Amanda Taraska: DOIN' MY THING Plays the Laurie Beechman Tonight, 6/25

With her bright and beautiful belt, brilliant, quirky singer-songwriter, Amanda Taraska will present her first solo show at Manhattan's acclaimed Laurie Beechman Theatre. The hour-long concert, featuring musical direction by Wicked's Walter Thompson, will showcase original work by up-and-coming writers Nick Blaemire, Jeff Bowen, Rob Hartmann, Natalie Lovejoy, Robby Sandler and Daniel Green, Dustin Sullivan and Elyssa Samsel, and David Alan Thornton and by beloved musical theatre luminaries Jason Robert Brown, Pasek and Paul, and Stephen Sondheim. Additionally, Miss Taraska will duet with special guests David Alan Thornton, Dustin Sullivan and Nikki MacCallum and debut selections from her own musical catalogue.

Amanda Taraska began her career as a child at The American Theatre Dance Workshop and continued performing throughout her youth at Herricks High School, where she was a dedicated member of the Student Television Arts Company (STAC), a unique arts program in her school created by the legendary Ron DeMaio. Amanda earned her Bachelor of Music from NYU's Steinhardt School and started working professionally right out of the gate. Early in her career she had the honor of working with George Faison (Tony Award winner for The Wiz) in the National Tour of If This Hat Could Talk culminating with performances at the historic Apollo Theatre. Amanda is a student of Meisner Technique (under the tutelage of Matthew Corozine). Recent work includes creating the role of Fanny Brice in the workshop of Ghostlight, an appearance with Tom Colicchio on guitar for his musical holiday card, and performances at Le Poisson Rouge, The Duplex (The Songs of Natalie Lovejoy), and at BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (Indian Summer). Most recently, Miss Taraska has discovered her talents as a painter, enjoying her first public solo gallery show at Matthew Corozine Studio on November 6th, 2011. This was followed by her second opening "Assembling Happiness" at the Peter Louis Salon Gallery on the Upper East Side. for more about Amanda, visit www.amandataraska.com.