Reviews & Awards:
ALMELEM:
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS:
THE HONEYCOMB TRILOGY, 2015:
THE UNEXPECTED GUEST:
A WALK IN THE WOODS (co-design with Jennifer Paar):
POWERPLAYS:
BELL, BOOK, & CANDLE:
FRANKENSTEIN UPSTAIRS:
RUBBER DUCKS AND SUNSETS:
SHOW WAY:
FANCY NANCY THE MUSICAL:
THE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SEA NEXT DOOR:
THE HONEYCOMB TRILOGY:
Sovereign:
STINKY KIDS THE MUSICAL:
PRATFALLS:
UNCLE PIRATE THE MUSICAL:
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST:
THE GIRL FROM NASHVILLE:
THIS ONE TIME IN LAST CHANCE:
LETTER FROM ALGERIA:
ELEPHANTS ON PARADE 2011 (The Day the Devil..., The Fairy Tale of America, 0800-Help-U-Write):
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PAGODA 2010 (Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar):
- "The idea of wealthy aristocratic women playing a major role in the religious life of Roman-occupied Jerusalem actually has solid basis in historical fact, and Parker and Kay revel in the their characters’ wit and playful Sapphic bond, their power and autonomy a middle finger to any small-minded men who would dare disrespect them. It is here where Amanda Jenks’ sumptuous costume work throughout the show reaches its apex, decking the women out in luxurious textiles with shimmering gold accents." -Lisa Huberman, New York Theatre Review
- "The costumes in Almelem, by Amanda Jenks, are elaborate without being over the top, with a well-chosen palette of earth tones for the male characters and more brightly colored designs for the female characters. As a non-binary character played by a non-binary actor, Martineck’s Almelem wears a well-chosen combination of both bold colors and more muted tones." -Jed Ryan, Lavender After Dark
- "While we don’t see Jesus onstage, we witness a stunningly emotional explanation of events from his mother Mary (Kristen Vaughan). In her beautiful blue and white costume designed by Amanda Jenks..." -Ed Malin, Theater is Easy
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS:
- "The set and costume design—by Sandy Yakin and Amanda J. Jenks, respectively—go a long way towards taking the audience back in time (and a little to the left into a parallel timeline). A few large constructs moved around and transformed into a number of different spaces, never failing to create the sensation that I was a fly on the wall in the tiny backroom where people make decisions that change the course of history. At the same time, the clothing is simultaneously influenced by major world players of the era and tropes that fans of sci-fi will appreciate." -Aiden Dreskin, Theater is Easy
THE HONEYCOMB TRILOGY, 2015:
- "The costumes are equally awesome: sweat-stained, dirt smudged survivors, hooded bug hunters, snarling pregnant mothers, and a medal-pinned Governor, all stitched into being by the deft hands and clear eyes of Jenks" -Artem Yatsunov, Theater is Easy
- "The overall execution from Williams and her entire design team is something to be applauded... Costume designer Amanda Jenks did a wonderful job with the timeline of garments. Advance Man was an easy design but by the time she reached the last two, Jenks allowed each character to fit their wear." -Michael Block, Theater in the Now
- "The design people also excel... Amanda Jenks' costumes help define the characters beautifully" -Wendy Caster, Show Showdown
THE UNEXPECTED GUEST:
- Nominated for a 2015 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Play Revival
- "Amanda Jenks’s costume design for the production is a major achievement. The pleated pants with tweed jackets, high waist skirts with liners, and thick ties with widespread collared dress shirts aid in a subtle yet clear throwback to the English style of the 1950’s." -Ryan Mikita, Theater Scene
- "Feeling like a throwback to film noir, the elegant production features set (replete with multiple animal heads on the wall) and lighting design by Bert Scott; costume design by Amanda Jenks..." -Robin Gorman Newman, Motherhoodlater.com
- "Aside from the casting, this is an incredibly traditional production, thanks in large part to Amanda Jenks’s period costumes..." -Dan Dinero, Theater is Easy
- "Pamela Sabaugh will remind you of the glam of a Joan Crawford. How beautifully she wears the clothes designed by Amanda Jenks." -Rochelle Jewel Shapiro (.com)
A WALK IN THE WOODS (co-design with Jennifer Paar):
- Nominated for a 2015 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Play Revival
- "Amanda Jenks and Jennifer Paar pair up to provide Mr. Niebanck with well-tailored suits and coats, while Ms. Chalfant wears stylish gray business suits; one of her coats is a floor-length black fur. Sable, perhaps?" -Samuel L. Leiter, The Broadway Blog
- "The costumes by Amanda Jenks and Jennifer Paar are lively, and provide a nice rhythm to the seasons of the plot." -Our Theater Blog
POWERPLAYS:
- "It’s also worth noting that the costume designer nailed her garb for the scene; I’m a sucker for draping blouses and salmon hues" -Emily Amarel, Brightest Young Things
BELL, BOOK, & CANDLE:
- "Ground UP Productions’ contribution to the trend is Bell, Book and Candle, a completely enjoyable 1950s period piece, aka early Mad Men...There are also great Betty Draper dresses and a best actor cat nominee too...The brocades and feathered pillbox hats are charming and show great attention to detail, but I suspect that even without the costume, eccentric Aunt Queenie would be irresistable...The Ground UP takes special pride in its attention to detail, and Travis McHale (set design) and Amanda Jenks (costume) among others uphold the mission. The set radiates with aqua and silver, and the gowns are as lovely as you would expect from someone to whom price tag is no cause for hesitation because there is always magic" -Kate Shea Kennon, Blogcritics.org
FRANKENSTEIN UPSTAIRS:
- Nominated for a 2014 New York Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Premier Production of a Play
- "Amanda Jenks' costumes are subtle and vibrant as necessary, with Dr. Frankenstein appearing like everyone's dream of a chic mad scientist" -Kaila Hale-Stern, io9.com
- "The set design by Sandy Yaklin, costume design by Amanda Jenks, sound design by Jeanne E. Travis, and lighting design by Jennifer Linn Wilcox are excellent and important" -Wendy Caster, Show Showdown
- "But Vic, as she demands to be called, seems a creature from another time herself as embodied by the enthralling Kristen Vaughan, with her chilly Swiss accent, her awkwardly formal speech, and her killer white lab coat/knee-high boot ensemble" -Mitch Montgomery, Surreal Time Press
- "Anyone looking for talent is sure to find someone exciting over in Long Island City, and that’s a sentence no one ever thought they’d read. It’s hard to imagine the very gifted people behind "Frankenstein Upstairs" are undiscovered. Unless the New York stage is more rigged than we think, chances are they’ve just been playing hard to get" -Brian Wallace, EDGE Fire Island
- New York Magazine's Approval Matrix
RUBBER DUCKS AND SUNSETS:
- "Amanda Jenks' contemporary costumes are both fashionable and tell you almost everything you need to know about each of these characters" -Jason Rost, Theater is Easy
- Nominated for a 2014 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Costume Design
SHOW WAY:
- Off-Broadway Award nominee- Best Family Show
- "...an incredible new historical musical at the Vital Theatre Company" -Serena Norr, Momtrendsnyc.com
- "While the show is not glittery like Fancy Nancy or Angelina, and not as well known, Show Way will bring to life what our children are learning about different cultures and heritage" -Upper West Side Kids
FANCY NANCY THE MUSICAL:
- "But the show’s most inspired stroke is to stage the dance recital itself. (Sam Viverito choreographed, and Amanda Jenks designed the imaginative costumes.) -Laurel Graeber, The New York Times
- "The songs and costumes are the main attractions. Although Vital works on a shoestring budget...Fancy Nancy is well designed—the painted set and costumes are very much in Glasser's style, and of course there are boas and glitter everywhere" -Raven Snook, MommyPoppins.com
- "Based on the popular children’s series by Jane O’Connor, Fancy Nancy The Musical is one of those rare productions that not only manages to translate a storybook storyline into stage-worthy dialogue and lyrics, it also captures the spirit of Robin Preiss Glasser’s vivacious drawings, including the look of the characters—which is pretty amazing when you consider that the youngsters in the illustrations are played by fresh-faced adults in the musical...A hit and half, if you will, with lavish (a fancy word for “fancy”) sets, costumes, laughter and camaraderie (a fancy word for “friendship”) that encourages young theatregoers to take part" -Griffin Miller, NYMetroParents.com
- "They bring Fancy Nancy to life just as you would have imagined her...When Nancy and her friend Bree find out their ballet class will be putting on a show called "Deep Sea Dances" they deck themselves out in the most extravagant homemade mermaid costumes" -Jessica Murphy, Macaroni Kid: NYC Downtown
- "I couldn't have picked a better show for Maggie! Fancy Nancy the Musical was full of lively songs, lots of dancing & bright costumes" -Courtney, The Chirping Moms
THE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SEA NEXT DOOR:
- "...in spite of the wings on his back, Pegasus, like his scientist heroine, doesn’t believe in myths. Those wings are nicely rendered by costumer Amanda Jenks" -Olivia Jane Smith, New York Theatre Review
THE HONEYCOMB TRILOGY:
Sovereign:
- "Given that this final installment has so much history behind it, it's no surprise that Sovereign is the strongest piece of the trilogy, as just as the children have matured, so have the other elements...Amanda Jenks's costumes are terrific, too: Ronnie's military garb strikes a compromise between the utility that she required during the war and the style that she misses from her childhood; Abbie's tattered clothes tell their own story, too." -Aaron Riccio, That Sounds Cool
- "In this stunning final installment... Amanda Jenks’ costumes are suitably frontiersy" -Duncan Pflaster, Broadway World
- "The accomplishment of the world Rogers and Gideon have built is the entirety of the world and the characters they created throughout the three plays: all of the nuance, all of the humanity" -Michael Mraz, nytheater.com
- New York Times Critics' Pick
- Backstage Critics' Pick
- Time Out NY Critics' Pick
- Flavorpill Editors' Pick
- "I pay the actors, the designers, and the director the highest compliment when I say their work is almost invisible, as the technical seams of the production disappear and the human emotions conveyed take on the appearance of unvarnished reality" -W. Kenton, Cultural Capitol
- "Every element of the production design reinforced the details of the play--lack of technology, impoverished living conditions, and a sense of hopelessness...Costume designer Amanda Jenks chose to utilize extremely worn, slightly ill-fitted clothing, and a few characters had no shoes while others had well used boots. The colors appeared dingy as if the humans could not wash their clothing often enough or had to make do over the years with the only articles of clothing they possessed. Many of the main characters had tears or bloodstains on their clothing revealing them as members of the resistance. In contrast, Abbie and Conor wore clean, well-fitted clothes and shoes even though the colors ran towards grays and browns, marking the better positions of the aliens and their human collaborators. Marking a contrast between the two, Conor wore human street clothing, embracing his exploration of the human, while Abbie seemed happy with his subjugation wearing a modern take on a medieval serf's attire-- loose, wide-sleeved tunic, and close, fitted leggings" -Jen Gunnels, The New York Review of Science Fiction
- New York Times Critics' Pick
- New York Magazine's Approval Matrix
- Flavorpill Editors' Pick
- Winner of the 2012 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Premiere Production of a Play
- Nominated for 2012 New York Innovative Theatre Awards for Outstanding Original Full-Length Script and Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role.
- "Amanda Jenks’ costume design is perfectly character-specific" -Duncan Pflaster, Broadway World
- Flavorpill Editors' Pick
- Backstage Critics' Pick
STINKY KIDS THE MUSICAL:
PRATFALLS:
- "Amanda Jenks' costumes and Toby Jagua Algya's sound design are both solidly professional contributions." -David Barbour, Lighting and Sound America
- "Costumes by Amanda Jenks are character appropriate." -Oscar Moore, OscarMoore.com
UNCLE PIRATE THE MUSICAL:
- "Director Marshall Pailet has an adventurous vision of children’s theater, and his creative team delivered artistically satisfying results...colorful, savvy costumes by Amanda Jenks all complement the outstanding musical direction by Jesse Kissel and the grinning, animated choreography by Kyle Mullins" -Deborah Greenhut, Suite101.com
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST:
- "All the costumes (by Amanda Jenks) are attractive and appropriate but, Lady Bracknell's gowns are outstanding, particularly her Second Act ensemble." -Rick Busciglio, Examiner.com
THE GIRL FROM NASHVILLE:
- "...director Kristine Ayers and her design team made good use of the incredibly constrained Dorothy Strelsin Theatre" -Michael Bettencourt, OffOffOnline
THIS ONE TIME IN LAST CHANCE:
- "The design team of Amanda Jenks (costumes), Ben Pilat (lights), Anthony Spinelli (sound) and Julia Noulin-Merat (scenic) are all on the same page. There isn't anything flashy here, but it all works well and feels unified and specific." -Richard Lovejoy, nytheatre.com
LETTER FROM ALGERIA:
- "Amanda Jenks’ costumes subtly capture the characters’ emotional and financial status—from Walter’s worn jeans and baseball caps to Ali’s over-the-top Eurotrash-meets-Britney Spears wardrobe. In all, this is a finely polished production, an excellent showcase for such a promising playwright and company." -Heather Violanti, Theater Online
- "The production of Letter from Algeria, briskly directed by Adam Fitzgerald and beautifully designed by Travis McHale (set and lighting), Amanda Jenks (costumes), Alex Wise (composer), and Ian Wehrle (sound), and expertly acted, could be a triumph.." -Elfin Vogel, OffOffOnline
ELEPHANTS ON PARADE 2011 (The Day the Devil..., The Fairy Tale of America, 0800-Help-U-Write):
- "The fourth installment of EBE Ensemble's award-winning Elephants on Parade succeeds on all levels and stands as a radiant testament to why new independent theatre is always worth watching for" -Di Jayawickrema, nytheater.com
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PAGODA 2010 (Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar):
- "A nice touch by [costume designer Amanda Jenks]* today was to very subtly color-coordinate the Montagues and Capulets early on." -Richard Grayson, The Brooklyn Diaries (*error in name has been corrected)
Updated August 2020. Above content © Amanda Jenks 2020.