Gabi Baltzell (She/Her) recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, earning her BA in both Theater with a concentration in Directing & Film and Media Studies with opportunities working under directors like Risa Brainin and Pesha Rudnick. She also has vast experience as a Stage and Production Manager, working with the Rubicon Theater Company for numerous years, including as the Summer Season 2023 Production Manager. Recent works include The Pillowman by Martin Mcdonagh, A Game by Dennis E. Noble, and The Art of Remembering by Adina L. Ruskin. Most Recently, she Assistant Directed See Not the Wound, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth by Stephan Wolfert and Dawn Stern with the Prague Shakespeare Company. Gabi has won the UCSB Department of Theater and Dance’s Helene Marshall Award and the Dorothy and Sherrill C. Corwin Award for Excellency in Directing.

Featured in: UCSB Humanities and Fine Arts - Comedy With A Dark Side: One-Act Plays Directed By Students

About

Art, Theater, and Film have always stuck with me for as long as I can remember. This was how I connected with the world, whether it be Dancing, Acting, or eventually Directing. My experiences sitting in a movie theater or a performing arts theater have been the ones that moved me to tears and the ones that caught my breath, waiting for the next move. Meanwhile, I know that the rest of the people around me have their own unique experiences, similar or not, but in that moment, we are all one. This is the experience I strive to share with others and create environments that make us think and feel that only performance can do. With intense passion and care, I dive headfirst into every project I work on and cherish every connection and person I have had the joy of collaborating with, as it's one of my favorite parts of creating art. For me, the creative process heavily relies on trust, efficiency, and the vulnerability to let stories affect you. I'm always especially interested in dramatic and artistic stories that dive deep into the human psyche: What makes us tick? What secrets do we all share but don't speak of? What experiences do we all as people uniquely know? How can we find a middle ground to all understand each other just a little bit more? These are the questions that I always ask myself when approaching an artistic endeavor. Art has a unique way of making us feel empathy and open up new perspectives to those we never would have thought to have before. My art is not just for me but for everyone who hopes to find and make an impact.