Andrea Reitzenstein

ACT 1 Joy & Pain 1-12 When I was a little girl I spent most of my time dreaming. I remember bouncing up and down on a trampoline, pushing myself as far as I could into the sky - knowing that as I long as I continue to try one day I would learn how to fly. My parents were just teenagers when they had me, both neglected from their families pushed into a world of drugs and violence but what they had was each other. They were best friends, spending every waking moment together excited to be young parents when tragedy hit. My mom was 3 months pregnant with me doing their usual runs but this time something felt different. An ego trip leaves my dad to blame for a loss of life and now everyone involved is scarred for life. My mom forced in and out of jail through the duration of her pregnancy. My dad stuck for the next 26 years. Welcoming the bundle of Joy Andrea Reitzenstein born in Racine, Wisconsin into the arms of my grandparents. I was pretty confused growing up. Never had the traditional structure of mom and dad - so I called them mom and dad, unknowingly. Being fed stories of where my real dad was for years when forced to go see him. "He's a janitor" "He's a guard" "He's just working sweetie one day he'll be home" He never came home. At that time, all I wanted was to be with my mom but she had problems of her own. In and out of jail, functioning addict, emotionally unavailable. My role was to make everyone forget about what we were going through, even if it was just for a moment. Life wasn't easy to say the least but since I didn't understand it - I escaped it. By dreaming. Living in my head. Talking with God. Singing. From a young age I remember feeling incredibly close to the spirit of God - God became mom and dad. With God I can do anything, I can be anything. ACT 2 Running from Self 12-18 Once I started to understand what I was going through, the dreams went dark. These next few years were spent running from myself, running from the pain, running from the truth. You couldn't get me to talk about my dad, let alone go see him. I stopped taking his calls, stopped opening his letters. Finally got the chance to live with my mom but it was nothing like I imagined it would be. I thought that if I lived with her she would pour all of her time into me but that's just not reality. She had to work and go to school. Looking for someone to fill the holes my father left. So I did the same, turning to friends to be family. Empty An overwhelming feeling of loss surrounded me during these years. I didn't understand it at the time, I recognize now how truly alone I was. Losing faith in myself, losing faith in the world. Everyday I dreamed about running away. Until the day it came. ACT 3 Awakening 18-Present Something switched in my brain around the age of 19. I started pouring all of the love I wished my family could've given me - into myself. The small amount of hope that was left from my childhood years began to grow. Slowly, I started to believe in myself. A group of friends were moving to California, this was my perfect opportunity to get away from it all. In the beginning, living in California felt like a dream. I made it, I escaped... but you can't escape the things of your past until you deal with them. So they followed me here. The dream quickly turned into a nightmare - again. Unlike when I was I child I was now ready to face them and fight. I stood up to every person, place, or thing that stood in the way of me loving me. Since going back home has never been an option, I had to be courageous. Every limit was pushed and every boundary tested. Some tests I failed but I always got back up again. My resilient, tenacious heart and awareness of Gods presence in my life is what keeps me energized to this day. I may not know how things will unfold but I do know that I will never stop singing, dancing, and expressing myself. Preforming isn't something I do - its who I am. Presence (2023) I am an actress, I am a storyteller, I am a present being who is constantly finding new ways to be vulnerable and share my gifts. Currently I am working with Bojesse Christopher in my pursuit of becoming an empowered influence. Now you have some insight to what fuels my passion - all of these experiences have shaped my life to this point. Flawed and healing, I am Andrea Reitzenstein.