A Girl Wrote It: Amy Lee Pearsall, Actor

Amy Lee Pearsall is a long-time member of Wide Eyed Productions, having appeared with the company in The Trojan Women, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, and their inaugural production of The Medea, among others. She is currently appearing in Gideon Productions’ Blast Radius. Amy Lee holds a BA in Theatre Arts from St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. She is also a freelance writer when the opportunity presents itself, and has been known to take some photographs. http://www.amyleepearsall.com/ 

• You’ll be performing in Erin Singleton’s Bologna Sandwiches as part of our upcoming production of A Girl Wrote It. Can you tell us some of your initial thoughts about the piece? How are rehearsals going? 

It’s a very fun piece and, after the recent run of dramatic roles I’ve had, I’m delighted to be performing a comedic monologue. I think Erin Singleton has a terrific voice as a writer and I’m eager to see what she does next. I’m also thrilled to be working with Kristin Skye Hoffmann again. She directed me in The Medea, …Cuckoo’s Nest, The Trojan Women, My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer, and she knows how to both push and inspire me as an actor. 

• You were recently interviewed on another site regarding your creative process. Where can we read about that? 

Yes, that was on Zack Calhoon’s blog Visible Soul. He profiles New York playwrights, directors, actors, etc. It’s a terrific local resource.  Be sure to check it out! 

• I hear you’ve been keeping busy. Can you tell us a little about the show you’re working on right now? 

I’m currently performing in Mac Rogers’ Blast Radius with Gideon Productions. It's the second installment of what Mac's calling "The Honeycomb Trilogy." Aliens have invaded earth, and this particular play is about a resistance faction operating out of a house of pregnant women. Jordana Williams, our director, has called it “a love letter to humanity,” and I think that’s accurate. I may be somewhat biased. I adore this ensemble, and love Mac’s work – it’s always kind of left-of-center, but has this beautiful poetry to it. The New York Times just listed us as a "Critics' Pick" and we even made the New York Magazine approval matrix – not bad for an independent theatre production! We’re all real proud of it, and we close next week, so get tickets while you can. 

• What is your favorite part of the creative process before you perform for an audience? Do you have a particular pre-show ritual that you engage in before curtain? If so, can you share it with us? 

I like to take a brisk walk before call time to get the oxygen pumping a bit. I try not to eat a big meal before, but I do stay hydrated and maybe eat a bit of protein to keep my energy up. I like to connect with folks when I walk into the theatre and say hello. I do some light stretching, and spend a moment talking around a clean wine cork for enunciation. Then it’s a bit of make-up, focusing on my breathing, and showtime. I’ve never been a fan of group warm-ups; my apologies to those who love them. If you want a group warm-up, throw everyone in the same dressing room. 

• Are you working on any additional projects at the moment? Care to share with us? 

Wide Eyed has a new apprentice playwrights program this year that we’re very excited about. These new scripts will have staged readings during A Girl Wrote It’s “Dark Nights” series, and I’ll be participating in some of those. I attended one of the workshop readings this past weekend. It’s so much fun to be on the ground floor of something like this, watching these fantastic stories take shape and getting to be a part of it.