We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabriell Salgado and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabriell, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I’m a workaholic by nature. As a first generation Cuban-American with a family who immigrated to Miami, I feel as if I’m tasked to make all of that struggle and sacrifice worth something! It’s not guilt I feel – but respect for my family and everything they did to give me the opportunity to live the life I get to live. Naturally, this has made me a very ambitious and focused person. Since I’m an artist with so much opportunity to create original work and constantly be adapting perspectives through experiences in life, I feel like I’m working even when I’m not “working”. Even on my days off sipping on a bev with my toes in the sand, I’ll find my mind wandering and think to myself “hmm that’s a great idea for a film.” I plague my mind with more tasks per day than are humanly possible to achieve in a week or a month – it’s just how I operate. If I’m not rehearsing or performing a play, I’m writing one, or shooting a short film, or investing time into my company, etc. Down-time feels like a disservice to all the goals I’ve set out to accomplish. Over time, however, I’ve discovered that we have a spiritual and personal responsibility to keep our minds healthy and rested. Easier said than done but my journey to developing a true work life “balance” is one I’m still navigating and I don’t see it coming to an end anytime soon. It may be a flaw but it also may just be an insatiable desire to create. Still figuring it out for myself. But for now, here I am answering these questions while I should be sleeping… Oh well.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I believe what sets me apart in my work is something I was insecure about for a while, actually. I remember doing a workshop in college with TCG where the leader went around a circle asking why each person creates art – what inspires them & what are they fighting for. I was near the end of the line as people kept, one by one, breaking down the foundation of their desire to create and artistic perspective. Each person said something beautiful about their devotion to a specific social cause or humanitarian mission with their work. I was at a loss – by the time it came to me, I was ready to pack up and go as I simply didn’t feel like I belonged – and then it was my turn… I’m not particularly political, I said, I’m not artistically inspired by any specific social cause or humanitarian issue or anything of that sort. I feel inferior and guilty when I say this but… I simply do this work to escape and entertain… I thought I was going to be “taken to school” about why it’s important to use my voice as an artist for all of the things mentioned by the previous guests. But, to my surprise, the leader used me as an example and went on a tangent about how that is equally as political a vocation as it is to be fighting for any particular cause – as entertainment, disarmed connection, and humor are all a part of healing, growth, and community. So yeah… that’s why I do this, and thank you to that person (I forgot their name) for instilling confidence in me to do what I love the way I. want. to. do. it.

I worked my way up through a theater company who gave me a small job handing props and changing costumes backstage of their productions while I was in college. Zoetic Stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center. I believe I worked something like 6 – 8 shows backstage until I graduated and decided not to do that work anymore as I wanted to be seen as an actor now that I had the opportunity to officially work professionally. Zoetic Stage gave me a HUGE opportunity fresh out of college as the lead in their production of Nick Dear’s Frankenstein in 2021. This skyrocketed my career in South Florida – became a sort of “claim to fame” for me as I navigated this brand new community and all its members I respected so much. I very quickly began getting opportunities in other theaters doing plays and playing roles I could’ve only dreamed of. It became very real very quickly and I didn’t realize when it happened but at some point it became too much… It’s so odd, you work so hard to be a working actor – desperate for it actually – and then one day you wake up and think “wow I have literally no time for myself” I was mentally and physically unhealthy, not taking care of myself, spending too much money on take-out since I didn’t have time to cook, neglecting family and friends that became increasingly frustrated with me, and so much more that was making me unhappy. Suddenly I felt like I was in too deep. This was a huge lesson to learn! You MUST find love outside of your work. When you’re working too much or not working at all you need relationships, hobbies, and outside sources off joy to ground you and either reel you in or get you going! It’s a tricky balance but an incredibly necessary one. I felt ungrateful for a long time because it’s what I, and so many artists, dream of on a daily basis but it taught me that the work can’t be EVERYTHING. It simply can’t.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The South Florida Theater Community ! I didn’t know a single thing about theater growing up until I got into a drama class half-way through high-school. It wasn’t until college that I started to realize there was a whole community of theaters, actors, directors, and artists in general creating LIVE theater all over Miami and surrounding cities. This excited the hell out of me but I felt discouraged by the idea of trying to step onto a train that’s going 100 miles per hour. With so many of its members being seasoned actors that had been doing this for as long as they could walk, so many interconnected smaller units within the bigger groups, clicks, clubs, etc. I felt like I wouldn’t fit in, seeing as I was just “fresh on the block”. However, to my surprise, I started working immediately once I graduated New World School of the Arts and the community welcomed me with open arms. Within two years and change since I made my professional debut I’ve worked at almost every theater I dreamed of working in while I was discovering this world for the first time. They’ve really made a home for me and an artistic “playground” of sorts where I can safely “play”, explore, and push the boundaries of my work. This is my love letter to Miami Theater. Thank you!

Website: Gabriellsalgado.com

Instagram: @gabriellsalg

Facebook: Gabriell Salgado

Youtube: @gabriellsalgado9819

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