Hamilton Cast Member Kirrah Amosa Balances Life On and Off Stage
Actress and first time mom Kirrah Amosa tells Modern Parenting why she loves the Filipino hospitality and balancing her duties as a parent.
Samoan-Australian actress Kirrah Amosa has gotten to know her Hamilton characters for quite sometime now. During the exclusive interview with Modern Parenting in Solaire, we asked her inspiration and what changed for her in doing the roles since becoming a mom.
“I started the show before I was a mother and the way I would interpret the roles was based on me being a big sister,” she shared.
“I am the eldest of six so I would try to understand what having a child or a niece or nephew felt like. But now that I am a mother, that’s definitely where I get everything, all my emotion, all of my storytelling, all of my fear, and all of my joy is from my family, my son.”
Kirrah Amosa on relating to her roles from a mother’s perspective
As a mother of a toddler, Kirrah shared that doing the roles made her realize a lot of situations she may face.
“I think it’s harder now, because I know what I could actually lose, so I know what I need to protect. Before I thought I knew, imagining what that could feel like, imagining what that could feel like,” she shared.
Kirrah recalled the time her son got sick and had to go to the hospital. Back then she could not imagine such a thing. “Now that I’ve felt it, I never want to feel it again.”
In between rehearsals and parenting duties, Kirrah also mentioned the importance of eating right before she goes on stage.
“I’m still breastfeeding, so I try to eat enough to keep my milk supply up, my energy up,” she explained. “I spend a lot of time with my family, because I spend its long days at work, so trying to be as present at home as I can.”
A balancing act
First-time moms will be the first to admit that leaving their children can be quite a challenge. Kirrah reveals it was tough in the beginning but she is thankful that she’s able to spend time as much as she she can with her son, who is slowly beginning to understand her profession.
“I’m just trying to learn as I go. I’m always trying to dedicate time to reading books and teaching him words and he’s just learn to walk, so we’re really trying to make sure he gets enough physical exercise,” she said of her son.
Kirrah also recalled the time when her son would always see her leave for work. “I think when we were rehearsing in New York, he would see me leaving, and I think that’s the only thing that he would register, is me leaving all the time, which made it really hard to go to work every day.”
“But now he’s spending a lot more time at work with me, so he’s seeing the lights, he loves lights, he loves music, so I’m seeing him register all of those things, and he’s not camera shy, and he’s not shy with people and crowds, so I think he might come onto the stage as well.”
Although she has learned time management, Kirrah also battled her doubts when she went back to work on stage after becoming a mom.
“I was worried my energy levels would not be able to do both of my jobs [as mother and actress]. But I have so much support around me. I lean on the company, I lean on my family a lot, I lean on my partner all day, every day.”
Loving the Filipino hospitality
Like fellow cast member Winston Hillyer, Kirrah Amosa brought her family along with her for the tour. And when she’s off from work, she makes sure to spend time with her one-year-old son and her partner Jamie.
“I dedicate my time to my son and my partner, and when I’m at work, I dedicate my time to work,” she said of her schedule. “I try to switch off my brain, as soon as I leave from work, I don’t think about work, and I really try to give all my energy, my little small amounts of energy that I have left, all the time, to reading a book, or helping with bath time, or helping feed, breakfast early in the morning, you know, I try to be around for it as much as I can.”
As for the set up in Manila, Kirrah has nothing but good words.
“Manila, in particular, is amazing, because the hospitality of the people here makes us feel quite at home, it’s very much like Polynesian hospitality, they love babies, they love families, they’re so giving, the people here in Manila, so we feel very safe and welcome here,” she beamed.
The perks of the job
While there have been some adjustments in bringing families on tour, Kirrah is grateful for the support system and the lessons she has gained.
“It’s hard because I uproot my family from our foundation at home, but I’m also able to share these huge experiences with them and take them to see things that my friends and their kids can’t see because they just stay at home,” she said. “I thought that having a family meant you stopped living, but I’ve done more living since being a mother than I’ve ever done.”
And beyond the hospitality the Filipinos have given to her and the cast members, Manila will be memorable.
“It’s something small, but going down to breakfast and having the hospitality of the people and how much they welcome us and love us makes me not miss home as much,” she said of the stay. “I was really homesick before I came here and now I look forward to seeing the same people every day and seeing how much they love my son, but also opening night in Manila was probably the best opening night that I’ve been to.”
“I’ve been to a many for Hamilton and for other shows and the one opening night in Manila was the best. It was big and beautiful, the place here is beautiful, everyone looked beautiful and the Filipino people and the way they welcomed us, it was my favorite one. Plus having my son there for the first time was great,” she added.
The light children bring to the show
It’s also a bonus that their kids can come and hang out with them during company calls and rehearsals.
“I think bringing our kids into work every day has been the best thing for our company because when there’s children around, it makes you forget your problems for a minute because you are so focused on them,” she said.
“So I’ve seen huge benefits within this company in particular compared to what it used to be before there were children around all the time. Now having children, everyone’s happier, everyone’s lighter, the energy is lighter, there’s more vibrance backstage and so much love,” she exclaimed.
When asked what makes the Hamilton cast a family for her, Kirrah answered: “I trust everybody, everybody loves [one another]. I know everyone will take care of us so I feel very safe here.”
PHOTOS by: Kieran Punay
Special thanks to: GMG Productions
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