Artist Biography
Gabrielle Wheeler is a senior Performing Arts Major with a concentration in Musical Theater at Endicott College. Aside from taking classes in dance, acting, and music at Endicott for the past four years, she also had the opportunity to study at New York Film Academy’s musical theater conservatory this past fall. Some of Gabrielle’s past projects and credits include Johanna in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” at Endicott College and Emma Nolan (U/S)//Ensemble in “The Prom” at New York Film Academy. Her upcoming projects include attending Stella Adler’s Summer Musical Theater Intensive and performing in Fire House Center for the Art’s production of “School of Rock”.
Thesis Abstract
Through research on queer representation during senior research class, I came across LGBTQ artist, teacher, and writer Christopher Cayari (of Purdue University). Cayari focuses on the art of performative auto-ethnography. This is a type of research and/or personal reflection in which LGBTQ performers speak on their personal experiences coming into their identity and associate those experiences with queer media, songs, and characters that were important to them during that journey. This idea inspired me to create my own LGBTQ performative auto-ethnography with songs in the musical theater canon that apply to my experience as a performer. Through this research, I chose the four most important songs and used them to create a song cycle, or loose storyline, addressing my experience coming into my queer identity as an artist and person. It opens with “Little Miss Perfect” by Joriah Kwamé, which represents coming into my identity and finally understanding who I am. The second song is, “You Matter to Me” from Waitress which addresses denial and self isolation. The third song is “Unlikely Lovers” from Falsettos which represents connection and community. Lastly, it ends with “Unruly Heart” from The Prom which highlights themes of representation and solidarity. In creating this song cycle, consisting of influential and important queer musical theater storylines, I hope to foster community and connection. In a world where queer representation is scarce and typically inaccurate, I hope to share my story as a queer individual through a lens of realism and love.