Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Reyes
Hi Amanda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in a DFW suburb right off of I-35 and 121 to the home of Buddy and Rosie Reyes, a high school history teacher and professional cake baker. Tejano through and through, I embraced my Tex-Mex culture whole-heartedly with flour tortillas, Selena Quintanilla, Sunday catholic school and summer trips to visit our cousins across the border. My brother and I had a happy childhood. We didn’t have a lot of money but we were rich in what I think matters most; love, support, attention, encouragement. Man, I was given so much encouragement and that’s where I think my story began. My parents always encouraged us to lean into our interests, whether that be karate, soccer, dance, magic tricks, rocks! They were willing to work hard so that we could fixate on hobbies like rocks. And eventually theater arts. I remember always singing. It would drive my family nuts sometimes but they still encouraged it – my parents took me to my first live theater production of West Side Story at Dallas Music Hall in Fair Park when I was around 7. I was mesmerized. Not just by the music and dance and technical design, but by the fact that the actors looked like me. I saw myself on that stage for the first time and I was hooked. I pursued theater throughout high school and into college. It became my identity and I got good at it. Real good at it. I studied Meisner, Hagen, Stanislavski, and I took intensives on Shakespeare, and stepped outside my comfort zone with improv. I made it to LA, with my best friend, Tim, who was an incredible composer in his own right. I was signed with an agent who told me she believed in me. Then proceeded to send me on audition after audition for the roles of “Gang Member”, “Hood Rat”, “Pregnant Latina Teen”, and other offensive stereotypes. I was extremely disheartened and each experience made me feel more and more powerless. This was not representative of me or of the world I came from. But everyone seemed complicit. I finally got to a place where it was affecting my mental wellbeing far too much for it to be worth the experience and Tim, well… he was struggling with a disease called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). He had the vascular type and was having frequent internal tears leading to ICU visits. We moved to Denton, Texas where I changed my focus to film and TV at UNT. I graduated with a B.A. and Tim recovered, never fully but better than he was in LA. A summer after graduation we were on our way to Brooklyn, New York where I would continue my education at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. You see, Tim and I were always looking for a way out of Texas. We had this youthful mentality to escape the small worlds we were so familiar with from our childhoods. We had big dreams. I made several films, all of which Tim composed and scored, a few of which he even acted in. I worked in Television and learned that I hated it. Looking back on it, I always wonder what would’ve happened if we had chosen to stay in Brooklyn in 2020. The pandemic terrified me in New York causing food shortages in our neighborhood and shutting down all productions. I feared for Tim’s health who was working for the MTA and was being exposed every day. The world really did seem to stop moving during that year. We were just focused on surviving. We made the difficult choice to leave New York. Tim went to live with his family in Atlanta and I went home to Texas. I wish I had known it would be the last time I saw him. I wish I could have hugged him harder. I wish I could have maybe stayed one more night at his families’ home, grabbed breakfast with him in the morning. I wish I could have told him how much the past decade had meant to me. He left behind collections of his incredible music through recordings and video. He passed in 2022. I took time to grieve and I learned how completely consuming grief can be. I slowly began reaching out and went back to my roots, acting. I got involved in local theater and started auditioning again. I got married to someone I had known since UNT and who knew Tim and knew what his loss meant to me. I spent more time with my family. I suddenly had community again, in what felt like forever. Now, I’m heavily involved in the Fort Worth art scene, as is my husband. We advocate for the arts and work to create safe spaces for marginalized communities. And every show I get cast in, I always think about what Tim would have thought. And every film I make, I try to hear the music he’d write for it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m tired of talking about my struggles, to be frank. For a huge portion of my life I feel that I’ve only been noticed and listened to because of my struggles. And a lot of that is my own fault. I use my art as a catharsis for the hardships I’ve been in. The vast majority of my films explore my traumatic experiences of being in an inmate family. Throughout my 20’s I’ve had a very close loved one of mine incarcerated and was heavily affected by the Prison Industrial Complex, as was the rest of my family. And the PIC will now forever have a presence in my life, which is why I’m now a pretty outspoken prison abolitionist. All this to say; no, it has not been a smooth road. I’ve experienced a lot of hardships and have witnessed people I love with my whole being experience a lot of hardships, which, in my opinion, is even tougher. I’ve had a lot of set-backs, a lot of losses, a lot of heartbreak and grief. And I’ve written about it all in artist statements, personal essays for scholarships and acceptance letters, and I rather talk about the incredible people I’ve met along the way and the people who gave me opportunities and support when nobody else would. I’d rather talk about the people who helped me up through the struggle. Like Tim. Tim and I supported one another for over ten years as we chased our dreams, his in music production and mine in media production. We were always struggling financially but we always managed to save up enough to go to a concert, see a Broadway show, visit an art exhibit, go to the movies. We kept art alive for one another through some hard times. He was my chosen family who gave me hope and inspiration through my darkest days. I miss him everyday.
Recently, I have found community through the theaters and organizations that have opened their arms to me; Lake and Lorca Simmons of Hip Pocket Theater, Amphibian Stage’s entire staff; Jay Duffer, Kathleen Culebro, Evan Michael Woods, Ayesha Ganguly, and so many incredible artists and advocates within the Fort Worth art scene; Megan Henderson, Yvonne Duque, Emily Scott Banks, Rob Bosquez, Sara Fairley, Sara Herrera, just to name a few, have all given me opportunities to grow and collaborate as an artist and human. It has been through their generosity and belief in me that I have been able to overcome so many struggles.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
This year I was in a total of four theater productions; “My Brother and Sister with Wings”, written and directed by Rob Bosquez at the Historical Artes de la Rosa Marine Theater, I was in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” directed by Yvonne Duque and “Big Love” directed by Emily Scott Banks, both produced at Hip Pocket Theater, and I just recently wrapped on “The Amazing, Fabulous and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia”, written by Kathleen Culebro and directed by Evan Michael Woods at Amphibian Stage. It has been quite a successful year of acting on stage for me. I am so grateful for these wonderful experiences, especially Big Love and Juan Garcia. Both those productions were so professionally executed and the casts have become some of my closest friends. I’m so lucky to say that with each play I’m in, my community grows. I also love how these theaters work hard to make live theater accessible and affordable to everyone. Live theater is important to keep alive because it forces the audience to be locked in with real people without a screen between them. It forces empathy and we need more of that in this world. I also still do film and commercial work. My latest film, “Going Home”, was in this year’s San Antonio Film Festival in addition to others and I am now in the process of looking into a local screening before making it accessible to the world online. I was signed with Broad Talent Agency who send me on countless auditions, none of which are offensive stereotypes – it is nice to see how authenticity has gained popularity in the industry since those brutal auditions back in LA in 2008. It makes me proud to see and experience the progress we’ve made with representation. That is what I’m most proud of. I’m proud of the brown women who opened the doors for me, who stopped begging for a seat at the table and, instead, made their own table. They are why I feel like I am truly thriving now. I would like to think I am still a part of that effort as well. The work continues. Always!
Any big plans?
So much is up in the air right now! I don’t know! I wish I did! Life of an actor! Gosh, I have a callback for a production I REALLY want with a theater I’ve never worked with but have seen several shows at that were all absolutely spectacular. I am acting in two films this weekend, both beautiful works by friends of mine. I was recently considered for board membership of a non-profit that I am absolutely obsessed with and am waiting to learn more about all that it would entail- I can’t give any details since nothing has been finalized/published. I can talk about Sapphic Space FTW, an organization that I started with my good friend, Hailey Green! Sapphic Space is a community-driven organization dedicated to creating safe spaces in Fort Worth, Texas. We are here for Women, the LGBTQIA+ Community, the Undocumented, BIPOC, and all marginalized communities. We’re committed to making Fort Worth a city where everyone can thrive. Through events, resource sharing, and community gatherings. Sapphic Space FTW aims to organize, inform, and take action. We have our first event coming up that is a community-driven, donation-based, chosen-family portraiture event! This event is donation-based because we believe everyone deserves access to art and connection, regardless of financial circumstances. Portraiture is our way of honoring the connections that make us who we are. Whether you’re celebrating love, friendship, or your individuality, we want to share this moment with our community. Follow us on Instagram @SapphicSpaceFTW
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amandanicolereyesfilm.com
- Instagram: amandanreyes
Image Credits
Evan Michael Woods
Kaitlyn Kilpatrick
Wesley Kirk
Shannon Atkinson
