We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Reyes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I used to think about work/life balance as a 50/50 split. This motivated me to focus on finding work that was in line with my artistic passions. But this mentality quickly led to burnout and made me vulnerable for companies to take advantage and exploit. My twenties were a decade of me coming to terms with the fact that life should not be 50% work and 50% life. In a capitalist society where profit goals are increasing every term while employee numbers, hours, and pay remain the same, it is impossible for even the most passionate workers to not burn out. Now that I am 35, I have gotten used to setting strict boundaries around my hours and work responsibilities. With the future of our economy being unpredictable as it is I find it difficult to plan for my future/retirement and so I work to enjoy my life now as much as possible. Some weeks still feel like more work than life, but I now know how to advocate for my mental health and self-worth when feeling overwhelmed. I no longer feel guilty when clocking out at 5pm everyday, or going on a short walk to clear my head after meeting a stressful deadline, or taking a mental health day. I think about the balance as being ever changing; some days I need to just focus most of my energy on getting through the day and that’s okay. Work feels like it’s about 25-30% of my band width and that feels way more healthy and sustainable in the long run. I do want to be a mother someday and it does cause me a lot of anxiety when I think about the rising costs of childcare and inflation in general. Not to mention the student loan debt that I will be chipping away at for the rest of my life. How are millennials supposed to keep this work life balance AND plan for a family these days? I’m grateful to own a home but even that is being threatened by property values increasing in our ever-changing neighborhood. We simply must take it a day at a time for our own sanity.

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Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

My films have mainly focused on the impact incarceration has on family and loved ones. I come from an inmate family and those experiences have become a part of my artistic identity. I use film and theater as a creative catharsis for the traumas I’ve faced. Storytelling through self expression has always felt like my calling in this life. I’ve acted all my life. I lived in LA in the early 2000s working as an actor, auditioning for stereotypical Latina roles which inspired me to learn filmmaking so that I could write more authentic representations of Latine culture for the screen. After graduating from the University of North Texas with a BA in cinema, I was accepted into the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema in Brooklyn, New York. After receiving my MFA in directing narrative cinema, I worked as a freelance filmmaker working in a lot of different roles around NY; Production Assistant, Assistant Director, Cinematographer, D.I.T., Boom Op., etc. I had taken a break from acting to focus on film for almost 10 years. When COVID hit and New York went into lock down, so did all of the arts and so did all of my jobs. My best friend and roommate, Tim, and I decided to return home to be with our families, uncertain of what the future would hold. I returned to Texas with so much uncertainty and felt isolated and lost. As things began to open back up, I was encouraged to get back into theater again by my now husband, Wesley, and so I decided to take a leap of faith and go on some auditions. I was not only cast in several shows shortly after getting back into acting, but I found a community of incredible artists and friends who I love creating art with. The support the Fort Worth arts and theater arts community offers is truly what helped me get back on my feet again and I am forever grateful.

Now, let me tell you about the most recent shows I am a part of!!!
First up; I play the role of Mara in My Brother and Sister with Wings by Rob Bosquez at Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center for the Arts on May 3,4, 10 and 11 . This play is a magical and a rather dark allegorical tale about two children with wings being trafficked and caged by corrupted men. My character, the older sister, finds them and attempts to save them from a tragic fate.

This Summer I will be playing the role of Titania in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hip Pocket Theater, directed by the brilliant Yvonne Duque-Guerrero. I am thrilled to be working with her for the third time and can’t wait to bring this beautiful timeless tale to life starting June 14th!
In September, I will be in another Hip Pocket production called Big Love, directed by Emily Scott Banks, who I have always been a huge fan of! I was in both of these shows YEARS ago and cannot wait to revisit them in a new light and setting with many more years of theater experience under my belt. Don’t miss these shows!

This fall I will be acting in my second Amphibian Stage play and I AM SO EXCITED! The play called The Amazing, Fabulous, and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia directed by the incredible Evan Michael Woods. This is an adaptation by Kathleen Culebro, one of Amphibian’s brilliant artistic directors, based on the play La verdad sospechosa by Juan Ruiz de Alarcon. It is going to be an absolute comedic joy-ride and I can’t wait! Opening night is October 11!

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Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to have a REAL TexMex breakfast at Cafecito, where we would have the best breakfast tacos in their signature pink corn tortillas and chase them down with the best cold brew in the world. We’d go to to the shops near Southside or on South Main, like Morgan Mercantile! There would probably be pop-up markets like Wandering Roots Market and Lola’s Rock’n’roll Rummage Sale that we could check out on our way to grab a burger at Vice Burger that just opened on Magnolia. Before going to see a play at Amphibian, Stage West, Arts Fort Worth, Jubilee, Circle, or Hip Pocket, we’d explore Trinity Park and maybe go on a bike ride along the trails! If we had time, we could also chekc out the museums in the cultural district. Then stop at Mariachi’s dine-in for the BEST margaritas in DFW and some delicious food! Honestly, this would probably have to be at least two days. There are so many gems in this city, I need at least a week to make sure we see all the highlights!

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Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to give a shout out to all of the theaters and organizations that provide me space and resources to create art, perform, film, and grow as a human being. Art spaces like these make Fort Worth the incredible city that it is. Art enhances the quality of life in any city. Art isn’t the icing on the cake, it is the sugar that makes the cake worth eating.
– Amphibian Stage, an incredible theater that creates thought-provoking work with accessible accommodations and a price scale.
– Arts Fort Worth, the Fort Worth community arts center that is an artist hub and incubator for all mediums with a focus on local artwork.
– Hip Pocket Theater, an outdoor theater that is truly a magical and historical space for actors and creatives of all backgrounds to collaborate and perform together under the Texas stars each summer/fall.
– The City of Fort Worth, I love working for the city as a communications specialist. It is an incredible organization devoted to it’s residents and employees.

Website: https://www.amandanicolereyesfilm.com

Instagram: amandanreyes

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Image Credits
Wesley Kirk, Kaitlyn Kilpatrick, Shannon Atkinson Cahoone

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