NICK GABRIEL
SELECTED REVIEWS
"Nick Gabriel's brilliant performance as the 18 year-old Eugene Marchbanks in California Shakespeare Theatre's revival of George Bernard Shaw's Candida stole the show. Alternating between the determined newfound masculinity of a puppy trying to challenge a larger, older, and much bigger dog, and the whimsical behavior of a kitten who has just been distracted by a shiny object, he displayed breathtaking physical comedy skills. Inflamed with the kind of ardor that keeps a teenage man constantly battling the demands of the rocket in his pocket, the look of smug delight on Gabriel's face as Candida took his hand and dragged him from the room was almost like that of the giddy teacher's pet who knew he was about to get the kind of spanking that would bring him dangerously close to orgasm." - The Huffington Post
"[In Beckett’s ENDGAME at A.C.T.,] Mr. Gabriel's stiff-legged, sweetly patient and unexpectedly youthful Clov (a nice touch) is one of the finest interpretations of a Beckett role that I've had the privilege to see." - The Wall Street Journal
"Nick Gabriel hilariously channels Margaret Hamilton as [Miss Leighton in ONCE IN A LIFETIME at A.C.T.]." - The San Francisco Chronicle
"Nick Gabriel raises the temperature as Darlington." - SF Examiner
"Nick Gabriel, a star with American Conservatory Theater, was especially winning as the soldier who trades his ratty old violin for a red book with tomorrow’s financial results. The book, of course, is a trick of the Devil. The soldier earns a fortune at the cost, of course, of his soul. As The Devil, the veteran actor Malcolm McDowell was oddly compelling and eerie, if restrained." - Scene and Heard International
"[In Beckett’s ENDGAME at A.C.T.,] Mr. Gabriel's stiff-legged, sweetly patient and unexpectedly youthful Clov (a nice touch) is one of the finest interpretations of a Beckett role that I've had the privilege to see." - The Wall Street Journal
"Nick Gabriel hilariously channels Margaret Hamilton as [Miss Leighton in ONCE IN A LIFETIME at A.C.T.]." - The San Francisco Chronicle
"Nick Gabriel raises the temperature as Darlington." - SF Examiner
"Nick Gabriel, a star with American Conservatory Theater, was especially winning as the soldier who trades his ratty old violin for a red book with tomorrow’s financial results. The book, of course, is a trick of the Devil. The soldier earns a fortune at the cost, of course, of his soul. As The Devil, the veteran actor Malcolm McDowell was oddly compelling and eerie, if restrained." - Scene and Heard International
AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS
Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship
www.tenchimneys.org
Press Release
“From the moment he entered the M.F.A. Program at A.C.T., it was clear that there was something extraordinary about Nick Gabriel. Not only because he was an uncommonly sensitive and highly transformative young actor, but because his spirit and intellect were so open and alive and questioning. Nick became a certified teacher of Michael Chekhov when he was at A.C.T., and the depth of his background served as an incredible catalyst for the rest of his class and for the growth of his own work as an emerging actor of astonishing range and power. But Nick is a quiet talent, never drawing attention to himself or demanding praise. In 2010, A.C.T. invited Nick into the Core Company at A.C.T., to play three radically different and complex roles, as well as to teach and mentor in our school. His work far exceeded even our highest expectations: from his hilarious cross-dressing portrait of Miss Leighton in Once in a Lifetime to his ferocious, damaged terrorist in Scorched to his heartbreaking, complex Clov (across from Bill Irwin) in Endgame, Nick has created an indelible series of portraits on the Geary stage this season, and we look forward to many more to come. He is an actor, a singer, a physical clown, and a huge imagination. His work on helping to develop A.C.T.’s world premiere musical of Tales of the City was transformative. I will never forget his rendition of Mouse’s “coming out” song to his mother, “Dear Mama.” Nick is extraordinary in his fearlessness, in his ability to move from comedy to darkness in a heartbeat, in his great facility with heightened text and his deep honesty with contemporary material. He is truly that collaborative, supple, open-hearted actor of whom an artistic director dreams. In addition, he has a vision bigger than himself. He sees the struggles and challenges facing the field, and wants to be part of the solution. I am so thrilled that he is going to have the opportunity to learn and grow at Ten Chimneys this summer, and I know his time there will enrich all of us at A.C.T. when he returns." - Carey Perloff, Artistic Director Emerita, A.C.T.
www.tenchimneys.org
Press Release
“From the moment he entered the M.F.A. Program at A.C.T., it was clear that there was something extraordinary about Nick Gabriel. Not only because he was an uncommonly sensitive and highly transformative young actor, but because his spirit and intellect were so open and alive and questioning. Nick became a certified teacher of Michael Chekhov when he was at A.C.T., and the depth of his background served as an incredible catalyst for the rest of his class and for the growth of his own work as an emerging actor of astonishing range and power. But Nick is a quiet talent, never drawing attention to himself or demanding praise. In 2010, A.C.T. invited Nick into the Core Company at A.C.T., to play three radically different and complex roles, as well as to teach and mentor in our school. His work far exceeded even our highest expectations: from his hilarious cross-dressing portrait of Miss Leighton in Once in a Lifetime to his ferocious, damaged terrorist in Scorched to his heartbreaking, complex Clov (across from Bill Irwin) in Endgame, Nick has created an indelible series of portraits on the Geary stage this season, and we look forward to many more to come. He is an actor, a singer, a physical clown, and a huge imagination. His work on helping to develop A.C.T.’s world premiere musical of Tales of the City was transformative. I will never forget his rendition of Mouse’s “coming out” song to his mother, “Dear Mama.” Nick is extraordinary in his fearlessness, in his ability to move from comedy to darkness in a heartbeat, in his great facility with heightened text and his deep honesty with contemporary material. He is truly that collaborative, supple, open-hearted actor of whom an artistic director dreams. In addition, he has a vision bigger than himself. He sees the struggles and challenges facing the field, and wants to be part of the solution. I am so thrilled that he is going to have the opportunity to learn and grow at Ten Chimneys this summer, and I know his time there will enrich all of us at A.C.T. when he returns." - Carey Perloff, Artistic Director Emerita, A.C.T.
Teachers 4 Social Justice Award
www.t4sj.org
ACTsmart Video
"Nick Gabriel is the lead teaching artist in A.C.T.'s Acting for Critical Thought residency program with Downtown Continuation High School (DHS), a project-based learning school that serves youth from all over San Francisco who have not experienced success in conventional public schools. Participants in DHS's Acting for Critical Thought project attend weekly acting classes in A.C.T.'s studios, are encouraged to attend all A.C.T. mainstage and conservatory productions, and write their own original monologues and short plays, which they perform for their school and families in A.C.T.'s Costume Shop Theater each December and May. Through the power of theater Nick has been able to transform the lives of so many young people. Students gain transferable skills from theater that will be used in their daily lives. Nick's students go on to graduate from high school, several pursue acting and playwriting beyond the classroom by receiving scholarships to attend A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory or Studio A.C.T. Nick Gabriel's teaching proves that theater has the power to bridge gaps that divide people from one another." - Tyrone Davis, Associate Artistic Director, CTG
www.t4sj.org
ACTsmart Video
"Nick Gabriel is the lead teaching artist in A.C.T.'s Acting for Critical Thought residency program with Downtown Continuation High School (DHS), a project-based learning school that serves youth from all over San Francisco who have not experienced success in conventional public schools. Participants in DHS's Acting for Critical Thought project attend weekly acting classes in A.C.T.'s studios, are encouraged to attend all A.C.T. mainstage and conservatory productions, and write their own original monologues and short plays, which they perform for their school and families in A.C.T.'s Costume Shop Theater each December and May. Through the power of theater Nick has been able to transform the lives of so many young people. Students gain transferable skills from theater that will be used in their daily lives. Nick's students go on to graduate from high school, several pursue acting and playwriting beyond the classroom by receiving scholarships to attend A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory or Studio A.C.T. Nick Gabriel's teaching proves that theater has the power to bridge gaps that divide people from one another." - Tyrone Davis, Associate Artistic Director, CTG
San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards
www.criticscircle.org
Three Nominations for Best Supporting Actor
One Win for Best Ensemble
www.criticscircle.org
Three Nominations for Best Supporting Actor
One Win for Best Ensemble