Artist Spotlight - Amanda Morrison
This month HarmoNNY is proud to honor our teachers and school staff! We are excited to present our July Artist Spotlight, Amanda Morrison, who works in the Arts and Music Department at Indian River Central School District and is the President of Little Theatre of Watertown.
Amanda specializes in many behind-the-scenes aspects of theater which is evident in her many different roles at Indian River. Some of her duties include managing the theater schedule, coordinating arts and education for the entire campus, working as a fine arts teacher’s assistant, taking photos and videos for the district, and helping plan and coordinate graduation.
Amanda’s interest in theater began in high school when the students in advanced art class were asked to paint the sets for the school musical. She liked “being part of the musical without having to be part of the musical.” Since that time, Amanda has been highly involved in staging, set design and more for many local theater productions through Watertown Lyric Theater and Little Theatre of Watertown. “If a community group finds out you can do something, they are going to rope you in and have you do it.”
Along with the behind the scenes aspect of a show, Amanda has also directed a number of plays. Her favorite one to direct so far has been Doubt, A Parable, which is a more serious show based in a Catholic school that will have one questioning what you believe and why you believe it. This cast was able to perform their production of Doubt at the New York State Community Theatre Association (NYSCTA) where they won the award for Best Long Performance.
In her free time, Amanda also works as a freelance photographer. Prior to working at Indian River Central School District, she worked at the Watertown Daily Times for eight years as her background is in photojournalism. Now, Amanda does photography for a number of nonprofits in the area including the Northern New York Community Foundation.
Amanda’s advice for anyone looking to be involved in theater is to “ask. Ask the person in charge if there is anything [you] can do…theater is way more than being on the stage” so there is a place for everyone. Every person, including the pit band, choreographer, set designers, person who places the props where they belong, and more “have to be a part of the theater experience for it to happen.” Amanda also encourages those to support the arts by volunteering and becoming a member of local organizations.
To find out more about Amanda and the groups she is involved in check the links below! Stay tuned to find out more about Indian River’s Fall Production of She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition in October and a collaborative project between Watertown Lyric Theater and Stage Notes.
