This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Martín Acuña: Hi, everyone. I am Martín Acuña, and you are listening to Backstage Talk.

[0:16] Martín Acuña: Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Backstage Talk. Today's guest is Amanda LaMotte. She is a dancer, singer, actor, and teacher that has been in Broadway productions like Hello Dolly, Kiss Me Kate, The Music Man, and Matilda, which she made her debut on. Amanda is also a faculty member of Broadway Dance Center, the Broadway Collective, and Institute of American Musical Theater, Broadway Classroom, Innovative Theatrics, Steps on Broadway, and much more. Amanda, I am really, really excited to have you over today. Welcome to Backstage Talk.

[0:55] Amanda LaMotte: Thank you. Thanks for having me. I'm so thrilled to be here.

[0:58] Martín Acuña: Awesome. So what did I miss from your bio? Tell us a little bit more about who is Amanda.

[1:04] Amanda LaMotte: Yeah. So I originally am from Orlando, Florida. I grew up there, you know, definitely did a lot of the Disney growing up. And both my parents and my grandfather were performers. So I came from a definite music background. And I started performing at a really young age. And it was something that I did for fun, but I wanted more and more and more of. And my parents were so supportive and amazing. Every year, they'd say, "Are you sure you want to be doing this?" And I'd be like, "More, give me more." And so I started working professionally when I was a kid and went to college for musical theater, and then started auditioning. And here I am in New York many years later.

[1:47] Martín Acuña: I love that. I absolutely love that. And I love that it's been like the dream from Disney all the way to Broadway. And yeah, that must have been really exciting. So what would be a random fun fact about you?

[2:03] Amanda LaMotte: Oh, um, I really love to cook. And I love to experiment with cooking. I made my very first from-scratch all by myself meal when I was in fifth grade. I made Cornish hens and stuffing and corn all alone. And when I went to, like, special prep school when I was growing up, and to get in in sixth grade, you had to have an interview. And I was telling them, "Oh, I cook dinner all by myself." And the interviewer was like, "Yeah, like Kraft macaroni and cheese." And I said, "No, Cornish hens." And my mom's like, "Yeah, she's not kidding."

[2:40] Martín Acuña: I love that. I love that. So you started really young, performing really, really young. Which was the aha moment when you were a kid in which you said, "My parents are performers, my grandparents are performers. This is what I want to do."

[2:59] Amanda LaMotte: Yeah, I think it was something that I was doing for fun for a really long time. I started doing film and television kind of things when I was, I don't know, maybe eight or nine, ten tops. But I went on tour when I was in seventh grade. And it still felt like a fun thing and something that I really enjoyed doing. And it was a cool experience. But I don't know that I knew I wanted it to be my job. My junior year of high school, I went and saw the touring production of Hairspray. And I was sitting in the second row. And they got to "You Can't Stop the Beat," which is a happy song. And I'm sobbing in the second row, like just sobbing because the energy coming off the stage was so amazing. And I felt like I was vibrating.

And in that moment said, "I have to do this. I have to make people feel this way." I'm like getting choked up thinking about it now. Like I just felt goosebumps all over my body. And it was really cool. And I just knew that I had to get up on a stage and share that with other people and help to make other people feel that excitement.

[4:03] Martín Acuña: So since then, you went on tour with Cats, and then you got all the way to Broadway with Matilda and then the other productions I already mentioned. How was that whole journey? How was that whole experience?

[4:18] Amanda LaMotte: Yeah, so I was super lucky. And I had booked the Cats tour while I was still in my senior year of college. So I knew I had a job out of school, which is so fortunate. And then I saved my money like a crazy person on tour so that I could move to New York. And when I got to New York, I didn't kind of know what I was doing. I had worked professionally, but the New York market is so different. And I did a lot of auditioning for things that were out of the city. So I was constantly leaving the city. And I didn't have my equity card. I built up all my points and I kept turning down my equity card because I was so afraid that I wouldn't work. I was so afraid to like take the leap and take my equity card. And then I ran out of EMC points and I didn't have a choice. And so I took my card and the first audition I went to was Matilda and eventually booked it and got to be on Broadway, which was a dream come true.

[5:21] Martín Acuña: Now that you mentioned that the New York market is really different from regional theater or community theater, why is it different? In your experience, why was it different? And why was it so like, quote unquote, hard to break into the New York scene?

[5:39] Amanda LaMotte: Yeah, I think especially when I came to the city years ago, it was a lot of standing in line at 5 a.m. to get on that non-equity list to hope to be seen at the equity call. And that still exists for sure today. But now that things are digital, things are a little different. But I just didn't anticipate that when I was moving to the city. I was like, "Okay, cool, I'll just come and audition for Broadway." But it's not even whether you have the talent. Sometimes it's can you even physically get in the room? And that was something I didn't anticipate because in the smaller market of being in Orlando or going to SCTC, you get in the room, you get to audition. And that's the hardest part, I think, about this industry, especially starting out, is can you get in the room? And even now, four Broadway shows later, sometimes I can't get in the room. And that is the biggest hurdle I think that a performer can face is how do I get in the room?

[6:46] Martín Acuña: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that one of the good things about the pandemic was moving everything into digital space because now a lot of more people can audition to things with a pre-screen or a taped video.

[7:02] Amanda LaMotte: Absolutely. That instead of just like going at 4, 5 a.m. to wait in line to try to sing six bars or less. If you're lucky.

[7:11] Martín Acuña: Yeah, exactly. I love it. So tell us about Matilda, Hello Dolly, Kiss Me Kate, and The Music Man, your latest show.

[7:31] Amanda LaMotte: Yeah, I have been so incredibly lucky and I have been a part of really amazing casts. And I think that, yes, the performing is top and that connection with the audience, like I said, that is why I wanted to do this. But what I didn't anticipate is the families that you create in these shows, and especially a lot of them have been longer contracts. And so that's what makes this business so magical, is the people that you get to work with and the families that you create. And especially at The Music Man, it is the most fun backstage experience I have ever had. Everyone is so lovely. People want to be there so much. And we had kids at Matilda and we have kids at Music Man, and it brings a different energy to the building that is so cool. And watching Broadway through their eyes is so neat. It's a really special experience.

[8:25] Martín Acuña: I love that. Plus, you've worked with huge stars. I mean, Hugh Jackman, Bernadette Peters, Sutton Foster. You've had quite a ride among the shows that you've been on. So that is pretty exciting, seeing both parts of the world, like kids growing up on Broadway and these huge stars that keep coming back.

[8:46] Amanda LaMotte: Absolutely. And the thing that is really neat about that is seeing how, even though they're these mega stars, they've all been kind. They've all been lovely to work with. They care about the rest of the cast and the crew in the building. And I mean, I think Hugh Jackman knows every single person who works in that building, in the box office, in the custodial services. He knows everyone and their names, and it makes me aspire to be that way. It's really inspiring, like to be able to get through the stage door and say hello to everyone all the way to your room. It's nice.

[9:19] Martín Acuña: Yes, absolutely. So what advice would you give to people that want to be in this industry, that want to start?

[9:40] Amanda LaMotte: You already mentioned your experience when you got to New York with the auditions, but right now that you've had quite a run on Broadway, what would be that advice? I have so much. How do I pick just one? Um, I've... Oh no, drop them all! I think that the... Okay, first, when I was in college, Montego Glover came to visit. She went to FSU, where I went, and she came back to teach her master class. And I remember her saying, if you can do something else and be happy, go do that. And I was like, ooh, I don't like that advice. That feels really negative to me. And now that I'm many years into the industry, I understand what she meant. And maybe I don't identify with how she said it, but she meant that this is hard.

This job, this career, this lifestyle is hard. And it's not for the faint of heart. But if you love it, you have to go after it with all that you have. If you love it, you owe it to yourself to try everything you can. That being said, there are always going to be moments of downtime. There are always going to be moments in between contracts. I don't care if you're Hugh Jackman or third tree from the left on Broadway, there are always going to be moments in between. And I think that if I could go back and tell 21-year-old Amanda anything, it'd be find something else that you love just as much and develop those careers simultaneously so that you have something to fall back on in between. And it doesn't mean that you have to give up your dream for one or the other, but having something that you can support yourself with and still be happy and still be fulfilled is really amazing.

I very fortunately have found that I love educating and I love connecting with young performers. But I didn't know that that was something that I wanted to do. And really, I've only started doing that since a little before the pandemic. And I wish I had been cultivating that all the way through. It would make where I am simultaneously successful in both areas of my life. So I think that that is a really good thing for young performers to think about is not just what can my side hustle be so I can make money to live? Yep, we got to do that. We have to. There's no choice. We have bills. But also what can you be doing that you enjoy that also pays the bills and also fulfills you in between the moments that you get to do your dream?

I absolutely love it. And yes, many times a lot of us artists need to have a simultaneous career. It's not a pivoting, maybe simultaneous. To keep afloat and keep doing the things we love. Maybe a little bit more, quote unquote, a little bit more. But yeah, thank you for that piece of advice.

[12:41] Martín Acuña: Of course. What is a risk that you've taken that has totally paid off?

[12:48] Amanda LaMotte: Yeah, so. So I was offered a contract on a Broadway show that was to swing. And I have swung. I swung the Cats tour. I swung the Matilda, my Broadway debut. And I found it to be very stressful to my mental health. And I found it not to be my happiest. And I was so grateful for those jobs. And I learned so much. And honestly, I think every single person who ever sets foot on a stage should have to swing first because you understand exactly how everything is put together in a much deeper level. You have a respect for everyone else on stage in a deeper way. And you understand how to be respectful to the swings in a way that is really important, I think, to the health of a company. That being said, I did it.

And I didn't find that it was the best thing for me. So I was offered a contract on a Broadway show to swing. And I turned it down. And I was like, what am I doing? I just turned down a Broadway show. This is crazy. And pandemic happened. And I was like, oh, my God, what have I done? This is going to come back. And then I could have had a job. And now I don't have a job. And then everything came back. And I was like, oh, my God. And then cut to I got to have an onstage track. I got to be in the show. I got to join the company and be in the role that I wanted to be, which was on stage every day. It didn't necessarily, it wasn't guaranteed to happen that way. And I was very lucky that it happened that way.

But I feel really proud of myself for knowing that I would have been unhappy. And conversely, that someone else would have been thrilled to have that role. And I think it's important to know when it's better for someone else than it is for yourself. And so I'm really grateful to the universe and the creative team and to everyone for it working out the way that it did. But it was a really big risk that I took. And I was worried about burning bridges. I was worried about upsetting people. I was worried about coming off as, you know, seeming like I thought I was better than and that's not what I meant at all. And I'm grateful that everyone in the situation understood that and knew that I was doing it for my inner peace.

But it was a risk. Yeah, it was a risk. And I know it totally did pay off. You got to be on stage every night. But also what's more important in what you just said is you put yourself first and your mental health and your well-being. And that is something that for me during and after the pandemic is like a non-negotiable. So, yeah, thank you for taking that risk. It's a really big lesson for a lot of us.

[15:51] Amanda LaMotte: Yeah, and I do think that sometimes we have to do things that are uncomfortable. We do have to do that. But once you've had the experience and you know that it's not for you, you have to stand up for yourself.

[16:04] Martín Acuña: Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. So last question. What are your top five favorite musical theater shows?

[16:13] Amanda LaMotte: Gosh, this is so hard. Okay, definitely number one is Into the Woods. It's been Into the Woods for so long. I was completely obsessed with that first filmed version with Bernadette Peters. I was obsessed with her. And the fact that I got to work with her was insane. And, okay, so Into the Woods Carespray because of my experience and why I really wanted to do this. I think Matilda will always have a really special place in my heart because it was my Broadway debut. And I also just think it's such a smart, beautiful story. And the craft of how they put the show together was... I was a replacement. And months and months and months before I had ever auditioned, I didn't have any thought of being in the show. I went and saw the show and I was like, this is stunning. This is art. This is not just a story or commercial theater on stage. It is a beautiful piece of art. So I think that will always be super special to me. Okay, wait, that was three. Did you like the film?

[17:18] Martín Acuña: I did really like the film. There were things because I'm way too close to it and I have way too much of an emotional attachment. And I was like, oh, I really miss X. But overall, I really enjoyed it. I thought the young lady who plays Matilda is so talented. She's so good. Emma Thompson was so good.

[17:36] Amanda LaMotte: Yes, I loved it. Oh no, two more. I have to pick. Oh, I loved Once. I saw Once so many times. Oh, and Memphis. I saw Memphis probably 10 times. I would go and get rushed seats over and over and over again. I wanted to do the show so bad. I wanted to be the young girl with the radio. And then the show closed and I was like, no, I never got to be the girl with the radio. But I love the music. I love the dancing. It's very fun.

[18:08] Martín Acuña: Well, we can always get a revival.

[18:12] Amanda LaMotte: I don't know if I'll still be young enough to be the young girl when there's a revival, but hopefully.

[18:19] Martín Acuña: Yeah, crossing fingers. Amanda, this has been amazing. Thank you so much for being here. If someone wants to contact you to get a masterclass from you to see what you're teaching, where can people find you?

[18:33] Amanda LaMotte: Yeah, you can either find me on my Instagram. It's at tiny Lamont. Or you can find me on my website, www.amandalamont.com. And that will have a link to all my social and where I'm teaching and things like that.

[18:49] Martín Acuña: Absolutely. I love this. Thank you so much for being here. I'm really, really happy you came to Backstage Talk.

[18:56] Amanda LaMotte: Thank you so much for having me. Have a wonderful day.

[19:01] Martín Acuña: Thanks everyone for listening to this new episode of Backstage Talk. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Backstage Talk Podcast.