COMPAS is excited to welcome new staff member Amanda Hestwood! To help introduce Amanda to everyone, we asked her to share a little bit about herself, her experience in the arts, and, of course, what role she would have if COMPAS were a musical.
COMPAS (C): Hello, Amanda! Please introduce yourself.
Amanda Hestwood (AH): Hi! I’m Amanda. My pronouns are she/her, and I am the Arts Program Director at COMPAS.
C: What are some highlights from your professional background?
AH: I started my career in arts administration at the Children’s Theatre, in development, right out of college. After more than 20 years as a classroom English and Theatre teacher, I came back to full-time arts administration in 2017. At my core, I will always see myself as an educator.
C: What’s your “origin story”? Every superhero has one—what’s the moment that led you to working in the arts?
AH: A teacher and director in high school inspired me to teach. Shout out to Sheryl Jensen, retired teacher from Duluth East High School and one of my favorite humans. I simply wanted to be HER when I grew up. She taught AP English and directed the theatre program. She also created a safe space for young people like me and worked harder than any teacher I had ever met. She nurtured my affinity to direct and was the first person to see me as an artist. Interestingly, she also found a successful second career following a long run in the classroom. Teachers are superheroes, full stop.
C: What’s a random or unexpected skill you bring to the team?
AH: I have high-functioning ADHD, so I need systems to function. I can organize the heck out of a digital file cabinet!
C: If you could have coffee or a meal with any artist (living or dead), who would it be, why, and what would you order for them?
AH: There are so many artists (lots of writers) with whom I would love to share a meal. With the goal of leaving the meal with a hopeful dose of inspiration, I choose Maya Angelou. I just want to hear the sound of her voice, even if she is reciting the phone book.
C: What’s a creative experience that changed your life?
AH: I’ve had so many, but having spent most of my creative life in high school theatre, the opportunities to have students do the work that “adults” typically do in that world stand out. I had a student design the set for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, now he has a master’s degree in scene design and works in the pro theatre world. I had a student musician conduct the orchestra for Fiddler on the Roof. She has also continued on that path. There was truly no greater feeling than watching a production where once the curtain opened, not one adult was part of the action.
C: You’re stranded on a desert island, but luckily, you packed three art supplies. What are they?
AH: Three people. Theatre can be created with all the things we can find on the Island, but theatre is the ultimate collaborative art. I would want some other people to work with me to create art… and help me build a shelter because I would not do well out in the open.
C: If COMPAS suddenly turned into a musical, what role would you play?
AH: You had no way of knowing this, but the first things that I put up in my COMPAS office were some of the musical posters I’ve collected over the years. They used to hang in my classroom and my theatre office. Musicals are my art form of choice!
COMPAS has a great director, so I’ll go with stage manager. I tend to juggle a lot of things at once and stay focused on keeping things moving forward. I can’t wait to get to know all of the creatives who make up COMPAS: The Musical!
C: If creativity were a superpower (which it is), what’s your artistic superpower?
AH: An artistic director once told me that a director makes 1000 decisions a day, and they know when to table the decision, gather information, and when to move forward. I am a creative problem solver, decision maker, and thinker. But I could not be a superhero in isolation; I need a league of creative collaborators
If you’d like to connect with Amanda, reach out via email: [email protected].
