CSULB Alum Explores The Otherworldly In Premiere Of 'Shades And Shadows'

LONG BEACH — When Cal State Long Beach alum Amanda Vitiello was growing up in the Los Angeles area, she knew pretty early in life what she wanted to do for a living.

That's because it's a job that she saw her mother doing.

"My mom was a theater actor, and so I grew up in her rehearsals," Vitiello said during an exclusive interview with Patch. "And I think I just decided, probably as an 8-year-old, that I wanted to do that, too."

Vitiello went on to achieve her goal and is now starring in the world premiere play Shades and Shadows, written by William Brasse. She plays the role of Pythia in the play, which is set in ancient Greece.

The play opens with a preview night April 30 and is scheduled for four shows between May 1 and closing night on May 3 at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco.

Vitiello took a winding path to where she is now. Born in Los Angeles, she moved in and around the South Bay during her youth.

"I was born at Cedars (hospital in Los Angeles) and we lived in Mid-Wilshire. I lived in Hawthorne, Inglewood, then moved to Santa Monica, Redondo Beach and kind of made my way," she said.

After graduating from Torrance High, she studied theater at Cal State Long Beach from 2001-2006, taking a couple of semesters off in the middle to go on a theater tour.

"I wanted to go to school in New York, but my mom said no, we couldn't afford it," she explained. "So honestly (Cal State Long Beach), it was actually the only school I applied to — the only one — and I got in."

"I got to work with a variety of directors when I was at Long Beach and that was really helpful because I got a chance to see how different directors work, and that's a good learning ground," she said.

After graduating from Cal State Long Beach, she attended graduate school at UC Davis.

"I got a good education there (in Long Beach), but it was limited, which is why I ended up wanting to go to graduate school, to put more tools in my tool belt," she explained.

For years, she has regularly worked as an actress on stage and screen, including a featured role on the acclaimed series "Mad Men."

Her latest play, "Shades and Shadows," which features live music and dance, is a 90-minute production about three people who all encounter a prophetess, and each tells a different version of the same story.

Vitiello said her role in "Shades and Shadows," as well as the overall production itself, appealed to her for multiple reasons.

"I appreciate Greek mythology. I think that there's a lot of fascinating components to those stories," she said. "And we, obviously, we keep retelling them over time and in different ways, and there's tons of different renditions."

"And then, I like to explore this idea of something that's a little bit otherworldly. And that this is a little bit more heightened. It's got this sort of dream-like quality. I don't know that I've played a part exactly like it yet."

"Shades and Shadows" opens with an April 30 preview at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, followed by four shows from May 1-3, including two performances on Saturday, May 2.

Tickets to Shades and Shadows may be purchased at ShadesandShadows.Eventbrite.com. Additional information about the production is available at roughmagic.com and MagicTheatre.org.