Known for her sass and brass, Amy Arena's spotted and colorful existence captivates even the most cynical audience. Recently, she returned to the Detroit stage for her first appearance in an Abreact production as a sacchariny-sweet character in Sam Shepard's Action. Since moving in the fall of 2001, this firecracker has performed in an Off-Broadway show in New York, recorded vocals in Philly, and written a play in Puerto Rico. After being in the city a few short months, the singer was invited by John Jakary to audition for an original Carla Harryman play at the Zeitgeist which led to her professional theater debut. During the production, Amy Arena truly made her presence in Detroit first known by reading Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat when she held the city's first ever Earth Day at the Detroit Contemporary. Produced with Michelle Diggs, the charity event featured talent by Blackman and Arnold, Ayro, and the Fevered Egos.
Along with this, her proudest accomplishments have been, on individual and festival seating levels, any spark of light she triggers in another soul to sense the spirit that connects us all. Among these is producing Detroit's contribution to the Lysistrata Project in '03 to end the war featuring the talent of MC Invincible, Lance Abke, Leah Smith, and Phil Bolden to mention but a few of the terrific artists; moving to Detroit soley for the faith in love; and remembering almost everyday to call her recently widowed grandma.
From a small but diverse town off of the Delaware River, the Jersey born eccentric grew up with only her mother across the river in a small Pennsylvania apartment above a thrift store. Poetic and political by the third grade, Amy wrote early of her melancholy solitude brought by circumstance and tragedy. Sharply aware of the limitations that race, gender and class meet, the young talent often took escape in expression by sneaking into the picture window of the store to perform for the passersby. The protection of the glass allowed the shy child to allow her normally strong, reposed demeanor to transform into radical vulnerability.
Though her singing debut may have been singing Queen's "We Will Rock You" as a belty toddler in a shopping cart, Amy Arena frequently soloed in her church's choir from the age of six. Her first contribution to a production came in an eight year old's political commentary, "If we are a free country." The poem, later placed to music, found its way into the sixth-grade graduation play where Amy also found herself in her first dance solo. Amy, moving to southern California and coming out of her shell at the age of 15, continued landing leads and solos through junior and senior high school including that of Diana Morales in "A Chorus Line" and Bomballerina in "Cats." While Amy's true desire was to use her writing, dancing, sketching, and theater talents by becoming a singer, she was mostly denied musical studies for various reasons.
Though rarely ever owning an instrument in her youth, Amy was able to pick up piano here and there and began creating song ideas. Just after high school, the vagabond and "runaway" youth received a record deal with Domo Records to do an alternative pop record with Tommy Marolda and Bret Lewis. The nature of the beast, the lack of creative control, and the fact that Amy was growing increasingly popular through fabrications and as a spoken-word artist rather than a singer caused Amy to quit at the break of a world tour. Since then, Amy has suffered the consequences of a free-spirit and honest character. Coordinating and promoting electronic music events resulted in vocal nodules and surreal experiences in San Francisco that have made for fantastical stories. Amy continues to record with up-and-comings all of the time, but now focuses on her flourishing acting career in anticipation of starring in her own screenplay!