Amanda Brugel

Pointe Claire resides in a quiet area of Montreal Island called West Island. This part of the island known as West Island can be confusing to those unfamiliar of its purpose. It is often believed that it's an island located to the west of Montreal However, the West Island encompasses everything between the cities that are Lachine and West. Amanda Brugel grew up on the West Island, and it is often known as the place where she was born. But she only stayed there for a short period of time. Brugel was raised in Courtice close to Oshawa Ontario. Her first ambition was to be an expert dancer. However, a growth increase caused her to surpass all of the dance partners she had. In an interview with the Toronto Star, she confessed that "In heels I am 6 feet and 1 inch." The moment I outgrew the size of my male companion and stopped dancing, I quit. Former dancers often turn into acting. In the instance of Brugel, it was the result of a recommendation from her teacher in drama. She was recommended by a teacher to get a role for school's annual production. After trying out the role, she was chosen as the lead actress in Anne of Green Gables. The show was granted the Fine Arts Talent Scholarship to go to York University's Theatre Program which she completed from the program in 2000, earning a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. Since then, Brugel's been performing in over 60 plays, smaller and large. Most notable was the time she was cast as Rita on The Handmaid's Tale. Brugel was the sole Canadian part of the cast during the season 1 of the series and only seen occasionally.