Yours Faithfully, Amanda

July 22, 2014 Dear Jane, I have kept my promise to write to you anew and I imagine that you would be quite proud, for both you and I may acknowledge how unlikely it was that I would follow through with this venture so quickly after my last letter . I write to you today as I sit on a sensible, plastic, picnic table located in the kitchen of the housing facility graciously provided to myself and six additional actors on the grounds of LaComedia Dinner Theatre in the great state of Ohio. Below you will find a photo of the handsome cast of Mary Poppins and our friend Chris from the previous cast in housing. From left to right: Chris, Ashley, Myself, Dan, Layne, Levi, Nico & Meg If I may be candid with you, Jane, you would find my situation this summer quite interesting, and I expect that you would write the wittiest of narratives that would perfectly describe each location and character involved. Seeing as you are not here to assist me, however, I shall attempt ...

July 18, 2014 Dear Jane, I write to you with a heavy heart, as I realize that today is, in fact, the anniversary of your untimely death. It has been one hundred and ninety-seven years since your bright light faded, but rest in peace knowing that you have left behind a legacy that will no doubt last for centuries to come. I chose the above quotation (from Pride & Prejudice , of course), as it perfectly describes my relationship both with you (as my favourite author) and your novels. I can scarcely remember the moment that I became enthralled by the worlds you created so brilliantly within your novels, but I am so very glad that I did. In fact, I have found that it is most certainly, a truth universally acknowledged that life is a little brighter with Miss Jane Austen by one's side.  As you may remember, Jane, I am currently residing in the great state of Ohio for these summer months, performing in a production of "Mary Poppins" at LaComedia Dinner Theatre. You ...

May 23, 2014 Dear Jane, How truly right you are in the above sentiment, for a large income seems to be one of the ONLY recipes for happiness at this time! Must making a living be so incredibly difficult, Jane? Why won't a kind, elderly gentleman or lady bestow an endowment upon me with the hopes that,  because of their admirable generosity,  I will become the most remarkable artist I can be? I confess that I struggled between using the above quotation and one other for my headline, so I shall share it, as it is equally relevant to this conversation.  " I am sorry to tell you that I am getting very extravagant, and spending all my money, and, what is worse for  you , I have been spending yours too."  ~ Letter to Cassandra (1811-04-18) [ Letters of Jane Austen -- Brabourne Edition ] It is a true comfort to know that I am not the only one who enjoys being "extravagant" now and again. (And by extravagant I mean grocery shopping.... But also buying rings fro...

April 27, 2014 Dear Jane, I cannot believe that it is the twenty-seventh of April and that it has been over two months since I last penned a letter to you.   I am of the mind to sign the end of my letters, “Yours Unfaithfully, Amanda,” for no faithful pen pal would allow two long months to pass before writing to such a dear friend! I realize that I cannot make amends for my poor behavior, but in truth, I have thought of writing a thousand times! Whether it be daily obligations or that dreaded foe, laziness, something has continually gotten in my way, and I offer my sincerest apologies. I hope that in time, you are able to forgive me. Since last I wrote to you I turned the ripe age of twenty-five on the seventh of March in the Year of our Lord, two-thousand and fourteen. (This I cannot believe; I am becoming an old maid with no prospects just like poor, Charlotte Lucas! Oh Mr. Collins...!)  Images from my birthday dinner at the Machine Shed. I visited this re...

February 17, 2014 
Dear Jane, 
As you very well know, this is a quote from one of your letters to Fanny Knight (your niece) on 13 March 1817, and it truly made me laugh aloud (for it is painfully true)! This quote has inspired me to comprise a letter solely dedicated to both your wittiest and most romantic accounts of love throughout your letters and novels, and as Saint Valentine's Day was only three days ago, the subject of love is still quite relevant. Additionally, although I did not receive any fine poems of love from young gentlemen or obtain an invitation to a ball at the pump room in Bath, I can still appreciate an agreeable love quotation (especially one written by you) every now and again! Before I begin, I wanted to tell you that I came across the above-mentioned quotation on the cover of a fantastic book that I purchased about a week ago in a sad, little town called Roanoke, Virginia. It is entitled, The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen , and it may very well...

February 9, 2014 Dear Jane, This fine quote from Pride and Prejudice  is more true than you know, Jane. I realize that I did not truly know myself until the moment I began this tour. I am learning so much about myself as both a person and a performer, I hardly know where to begin.  Firstly, I  sincerely hope this letter finds you well and in the very best of spirits. I fear that my apologies (no matter how sincere they may be) in regard to being a neglectful correspondent are becoming tiresome and repetitive for the both of us. I have decided that a resolution of mine in the year of our Lord, two thousand and fourteen, will be to pen a letter, at the very least, once every fortnight. While I am quite aware that this is an ambitious pursuit for a lazy creature, such as myself, I am quite determined to succeed.  Now, Jane, as you will remember, I am currently touring the country with a musical production called "Are You My Mother?" I must say that it has been q...