So many firsts – do you like alliterations?
Greetings,
thank you for visiting my super cute website. My name is Izzy. I am a Leo sun and a Pisces moon. My favorite color is pink and lime green. Favorite TV show is The Simpsons. Favorite punk band is Antiproduct. I’m an actor, of course. But I’m also a writer and now a director 🎬🤯
Like the title suggests, I have my first directing gig this winter. I am directing a beautifully written one-act play called Every Story is a Love Story written by Audrey Kuo, scheduled to premiere this Spring 2021. Audrey wrote the one-act as part of Q Youth Foundation’s Eastside Queer Stories Writing program. Before I go on, I have to say that I love Q Youth so much. Run by Ana Bernal, the Q Youth Foundation hosts regular programming for queer artists, and has hosted the Eastside Queer Stories Festival (ESQS) for about 6 years. I was part of the 2018 ESQS Writers program cohort with other very talented queer storytellers. We met on Saturdays to write and workshop original one-act plays that we wrote under Abe Zapata’s guidance and facilitation (wow, I miss pre-COVID meet-ups!), and then we produced our shows on a stage! It was amazing. If you are a queer creative storyteller (theater, film, playwriting, poetry), see what Q Youth has to offer.
In sum, Every Story is A Love Story is about a conversation between two trans teen besties who discuss a promise that one of them broke to the other. I know that sounds super broad, but I don’t want to give too much away — wait for the show to premiere and you’ll see 😉 It is beautifully written; Audrey really put their heart in this piece, seriously. The first time I read the script I nearly cried. My queer heart was not ready, but I’m so glad that Audrey wrote this story. It’s a story for queer trans youth, and it will not hit the same for the cis-het lay audience. This is why we hand over the mic to queer trans writers when we need a story for and about queer trans folk.
I’ve always wanted to direct a play, but it’s 2021 and we’re in the thick of a global pandemic. This means we’ll be doing theatre without the theater (I’m using the word “theatre” as the art of stage performance, and “theater” as the stage venue). Theatre is live, but I’m hosting rehearsals through Zoom. Doing live theatre, though preferred, is simply not possible right now. But alas, the show must go on, mustn’t it? To prepare for this platform shift, I’ve been reading about the theatre industry and Broadway’s shift from the stage to Zoom. Lucky for me, the ESQS producers have already prepared and created a great production alternative. This year’s shows will be radio plays, so rather than do a visual Zoom production, actors will be recording their lines and then an editor will make some post-production magic and create the final production. Cute, right? ☺️ I’m actually pretty excited to work around the pandemic’s limits. Leave it to creative storytellers to make sure the story gets told.
Speaking of sharing stories, I was on the cover of Sugar Blitz magazine last month. My first cover feature; wow. Sugar Blitz magazine is my digital vision board. I’ve always wanted to be on the cover of a magazine, so for my 2020 quarantine birthday, I gifted this experience to myself. Is there an actual publication called Sugar Blitz? No. But I came up with a cool name that I like for a magazine. I turned it into a font that reflects who I am: pink and shiney. And then I took a cute picture of myself and put myself on the cover of Sugar Blitz magazine, headlines and everything. Bam! That’s how my dreams come true; I make them happen ☄️
Once I had it visually in front of me, I felt the reality of this magazine cover dream. I had just expedited one of my dreams. Though I do want to be featured on a real publication cover some day (hello, Vogue), I decided that for now, Sugar Blitz magazine is my personal vision board. Thank you for sharing this self-gift with me. I’m also hoping that casting directors will see Sugar Blitz magazine covers and think, Wow Izzy came up with an attractive interview headline; let’s cast her for this cool new project and make this interview happen. Hehe 😏🔮 Isn’t it cute? 🥰
How do you manifest your goals?
Thank you for reading and following me on my acting adventures. It’s a tough industry for the indigenous queer cuties, but what else am I going to do? I’ve been fated with a passion for acting.
Big love + star dust, Izzy ✨
Izzy Bravo 