YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Amanda Marie McAuley was talented, beautiful and fearless.
She won the National American Miss Teen Top Model Contest in Hollywood while still attending Seminary High School in Poland, Ohio.
After graduating in 2014, she took acting lessons, signed with a talent agency and moved to Los Angeles in 2016 to pursue a career.
Her ambitious and free-spirited personality won her many friends and career opportunities in California. A natural talent, she dove head-first into roles and stood out on any stage as a model or actor.
The daughter of Jeff and Donna McAuley of Poland, Amanda thrived in LA and lived life to the fullest. But her life changed the day she took an opioid-laced drug that was being passed around.
Amanda soon became addicted, and her life would spiral out of control.
With the help of her family, she returned to Poland to get clean.
She would later return to LA but could not break free of her addiction. At her lowest point, she was living on the streets in that city.
Amanda would again return to her hometown, where she died of a fentanyl overdose in April 2023 at age 27.
Her passing ended a life of promise and potential. But thanks to the efforts of her mother, Donna McAuley, Amanda will be more than a statistic.
McAuley channeled her grief into action to write and produce “Amanda: She Didn’t Mean to Die.” The stage play, with original music, is based on her daughter’s life.
McAuley’s goal is not to memorialize her child, but to use her story to prevent other young people from making the same mistake. She wrote the script with the help of a dialog coach and also penned the music.
“Amanda” will get its world premiere Oct. 11 at Powers Auditorium. Tickets for the 7 p.m. performance range from $80 to $20 and are available at experienceyourarts.org, the DeYor Performing Arts Center box office and by phone at 330 259 9651.
A Passion Project
After two years of relentless effort by the energetic McAuley, “Amanda” is ready for its opening curtain.
The story is designed to be relatable to teens and young adults. It does not lecture them or attempt to scare them, McAuley says.
Creating the show has been expensive and McAuley says she will not make a dime from it.
But it has become her passion project – a manifestation of a mother’s love, and a means of bringing good out of a tragedy.
“I’m on a mission,” she says. “If I save one young person’s life it’ll be worth it.”
McAuley is targeting educators and school administrators in hopes they’ll spark conversation and encourage students to see the show.
Plans call for eventually making the performance rights available for school plays and to community theaters.
“I wanted to tell Amanda’s story, and get it into schools,” McAuley says. “We might even take it on the road.”
While “Amanda” is not a musical, it does include music written for it that underscores key scenes. The accompanying 11-song soundtrack album, recorded at Nexxus studio in Youngstown, reflects the happy times, crises and tragic moments of Amanda’s life.
The songs are already catching ears.
McAuley was recently playing the closing theme, “Choices,” while driving, with the volume turned up. A young girl in another car got McAuley’s attention at a red light and then asked her what song she was playing.
“Choices” summarizes the play’s message and encourages young adults to consider the potential consequences of drug abuse.
It’s an upbeat and soulful ballad that features multiple vocalists, including Lanae Ferguson, who wrote the lyrics and performs as Lady Perez; Kaitlyn Smart, who plays the title role; TaeShown Madison, Jayana Davenport (who performs as Jayana), Ron King, Frankie B, Frankie B Jr., and Poetry.
About the Show
“Amanda” is a big production.
It features a cast of at least 20 actors, plus a troupe of dancers and a narrator. One scene will depict a fashion show with models walking the runway.
A 40-foot LED screen is being used as a backdrop. It will show scenery, including the interior of the family home and also street scenes of LA.
There also are set pieces on stage.
“It will be life changing for whoever sees it,” McAuley says. “I’m putting my heart and soul into it. I want to let everyone see it.”
The play is just one aspect of her efforts.
For the past year, McAuley has rented billboards throughout the Valley that show the face of Amanda and the slogan “Don’t Use the F-Word. Fentanyl is fatal.” The terminology is designed to impact young people.
She also speaks to clients at drug rehab centers, and has started A.M. Wakeup Call, a nonprofit organization. To learn more about it, go to amwakeupcall.org.
Stacy Anderson has been hired by McAuley to direct “Amanda.”
A veteran of the Mahoning Valley theater scene, Anderson has appeared as an actor or directed shows in just about every local venue.
She describes the play as powerful.
“I think the way that we present Amanda’s story will reach deep down into the hearts of anyone who sees it and anyone who has dealt with addiction,” Anderson says. “It’s told not only from [Amanda’s] point of view, but also from the mother and father’s point of view. Hopefully it will have enough impact, so that [audiences] keep in the back of their mind of what is actually going on with these drugs.”
Drawing a Contrast
McAuley has taken pains to show how good Amanda’s life was before opioids took hold of her.
She has assembled a montage of photographs of Amanda and has weaved them into the play. The montage will be shown on the massive LED screen at times.
It will have a before and after effect.
“[McAuley] wanted to highlight the light and beauty of her daughter [before she became addicted], to show how devastating these drugs can be to someone who was just so full of life,” Anderson says.
The director points out that many addicts’ first use of fentanyl – which is very potent and highly addictive – comes without their knowledge because it is infused into other drugs.
Anderson originally auditioned for the play as an actor and was cast in the role of Donna McAuley.
She spent a lot of time with McAuley and learned the story firsthand. “My heart really goes out to her and her family,” Anderson says.
A different director was in charge at that time, but a change was made, and Anderson took the helm. Consequently, the role of Donna McAuley was then given to local theater veteran Liz Conrad.
Conrad’s husband, Craig, plays Amanda’s father, and their daughter, Rachel Conrad, is also in the play.
Kaitlyn Smart plays adult Amanda, and Nevaeh McBride plays young Amanda.
The cast also includes Joe Loszack, Tricia Terlesky, Cher Halas, Steve Halas and Cheryl Makoski.