Meet Amanda Blake Davis | Actress Improviser Writer & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Blake Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda Blake, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
The most important lesson I’ve learned over the years is to trust myself. So much of acting and writing is auditioning/submitting and hoping someone deems you worthy to get the job. That can really take a toll on you. During the pandemic I started making art, essentially painting with paper- it’s a blend of mosaic, collage and painting. It was a perfect artistic outlet since it took a lot of time and focus and reminded me that you can just do art for art’s sake. I found the result was beautiful and no one was gatekeeping my process or my vision. It allowed me to trust myself again. I now have an Etsy shop and attend local flea markets, and it’s been so rewarding to expand my artistic circle.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started my career taking improv classes in Chicago and working towards a job at The Second City. It took about six years before I was hired as an understudy for the Second City touring company – but those six years were full of honing my craft and making connections.

Eventually I would tour, work on the resident Las Vegas stage and write five revues on The Second City etc stage, even winning a Jeff Award for Best Actress in a revue for Studs Terkel’s Not Working.

After my time in Chicago I made the move to Los Angeles and most, if not all of my successes here, can be directly linked to the connections I made early on in Chicago – like writing for Bugs Bunny and Showtime’s Work In Progress and performing at The Kirk Douglas theater.

In November I’ll be producing a short film I wrote, Still Mine, and I can’t wait for that experience.

I’ve learned that every experience you have is a seed you’re planting for the future. You get to decide how you nurture those seeds.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’d have to do cocktails at The Edmon, an art deco-inspired spot in the Larchmont area. Great ambiance and small plates.
Then I’d take them to see some of the best improv around at the new Outside In Theater in Highland Park to watch a Weird Tuxedo show. The next day for breakfast we’d hit the Corner Cottage, in Burbank, for the best breakfast burritos. It’s cash only and the line might be long, but trust me it’s worth it!
We would visit the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. A charming art museum with a sculpture garden, and free parking!
For drinks and dinner one night we will have to visit the Inkwell in Burbank, for the Vegan Inkwell Smash and the Skillet Baked Mac.
And finally, to work off that dinner, we’ll hike Brand Park in Glendale.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m shouting out Heyday! Heyday is a long form improv troupe, formed at iO West in 2013, and currently plays at The Westside Comedy Theater. This group was responsible for my artistic evolution in Los Angeles. I had been improvising in Chicago since 1998, but this group somehow made it feel new to me. Coached by Karen Graci we were able to blend our brand of grounded scenework with organic transitions and create our own form called ‘The Heyrold’. We continue to evolve and so do our shows! Come check us out every other Monday at Westside Comedy Theater.
Heyday is Chris Alvarado, Brandon Barrick, Mort Burke, Matt Cavedon, Amanda Blake Davis, Molly Erdman, Peter Fluet, Zach Huddleston, Jaime Moyer, & Annie O’Connor.

Instagram: @missamandablake & @missamandablake.art

Youtube: @InBed2gether

Image Credits
Headshots – Brian Parillo Photography
Improv photo- Ian Zandi Photography