About Me
MY STORY
I was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and grew up in El Paso, TX before making the jump to the central valley in Northern California where I spent most of my formative years through high school. However, at heart, I always knew I belonged in NYC and was determined to make this move since I could remember.
After hearing my elementary school music teacher mention her trip to NYC to see Wicked and The Boy From Oz (naturally, I thought these were related), I discovered the power of musical theatre and was introduced to my first voice teachers via the Wicked cast recording, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. After that, there was no going back. My life revolved around listening to as many cast recordings as I could and learning what it meant to be an actor. My days consisted of listening to Julia Murney on YouTube, learning the lyrics to “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina”, figuring out how I could make my voice sound like Cheyenne Jackson or Gavin Creel, and watching episodes of Legally Blonde: The Search for the Next Elle Woods like it was my job. I saw the national tour of All Shook Up and thought “wait… they sound, like, really good… ALL of the time!” and once again knew this is what I was meant to be doing.
I performed in all the community theatre as I could in my very small town in Northern California. I studied ballet, sang in choir (thank you to my brother Fernando for all of the concerts he never asked for), read as much as I could, saw as much theatre as I could (thank you mom for driving me to Sacramento and waiting in the car until Avenue Q was over), knowing I would end up in NYC pursuing this dream. I attended California State University, Chico where I studied Musical Theatre and spent my summers doing summer stock and getting ready to start my NYC life.
Shortly after graduation and a run as Nicest Kid I.Q. in Hairspray at Berkeley Playhouse, I took my paycheck from that production to book my one-way ticket to NYC. Since arriving here, I have been working Off-Broadway, regionally, in film and TV, and in my biggest passion, which is the development of new works. I have been blessed with some incredible opportunities like touring with Pinkalicious The Musical as Peter Pinkerton, making my NYC debut in Frankenstein at St. Luke’s Theatre, and playing some great roles like David in If/Then and Michael Wormwood in Matilda, two of the first shows I ever saw in NYC.
I continue to pursue storytelling because I truly believe in its power to move, inspire, and change people. I want to continue sharing my heart and show others that may not have seen themselves before or have felt silenced that anything is possible. Developing new work and the sense of community that brings theatre together keeps bringing me back to the theatre. It is, and always will be, home!
Outside of acting, I am a painter and am passionate about interior design and decorating and run the account @designedbygil where I share my artwork, home decor, and vintage finds. I also write, travel as much as I can (favorite spots so far have been Sydney and Paris), and enjoy the everyday wonders and magic of getting to live in the greatest city in the world.
I currently live in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan and am so grateful to get to live the life I always wanted for myself. Send me a message! I would love to hear from you!
Welcome!
- Gil :)