Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriela Fernandez.
Hi Gabriela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey as an entertainer really started when I moved to Miami in 2009 and founded the Front Yard Theatre Collective- a grass roots theater company where we would perform sketch comedy, improv, stand up in a front yard in midtown. From there, we started touring local venues, until we found a home in Miami’s epic club Grand Central.
We gained a cult following and in 2014 started producing Bicycle Theater shows, where the audience is on bikes riding around the city, and in every stop they see a different scene of a play. The first one was Alice in Wynwoodland, followed by two iterations of History on Wheels- a time travel show where the audience follows Julia Tuttle- mother of Miami- on her time traveling bike through different Miami eras.
This opened the doors to our 5 year residency at the historic Olympia Theater, from 2015 to 2020.
After the pandemic, I started focusing on my own creer: I had been the host of the Miami Moth StorySLAM since 2015, and now have the honor of being one of their traveling storytellers and MainStage Host around the country: Miami, Tampa, Dallas, Grand Rapids, New York…
Today, when I’m not hosting the Moth or teaching my improv class, I am part of Olympia Arts Miami , where we produce live music events, and Ruta Teatral Miami where I am part of the cast and production of Spanish language shows- you can come see my next performance with the play TOCTOC on June 13 or come see my brand new improvised telenovela show – ImproNovela on June 20th!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road!! When I first moved here, the struggle was to find my people. I didn’t know anyone in the industry, I had a thick accent from living in Spain for a while, and it was impossible to break in to the theater scene. So I created my own, and thats the birth of Front Yard Theatre Collective.
Fast forward to having a monthly show at the Olympia, the struggle there was always to “get butts in seats”, even though we had a free show thanks to county and state grants, its always been very hard to get Miami audiences away from the beach and Wynwood to come see local talent. Our saving grace is once we got you in, we got a fan for life! Our comedy was always full of local references, political satire and general absurdity, so people started to follow us loyally- and once we started the bicycle theater adventures, we had our gang!
Now, as I focus on my career as an actress, the challenges are similar when it comes to promoting but it’s so worth it when you get on stage and see an ocean of smiling faces. There is no better feeling than that.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My claim to local fame here in Miami depends on who you ask: the real OG’s know me from being in the original Front Yard- on 29th street. It’s always a trip when I run into people from those times, specially because that house doesn’t even exist anymore, it’s being built into yet another high rise!
I think what I’m most known for is being the host of The Moth, since I started in 2015 and still going strong! The Moth is by far my favorite hosting gig! I have the fortune to guide the audience through a monthly evening of storytelling, where we never know where the stories are going to take us. It is a very welcoming environment where people from all walks of life can get together and connect on a deeper level. It’s powerful how sharing stories can touch your heart in so many cool ways. I hope I get to be a Moth host for many, many years. I just got back from hosting a Moth MainStage in Tarrytown, NY! One of the things I’m super proud of is having accomplished all of this being an immigrant and in my second language (laughs in Spanish JAJAJA!)
This year, I am so grateful I get to go back to my roots and perform in Spanish, and I think that’s what sets me apart, not only am I fluid in both languages, I can perform in both. There are feelings, moods, expressions that can sometimes only be understood in one language or the other, and that just opens a world of discovery to me as an actress and creative in general. I am part of the ensemble of TOCTOC, which has been a success in Miami for more than 14 years, and now I am directing and starring in my own show ImproNovela: an improvised telenovela based on audience input, best part? We get to perform at the Tower Theater on Calle 8, the beating heart of our city.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Come see my shows! TOCTOC on June 13 and ImproNovela on June 20 – both at the Tower Theater. tickets at Ticketplate.com
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_gaby_show/
