Paul Amandes

Paul Amandes is a Chicago-based playwright-director-actor-singer-musician. His play SMALL was produced by Open Door Repertory Theatre where he has also directed:  LOVERS and GLENGARY GLEN ROSS.  He performed with renowned singer/actress, Anne Hills, in his play with songs, LOCAL WONDERS, (co-written with Virginia Smith and Ted Kooser) at Chicago Dramatists and Nebraska Repertory Theatre in 2010-11.  (Cast album: www.localwondersmusical.com.) Paul’s play, TROUBLE SHOOT (originally a one-act for Jackalope Theater’s Living Newspaper Festival) was commissioned by Theatre Non Nobis of Indianapolis.  Paul directed and performed in the acclaimed SCARLET CONFESSIONS also featuring Anne Hills, with Michael Smith, and Jamie O’Reilly at Victory Gardens Theater. He directed HELLO DALI (two After Dark Awards) again with Smith and O'Reilly at Victory Gardens. Paul wrote and music directed the bluegrass-based score for ROMEO AND JULIET for Oak Park’s Festival Theatre in which he also played Lord Capulet. He wrote the book, music and lyrics for TWO-FOOLS GOLD, a western romantic musical comedy that ran at Columbia College Chicago where Paul is the Associate Chair of the Theatre Dept. and Coordinator of Playwriting.  He’s directed several shows at Columbia including THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, THE CRIPPLE OF INNISHMAAN, and TRANSLATIONS.  He’s worked with many folk- and theatre-music stalwarts. For 20 years Paul performed in the Irish-and-then-some band: JAMIE O'REILLY AND THE ROGUES.  Paul is a network playwright for Chicago Dramatists and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.