Norma Mortimer brings us family drama – more like the drama from family! RUN THE COURSE & DADDY’S GIRLS, running at the American Theatre of Actors, 314 W 54th St, in NYC, March 2 – 13 (Wednesday thru Saturday @ 8pm; Sunday @ 3pm. Call for tickets: (212) 581-3044)

RUN THE COURSE: A suicide meant to tear a family apart only brings them closer only to discover it might not be a suicide at all and DADDY’S GIRLS: A widowed father is at the center of a family controversy involving social status. Can love really conquer all?

“I fell in love with theatre while doing a play for my Speech class during my senior year of high school,” Amanda Cannon says exuberantly, “[I] moved to New York right after college to work as an actor and a writer, and while I’m drawn to dramas or dramedies, I also love doing a good comedic piece as well.”

We spoke with her about her role in the upcoming one-act series at the ATA. 

What obstacles do you encounter in creating your role(s)?

It depends on the role. Some roles I can slide right into; others take a little longer to fully grasp. I think for me, physicality is very grounding, so any time I can interact with props, eat or drink on stage, or have physical contact with another actor, it helps me to really become the other person in that environment.

Do you think this should be a Broadway play or an off-Broadway play? Why?

I think it’s well-suited for off-Broadway, because you get a more intimate feel in a smaller theater.

You’re working in a landmark theatre with one of its premier directors, creating roles in new plays… How does it feel? 

I’m excited to be working with Laurie at ATA! The process has been really fun. Obviously the pandemic has been hard for actors. This is my first time onstage since fall of 2019, which is the longest I’ve gone without performing since I started 12 years ago. So it was a little bit like, okay, let’s shake the dust off here, hope I still remember how to do this. But Laurie and the rest of the cast have been great and so easy to work with. It’s exciting to be back in it!

What’s next? 

Who knows, right? Back to auditioning, and hopefully I’ll be onstage again soon!