've been doing to keep up with school.

What collegiate theatrical moment looms largest in your mind? Nancy [in Oliver!] has always stuck with me. She changed me. Part of being in college is learning what acting approaches work for you and what don't. I took an approach to her that was dangerous. I take my characters very seriously, creating them is most of the fun for me, I just need a play to give me an excuse to do it. Nancy is a prostitute, she is a drinker, she is a battered woman, she only has a touch of hope once Oliver comes into her life. She sees a child with a chance to be spared the life she has had, which spurs her into the only fight she's ever put up for her own life, but it was too little too late, and in the end she never gets out. I know it's a little bit of a dark take on the story, but the actor's job is to look at the character as a person, and people like to glaze over those parts of her.

Well, she started my 'hair-dye method." I went very dark for her. She started my character journaling. There are character study things I did for her that I will never admit publicly. She is also the one that I never killed. I probably sound crazy right now. It's like you make the character, you take a real darkness of your own life, use the character to therapy it out, journal her, play her, then kill her...well she was my first real one, so I can't kill her. Since her, I have moved to a bit more removed approach, but if the right character came along, I'd do it again. This is why we theatre folk all belong in a loony bin.

What advice would you offer to high school students considering making the plunge that you've made? High school kids, there are two things I'll say, and neither of them will help you much, but the one that's more appealing to you probably tells you where you belong: If you don't take the plunge and try you will always wonder what if and you will never forgive yourself for the opportunities you didn't know you missed. Then again, you don't have to be a theater major to be great at and involved in theater.

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