Art to: Please | RenGyoSoh Artist Lab 2025

Ren Gyo Soh Artist Lab 2025 | Amanda Méndez

- Art to: Please explores the depths of people pleasing, andthe heavy burden it takes on the individual. There’ a duality
to performing an act in order to “be” agreeable; it can
appear as if the person is collected, meanwhile their world
is crumbling down. How far will someone go to disregard what
their heart truly desires?

ARTIST BIO

Amanda Méndez is a Puerto Rican actress based in San Juan, PR. She started her acting career doing children’s theatre and poetry declamation. In 2013 she got admitted to University of Puerto Rico where she completed her BFA in Acting. Amanda is also a student in Ren Gyoh Soh, where she’s taken advanced courses of Butoh. She likes to explore experimental movement alongside the Grotowski method and Alexander technique.

In her career she started in theatrical roles such as “Lis” in Fando y Lis (2019) , “herself” in a movement piece called Repetición, and “Marty” in Las Palancas (2022). But Amanda is not only a theatre actor, she’s made herself a name in the film industry; some of her most important roles are “Lizette” in Colapso (2025), Padres as “Lucia” (2024) “Juana” in Segregatio. She’s won 3 “Best Actress” awards throughout her acting career given by 48 Hour Film Project (2016) for “Amanda” in Lapso, and during 2020-2021 the European Film Festival and the International Moving Film Festival gifted her with her last two awards for “Juana” in Segregatio.

Currently Amanda Méndez resides in New York and continues training in acting courses including butoh and is launching her first solo performance, called Art To Please.

TEAM

Art Director : Sylmarie Santos

Choreography Advisor : Jorge Luna

Choreographer for "The Blade" : Alejandra Acevedo

Script Supervisor: David Morrissey

Music Producer/Composer of “Starving” : Nick Lotto

Intro Singer: Dawn Somek

Photographer: Alexander Quiles

Lighting & Projection: Chase Kniffen, Saki Kawamura

Producer: Yokko (Artistic Director of Ren Gyo Soh), Saki Kawamura (Associate Artistic Director of Ren Gyo Soh)

PERFORMANCE

May 31th Sat 2025 8:00pm

VENUE

Grace & St. Paul’s Church

(123 W 71st St, New York, NY 10023)

RUN TIME

60 mins

TICKET INFO

General Admission: $15

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