Isabel Gonzalez

Title: Professional Actor, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, UNC Charlotte (2019)

Hometown: Los Ángeles, California

After graduating with her BA in Theatre in 2019, Isabel Gonzalez has stayed in Charlotte and worked in the local theatre community. In summer 2021, she is Senior Counselor for the Performing Arts Unit in the Levine Jewish Community Center summer camp program. In the fall of 2021, Isabel returns to the UNC Charlotte campus to perform as a guest artist in the production MigrantX, directed by theatre professor Carlos Alexis Cruz. She will also return to Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, where as an ensemble member she has had several prominent roles: Paloma in Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees In Cuba, Sophie in The Invisible Boy, and Cinderella/Gretel in Grimmz Fairy Tales, which recently was nominated for a Drama League Award for Outstanding Digital Theatre, Individual Production. 

Isabel credits the education she received from UNC Charlotte in preparing and shaping her current career. “The UNC Charlotte Department of Theatre taught me to adapt, develop, play, and process,” she says. “Some of the key things that resonate from my time at Charlotte is the fact that Theatre truly is a community, which very quickly becomes a family that will help you succeed. In addition, recognizing the curriculum is very important because it allows students to see the many components of their certain career, leading to developing not only a more efficient performer or artist but a well-rounded person.”

What memories at UNC Charlotte stand out for Isabel? “Every time I think about a memorable experience from UNC Charlotte, I have a difficult time picking just one,” she says. She continues, “If I had to choose, it would be playing Maria in Twelfth Night directed by Andrew Hartley. Everyone in the cast felt like family by the end of the process, and it was the first time anyone had put their trust in me to portray a role in a classic piece which truly meant the world to me – especially because a lot of people that look like me are very rarely seen in Shakespeare plays. Also, my costume for that show was superb, and all thanks to Aly Amidei!” 

When we asked Isabel if she had any advice for students interested in pursuing theatre, she responded, “Don’t be afraid. There are going to be instances where things don’t go our way, and it’s up to us to make the best of situations and to keep going! Network with your peers, you never know how or where this career will take you, and building strong relationships with those around you could be very beneficial in the long run. Last but not least, remember why you do what you do. Never forget why you started this path and let that passion guide you to the opportunities that are awaiting.”