Full Name:
Isaac Gomez
Major/Year:
Second Year – Simultaneous Major in Theatre and Dance (Acting), Journalism (Print Magazine)
Favorite class in Theatre & Dance and why:
My favorite class thus far within the department of Theatre and Dance would have to be my “Languages of the Stage” course taught by Dr. Deborah Paredez. This is a performance analysis course where we evaluated several scripts, performances and other forms of art by completing projects that permitted us to shift artist perspectives — director, actor, designer, dramaturg, choreographer, and a few others — and was a discussion-heavy course. I was very passionate about this course because Dr. Paredez is a great professor who exceedingly pushed my class to think outside the box, and evaluate performance as something more than what you merely see on the stage. From the depths of the playwright to the final production, I was challenged to think of things I had never thought of before, and to challenge more critically, what I enjoyed the most.
Favorite thing about Austin:
Austin is such a unique city unlike any other in Texas, where opportunities are vast and the to-do list is endless. As silly as it may sound, I would have to say the food. Being from a Latino background, the majority of food I was exposed to was Mexican, a little American and maybe imitation Chinese and Italian, every now and then. But because of the diversity in Austin, there are so many ‘hole-in-the-wall’ restaurants where one can take their taste buds to a whole new level through exploration! There have been so many ethnicities of food I would have never thought I'd try, until I moved here. I have heavily enjoyed the food in Austin. The nightlife isn't so bad either.
Favorite place to study:
The place I tend to study most would have to be the Perry-Castaneda Library on Campus, particularly the fifth floor, and usually section 5S. The fifth floor at this library is the “collaborative study” floor, meaning – you don't necessarily have to be quiet, which I like. Completely silent spaces tend to drive me a little crazy. On top of that, being that some of my closest friends at the University are not theatre majors, I seldom see them with rehearsals and all. So, after rehearsals, I make my way down to the library where we tend to meet up, catch up on our lives, and do some homework/studying together. It's a comforting place to be. Other places I enjoy studying are the Fine Arts Library, the Main lawn in the ‘six pack’, and the Union.
Brief biography (including projects, awards, accomplishments):
I was born in El Paso, Texas — the only city in Texas not in Central Time zone; ten minutes away from Cuidad Juarez, Mexico and about an hour away from Las Cruces, New Mexico. I've been performing for a little over ten years and my production history here at UT includes the role of Mr. Denny in directed by guest director Gavin Cameron-Webb, Assistant Stage Manager for The Man with the Dancing Eyes produced/directed/conceived by M.F.A. directing candidate Courtney Sale and M.F.A. design candidate Rowan Doyle, and writing a ten-minute piece titled Crossing Over for the 2010 “Once Upon a Weekend” festival.
Current projects/research/interests:
I am currently working on three major projects. I am playing the role of José in Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, co-produced at The Paramount Theatre downtown Austin and directed by the acclaimed Steven Dietz. Opening in February is The Threepenny Opera, directed by M.F.A. directing Candidate Halena Kays, where I am playing Nelly, a cross-dressing employee of the town brothel. And last, but not least, I am currently writing a piece by the working title of Nobody Knows it But Me, which is a one-hour, one-act minimalistic play about teen suicides. This piece will be workshopped as a staged reading at the 2011 New Works Festival, then workshopped throughout the year as small-scale productions, and hopefully produced as a full production for the 2013 Cohen New Works Festival.
