Amelia Oliver is pictured in her professional headshot.

Returning home, for whatever reason, can fuel mixed emotions.

But not for Amelia Oliver. She is driven.

Oliver is appearing as Audrey in Webster City Community Theatre’s “Little Shop of Horrors.” Her return home is an intentional return to peace.

“I’m not a city person,” she said. “I need more barefoot walks and quiet than a place like Austin can give me. I’m not a desert person either (I missed the green!).”

The Austin she refers to is in Texas. Oliver moved there in 2011, working as a professional actor and stuntwoman.

“I have worked on several pilots, music videos, short/feature films, and theatrical productions there and around the country. Up until the last few years, my acting work has been in the background of 9 to 5 work I’ve taken on, but I’m shifting more towards art and stunt work now.”

Her profession was preceded by passion.

“Since I was little, my schedule was packed with plays, musicals, and other forms of performance. I dabbled in some sports, but they weren’t my focus (I wasn’t that notable of an athlete). I remember a time period as a kid when I wanted to be an astronaut one week, and a singer the next. I could never decide on what I wanted to do, because there were too many fascinating professions out there! I think that’s what ultimately led me to acting; getting to try out a different person with every role, and uncovering all the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ that make a person who they are.

“When my sister, Barbara, got involved in ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ production with WCCT in 1998, I was dazzled watching her onstage. Anyone who knows me knows Barbara and I have always been close, so where she went, I wanted to go too. She gave me that first push into acting. But after being cast in my first couple of roles, it didn’t take me long to realize how much I loved acting and that it had everything I wanted in a career.”

Along the way, her parents, Bob and Kathy Oliver, of Webster City, were her supporting ensemble.

“My parents have always been incredibly supportive of my artistic interests. They had front row seats for the many performances my sister and I would put on in our basement as kids. I’m forever impressed at their ability to keep a straight face when we’d put a Casio bossa nova beat to a Greek tragedy.”

Oliver graduated from Webster City High School with the memory of those early triumphs fixed in her heart.

She graduated from the University of Iowa theatre and film program, where she worked alongside the Iowa Writer’s Workshop in new plays and films.

“A lot of talented people have come from that group: Anthony Swofford (“Jarhead” writer), and Sam Hunter (“The Whale” writer and Oscar winner), so I had my fair share of experimental characters and performance experiences. I had several opportunities to play roles in action films that were more fun than I thought.”

The return has been a tapestry of blessings.

“Everyone in community theater is a volunteer, and everyone has a different reason for devoting their time and energy to a production, so it’s wildly inspiring and energizing. Not to mention getting to be on a stage again,” she said.

“Working in film and television, you’re sort of in your own little box of experience and it’s separate from your audience. With theater that’s definitely not the case. You come onstage and you’re breathing the same air as the audience, experiencing things at the same time, laughing at the same time, or trying not to laugh when they laugh. The switch into character has to be immediate and constant and that connection is so cool. You get to invite a group of people to suspend their disbelief for two hours and take them on a little journey. When you can strike the perfect balance of those elements, it feels like magic.”

At least part of that potion is this particular stage.

“To be able to come back and work on a production at WCCT again is amazing,” she said. “Not only did I get my first roles here, but I am getting to see the newer generations of WCCT regulars alongside the veterans who have been here since the start.

“The cast and crew of ‘Little Shop’ is so impressive. People are doing anything and everything to help bring the show to its feet; operating rather physically-inclined puppets, helping with quick changes backstage, learning complicated lyrics, and generally just cheering everyone on. At any given moment during the rehearsal run, I’ll come into the theater and find someone painting pool noodles, putting together a door in the shop, or running through cumbersome songs and steps.”

She added, “Community theater, in general, is a great experience if you want to refocus on why you are creating art.”

Webster City Community Theatre’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” continues this week with shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and a matinee on Saturday at 2 p.m. Seats are still available by visiting webstercitycommunitytheatre.org or by calling 515-832-4456.

Amelia Oliver, as Audrey, is pictured with Karina Murray, Perla Torres and Meg Cain as Ronnette, Crystal and Chiffon in Webster City Community Theatre’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors.”

“Little Shop of Horrors” also stars KeVon Edwards, as Seymour Krelborn, the young Shop clerk who raises the unusual Audrey II plant.