Quitting her job on a whim and auditioning for the Unitec Performing and Screen Arts course, Amanda Tito has never looked back. Her latest role as Margot Klopper in the theatre show The Book of Everything, she says, is the highlight of her career thus far. At 21 years old Amanda says she was living a life that didn’t make her happy, “I have always been interested in Performing Arts but as a kid I never really had the opportunity to involve myself, it was always just a dream until much later,” she says. Acting in theatre shows, on television and in feature films, playing the lead role in Indie film Queen of Carthage alongside Keisha Castle-Hughes, Amanda has found herself where she wants to be. Also a sign language student, Amanda says she was drawn to this for many reasons, “I began studying Sign Language last year and have loved it. I am not sure exactly what my motivation was I was drawn to it for many reasons. It was mostly chance, I saw an advertisement for the course and thought to myself, wow of course, I have been shut off to a lot of people simply because I don't know how to communicate with them, here is a way to fix that.” The Book of Everything is told from the point of view of Thomas Klopper, the brother of Amanda’s character, a nine, nearly ten year-old living in a not-so-nice household. Amanda says Thomas’ father is heavily religious and can lose his temper if he feels his family is not properly obeying Gods will. “There is magic and joy sprinkled throughout that shines a light on the sadness of the family. It is a story about finding happiness and understanding.” As an openly lesbian woman working in the entertainment industry, Amanda says her sexuality has never been a problem professionally, ”I do sometimes get anxious about my sexuality within my work,” she says, “I worry sometimes how people will think, or that when they find out it will change how they will want to interact with me but my anxieties are not justified, the people I work with are lovely. I just have to quiet my brain sometimes.” A hard industry to break into, Amanda says working hard and making the effort to understand the industry certainly helps. “People say there is not a lot of work here but there is. “There is plenty of amazing work happening in Aotearoa and plenty of opportunity to create work yourself. It is definitely not a wait by the phone for the call of a lifetime kind of thing. You have to go and get it.” Going to get it is just what Amanda has done, “The Book of Everything is a definite highlight,” she says. “I truly think it is a sensational play. I am very happy and grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of it.” A hard worker who goes for what she wants in life, the future will sure be bright for Amanda. Her plans for the future? “Just going to keep plowing away at life,” she says. “Work hard. Build new skills to help my craft. I hope to travel and make work with a variety of people.” The Book of Everything plays till 25th Feb at Q Theatre, and tours in March to New Plymouth 4th and 5th, Palmerston North 8th and 9th, Napier 12th and 13th and Hamilton 18th and 19th. - 17th February 2016