Testimonals
"Out of all the classes I have taken at CU Boulder, by far the best was Musical Theatre Rep. taught by Amy. The class was fun, engaged, and she created a safe environment for me to learn more about musical theatre. I couldn't have asked for a better first theatre experience than learning from Amy! She's the best!" -- Allyson Schult - University of Colorado Boulder Class of 2016
"Amy is the most down to earth person I have had the pleasure of learning from. She relates to students on a personal level and is never condescending or rude, despite her pool of knowledge. While Amy is an incredibly professional instructor/director, she does so without being unapproachable. She is a creative, inspirational instructor, a strong leader, and most importantly, a friend. In my personal experience, I believe Amy is unique in that she encourages students to be engaged with theater, even when the student has reservations. A week before auditions for Bye Bye Birdie, I had decided that I was not going to audition for the show because I lacked confidence in myself. After asking about my plans to audition and hearing my thoughts, Amy encouraged me to audition for the show anyways. Although I was still hesitant, I auditioned and ended up getting a role in one of the most fun and exciting shows I've participated in. Even though it may not have seemed like much at the time, that encouragement meant so much since and has shaped the way I will approach and support my students in the future. " -- Madeline Gallegos, Heritage High School Class of 2011
"Amy is knowledgeable and always has a clear vision for a show or project. She is highly organized and has a well-thought view for every project I have worked with her on. As a director, she is clear about expectations and the end product, and as a colleague, she provides an approach to projects that utilizes useful and helpful processes to get to a quality production that is supported with logical and creative choices. I have worked (as an actor) under her direction in Oliver!, and as a colleague (as a dramaturg) for RENT and for Singin' In The Rain. I will work with her whenever I get the chance! She's amazing." --Becky DeLio Trampler, Ignite Theatre, Inspire Creative
"Amy was always an understanding, helpful and bright teacher. I felt comfortable talking to her and felt safe to try new things in her class." -- Galit Weinfeld, University of Colorado Boulder Class of 2016
"'The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." - Mark Van Doren. Amy is one of those teachers that sticks out in your memory like a rose in a weed field. She is one of those people who's warm spirit is contagious, and absolute passion for the arts and education leaves her students awestruck. She is the human with kind intelligence, sincere love, and creative ideas. She is the teacher that assists in the discovery of not only thought or craft, but in yourself and your perception of the world.
I was fortunate enough to experience Amy's first year of teaching high school theatre arts back in 2008. To say that her influence on me was tremendous would be a daft understatement. In my two years as an feisty and passionate upperclassmen, overflowing with angst and impatience, Amy continually pushed me forward into challenging artistic material, while pulling me back into myself to find the inner peace that all teenagers are in desperate need of.
In the classroom, Amy commands the attention of her students with the warmest energy, gives them the tools to comprehend new challenges, and then propels them forward into independent thinking. I remember a lesson on Shakespearean style performance, and Amy had assigned me a very pivotal scene from Macbath. As a 17 year old, I was both oozing with a ridiculous cockiness and simultaneously silently screaming for help. Amy worked with me every class period with the scene, applying quiet suggestions on my character's intent and inner monologue, but always let me explore and move, giving me the room to create my own interpretation of Macbeth. But Amy is stealth, and through that lesson on finding truth in this over dramatic character, she also taught me about myself and where I was holding tension in my own life, allowing me to find my own truth in my over dramatic self, drop the cocky act I was putting up, and actually build an honest performance and a happier and more positive high school experience. When a teacher can give the tools to discover not only new academia, but new layers of oneself - she remains a positive and relevant influence.
Amy not only excels in diverse lessons - meditation, Suzuki method, scene analysis, audition techniques - but gives her students the opportunities to use these lessons outside of the classroom. As a current actor living in New York, I cannot express enough how imperative it was to be able to be an actor, assistant stage manager, assistant choreographer, and scenic painter - all while in high school and under the direction of Amy. She presented me the opportunity to study choreography under our professional choreographer in my senior year, the opportunity to assistant stage manage four one-act plays, the opportunity to use my newly learned audition techniques by taking me to festivals and conferences. To this day I still practice one of the mediation techniques she taught me to use before a performance. Seven years after first studying under Amy, five years after high school graduation, one year after receiving my bachelors in theatre, to still be talking about Amy's lessons, referencing her inspiring words on acting and theatre, and smiling at the memories of her outside of the classroom - that's the impact only a really special teacher can leave.
I absolutely could not be living out my dream of living and performing in New York City without Amy, and if the art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery, then Amy is a true master artist."
--Anonymous Student, Heritage High School, Class of 2010
"Amy was one of the most passionate teacher that I have ever had. Her energy was contagious and Amy's class (Musical Theater Repertory) was definitely one of my favourite classes in college. The way she set up the class was very productive, useful and made sense. As a production/backstage person, being in Amy's class definitely helped me to understand the process of being a performer and respect them more. Amy's class projects were also well thought, which helps all of us to pursue career in theater. Amy also helped me to craft my production and acting resume, musical theater book, gave me tips on auditioning and many more. Her vocal and acting lessons were also very useful and she always support us to improve, not just on our theater skills but also other things, ie. fitness." --Putri Martosudarmo, University of Colorado Boulder, Class of 2015
"I enjoyed my semester of Musical Theatre so much. Amy does so much to put you at ease and encourage you during the class. I felt really at home during my my class - which I appreciated as an exchange student I loved working with Amy, and will always look back fondly of that time." -- Patricia Akoli, University of Colorado Boulder, Exchange Student 2015
"Over the two years I worked with Amy (Mrs. Osatinski), she approached every project with vigor and analyzed scripts in a way that was fun for both audience and actors. She walks the fine line every director must, between letting the actors build their characters, and unifying them under her vision and direction. She always let us make our own, unique choices but never left us to wander directionless and always knew what was already in us and how to bring it out. She brings fun and creativity to the process, and thinks throughly through each decision before it's made, so the product she ends up with is unified, well thought out, and as deeply interesting as it is entertaining." -- Bryce Van Vleet, Heritage High School, Class of 2015
"Amy is, hands-down, one of the best people I have ever worked with. She is incredibly professional and always takes rehearsals very seriously, but isn't afraid to have fun. She is so passionate about theatre, teaching and directing. Sincerely, she is the reason I chose to pursue acting in musical theatre as a career. Amy cares so much for her students and the art that each of them is capable of creating. I've never had such a wonderful and caring director and friend like I've had in Amy Osatinski." --Emily Crine, Heritage High School Class of 2012
"Amy is the most down to earth person I have had the pleasure of learning from. She relates to students on a personal level and is never condescending or rude, despite her pool of knowledge. While Amy is an incredibly professional instructor/director, she does so without being unapproachable. She is a creative, inspirational instructor, a strong leader, and most importantly, a friend. In my personal experience, I believe Amy is unique in that she encourages students to be engaged with theater, even when the student has reservations. A week before auditions for Bye Bye Birdie, I had decided that I was not going to audition for the show because I lacked confidence in myself. After asking about my plans to audition and hearing my thoughts, Amy encouraged me to audition for the show anyways. Although I was still hesitant, I auditioned and ended up getting a role in one of the most fun and exciting shows I've participated in. Even though it may not have seemed like much at the time, that encouragement meant so much since and has shaped the way I will approach and support my students in the future. " -- Madeline Gallegos, Heritage High School Class of 2011
"Amy is knowledgeable and always has a clear vision for a show or project. She is highly organized and has a well-thought view for every project I have worked with her on. As a director, she is clear about expectations and the end product, and as a colleague, she provides an approach to projects that utilizes useful and helpful processes to get to a quality production that is supported with logical and creative choices. I have worked (as an actor) under her direction in Oliver!, and as a colleague (as a dramaturg) for RENT and for Singin' In The Rain. I will work with her whenever I get the chance! She's amazing." --Becky DeLio Trampler, Ignite Theatre, Inspire Creative
"Amy was always an understanding, helpful and bright teacher. I felt comfortable talking to her and felt safe to try new things in her class." -- Galit Weinfeld, University of Colorado Boulder Class of 2016
"'The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." - Mark Van Doren. Amy is one of those teachers that sticks out in your memory like a rose in a weed field. She is one of those people who's warm spirit is contagious, and absolute passion for the arts and education leaves her students awestruck. She is the human with kind intelligence, sincere love, and creative ideas. She is the teacher that assists in the discovery of not only thought or craft, but in yourself and your perception of the world.
I was fortunate enough to experience Amy's first year of teaching high school theatre arts back in 2008. To say that her influence on me was tremendous would be a daft understatement. In my two years as an feisty and passionate upperclassmen, overflowing with angst and impatience, Amy continually pushed me forward into challenging artistic material, while pulling me back into myself to find the inner peace that all teenagers are in desperate need of.
In the classroom, Amy commands the attention of her students with the warmest energy, gives them the tools to comprehend new challenges, and then propels them forward into independent thinking. I remember a lesson on Shakespearean style performance, and Amy had assigned me a very pivotal scene from Macbath. As a 17 year old, I was both oozing with a ridiculous cockiness and simultaneously silently screaming for help. Amy worked with me every class period with the scene, applying quiet suggestions on my character's intent and inner monologue, but always let me explore and move, giving me the room to create my own interpretation of Macbeth. But Amy is stealth, and through that lesson on finding truth in this over dramatic character, she also taught me about myself and where I was holding tension in my own life, allowing me to find my own truth in my over dramatic self, drop the cocky act I was putting up, and actually build an honest performance and a happier and more positive high school experience. When a teacher can give the tools to discover not only new academia, but new layers of oneself - she remains a positive and relevant influence.
Amy not only excels in diverse lessons - meditation, Suzuki method, scene analysis, audition techniques - but gives her students the opportunities to use these lessons outside of the classroom. As a current actor living in New York, I cannot express enough how imperative it was to be able to be an actor, assistant stage manager, assistant choreographer, and scenic painter - all while in high school and under the direction of Amy. She presented me the opportunity to study choreography under our professional choreographer in my senior year, the opportunity to assistant stage manage four one-act plays, the opportunity to use my newly learned audition techniques by taking me to festivals and conferences. To this day I still practice one of the mediation techniques she taught me to use before a performance. Seven years after first studying under Amy, five years after high school graduation, one year after receiving my bachelors in theatre, to still be talking about Amy's lessons, referencing her inspiring words on acting and theatre, and smiling at the memories of her outside of the classroom - that's the impact only a really special teacher can leave.
I absolutely could not be living out my dream of living and performing in New York City without Amy, and if the art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery, then Amy is a true master artist."
--Anonymous Student, Heritage High School, Class of 2010
"Amy was one of the most passionate teacher that I have ever had. Her energy was contagious and Amy's class (Musical Theater Repertory) was definitely one of my favourite classes in college. The way she set up the class was very productive, useful and made sense. As a production/backstage person, being in Amy's class definitely helped me to understand the process of being a performer and respect them more. Amy's class projects were also well thought, which helps all of us to pursue career in theater. Amy also helped me to craft my production and acting resume, musical theater book, gave me tips on auditioning and many more. Her vocal and acting lessons were also very useful and she always support us to improve, not just on our theater skills but also other things, ie. fitness." --Putri Martosudarmo, University of Colorado Boulder, Class of 2015
"I enjoyed my semester of Musical Theatre so much. Amy does so much to put you at ease and encourage you during the class. I felt really at home during my my class - which I appreciated as an exchange student I loved working with Amy, and will always look back fondly of that time." -- Patricia Akoli, University of Colorado Boulder, Exchange Student 2015
"Over the two years I worked with Amy (Mrs. Osatinski), she approached every project with vigor and analyzed scripts in a way that was fun for both audience and actors. She walks the fine line every director must, between letting the actors build their characters, and unifying them under her vision and direction. She always let us make our own, unique choices but never left us to wander directionless and always knew what was already in us and how to bring it out. She brings fun and creativity to the process, and thinks throughly through each decision before it's made, so the product she ends up with is unified, well thought out, and as deeply interesting as it is entertaining." -- Bryce Van Vleet, Heritage High School, Class of 2015
"Amy is, hands-down, one of the best people I have ever worked with. She is incredibly professional and always takes rehearsals very seriously, but isn't afraid to have fun. She is so passionate about theatre, teaching and directing. Sincerely, she is the reason I chose to pursue acting in musical theatre as a career. Amy cares so much for her students and the art that each of them is capable of creating. I've never had such a wonderful and caring director and friend like I've had in Amy Osatinski." --Emily Crine, Heritage High School Class of 2012