Amanda Sarah Baker

Having been born into a family whose interests centered on theatre may have influenced young Amanda to pursue a career in a field of endeavor she was most familiar with. Perhaps this all stemmed from her first appearances at the age of five as Cosette (Les Miserables) at the Actors' Fund salute to her grandfather, Bernard B. Jacobs (President of the Shubert Organization). While still in school, Amanda enrolled in the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and studied acting in the Playhouse's junior school for four years. During this time she appeared in roles at the Neighborhood Playhouse Adult Conservatory Program. In high school, Amanda furthered her interest by studying acting while at Calhoun School and performing in plays. She also began singing lessons at the Turtle Bay Music School simply as a measure for enhancing her overall performing talents. Recently she enrolled at Turtle Bay again as she wanted to expand her abilities even further. After high school graduation, Amanda became a student at George Washington University, majoring in Theatre and Psychology. These studies allowed her to work on countless shows and introduced her to working behind the scenes with costumes, lighting, scenic design and other facets of the theatre, all of which enhanced her knowledge and contributed to her understanding of acting. In her junior year, Amanda studied Spanish culture and film in Barcelona. Returning to the United States, she felt the need to broaden her knowledge and enrolled in the New York Film Academy and took a summer of intensive film acting. This was followed by additional studies with the Atlantic Theatre Company. There she studied Practical Aesthetics, a technique created by William H. Macy and David Mamet. She completed the 2½-year training program in December 2012. During this period,she performed in the Atlantic's Spring 2012 One-Act Plays and the Fall 2012 Conservatory Stage 2 show of Machinal by Sophie Treadwell.