Amanda Smith

Educational Background

Bachelor of Arts – Theatre – Louisiana State University

Joined LCA

January 2016

Amanda with her two boys.

My Family

I'm a Louisiana girl proud of my roots and oh how I miss those beautiful trees! Life led me to Dallas 17 years ago, so I guess I can say I'm part Texan now. I have two beautiful sons who are the lights of my life. I love dogs, trees, beaches, college football, anything pink and queso.

What do you love most about teaching, coaching, or working at LCA?

One of my favorite parts of my job is Directing the main stage production each year. Show mates bond much like kids at camp, only they are together four months instead of one week. Witnessing the camaraderie being born and seeing the relationships bloom brings me more joy than one could ever imagine. Then comes the least favorite part, when the show comes to an end. You work so hard only to put it on stage for just a few nights and then the final curtain abruptly closes for the last time. The following day is Set strike and the Wrap party, and oh if that doesn’t break our hearts. We laugh, we cry, we say our goodbyes. Awards are given, special sentiments are shared. People talk about being in dark places, discovering friendships and finding a new family to call home. We tip our hats to the Seniors who take their final bow standing in the center of a circle filled with the locked arms of everyone who worked on the show as we wish them well and onto great things. We close with pizza, cake and the show theme song. We glance around at all the people who have so greatly impacted our lives. We silently sigh knowing that after today, so many things will never be the same.

We come to school on Monday and honestly just aren’t quite sure what to do with ourselves. We walk the halls with a hint of sadness as we realize it is really over. We mistakenly show up at 4:00 for rehearsal because our brains have done it for so long only to be met with what feels like an empty black hole of a performing arts center. The lights have dimmed, the stage seems hollow. The props have returned to their places, the costumes have been sent back to return and every trace of the show has visibly disappeared. The makeup room which was once filled with people, music and laughter just a few short hours ago, has not a trace of life left in it. We find ourselves missing the scattered bobby pins and smudges of makeup foundation all over the countertops and chairs.

What was once a mess is now a memory to all who walked through these backstage doors. You see, to most people the SPAC is just a place to be an audience member. To hear a speaker in chapel, have a meeting, attend an awards ceremony or program, or see a show. But to us, it is a magical place that has taken us to Neverland, Snow White’s Castle, the March home in Concord, Massachusetts, Wonderland, the Addams mansion in New York, Cherry Tree Lane and Treegap, New Hampshire. If the walls could talk, oh the stories they would tell. The memories made here over dancing feet and projected voices, will become quiet whispers that will remain in our hearts forever.

It's this journey that we get to experience every year that fuels the fire within me. It is the anchor that keeps me steady and the assurance that I am doing God's work and making a difference in the lives of my students. Being called their “School Mom” is a title I don't take lightly. These young people are not only like my own kids, but also my greatest blessings. I make it a point to live out LCA's mission of preparing students for life beyond high school. Together we learn life skills and the importance of dedication and team work. These kids getting to experience both success and failure together and then seeing their hard work pay off on opening night, equips them to be strong individuals who become unstoppable adults.

At graduation, we never say goodbye, it's just an “I'll see you later.” My students simply do not come and go, but instead become a part of the theatre family forever. These relationships we build in my classroom extend far beyond these doors. Each student has a friend for life in me and that's my favorite part.

Amanda with her students- the cast of the Tuck Everlasting musical.

What hobbies do you have? Or what is a fun fact?

Typical me loves cooking, organizing, entertaining and decorating. The adventurous side of me, once jumped out of a perfectly good airplane at 16,000 feet. Whoever said skydiving over the ocean was a good idea? Won't ever be doing that again. This is me though, mostly normal with a hint of crazy. Gotta keep life interesting, right? Really, above all, I just love having fun. The quote I tell all of my students is this, “embrace the total dork in yourself, because life is too short to be cool.” Laugh more, worry less. God's got it, y'all!