APPLETON, Wis. — When Giselle Gutierrez was in high school, her world turned upside down in more ways than one.
The pandemic hit and she and her classmates were suddenly thrust into online school. Come junior year, studying and taking school from home, Gutierrez had to find an elective to round out her schedule.
The only one available was musical theater.
Performing arts wasn’t a completely new concept. She’d been singing, playing and writing music since she was a little kid, but trying out musical theater had never crossed Gutierrez’s mind.
“When I joined the class I was very hesitant, but I did it and started to fall in love with a new side of performing,” she said.
During her senior year, she returned to in-person classes in her Florida high school and auditioned for every production she could.
“I just absolutely fell in love with the idea of getting to play another character and tell a story. My first musical that I had ever done, it’s called ‘Bright Star.’ It’s such a beautiful story … seeing how that story impacted our community was kind of like a wake-up call for me and that’s when I knew that I had to do this as a career,” she said.
Gutierrez went to the University of Central Florida to do just that, pursue a musical theater degree.
Then, about halfway through her first semester, her senior year theater teacher reached out to her about an open virtual call for “Mrs. Doubtfire.”
Gutierrez decided to take a leap of faith.
“I was like, ‘You know what? I have nothing to lose.’ So I decided to submit for it, not thinking anything would come from it, because it was a virtual open call,” she explained.
A week later, she got an email saying she had a callback and to be in New York in three days. Then she got another callback. Two weeks later, she found out she had booked the role of Lydia, the eldest daughter in the show.
“I always describe her as resilient. She kind of takes on that third unofficial parent role for her siblings because her parents are going through a messy divorce and so she is doing her best to try to mend the relationship between her dad and her mom and also kind of making sure that the kids are feeling OK and not taking much effect to it,” she said. “So she kind of has the hand over each part of her family trying to just bring it all together, but she’s also 15, so she’s dealing with a lot of emotions as well.”
Despite the messy divorce setting the premise for the show, Gutierrez said ultimately, the show is rooted in love.
“This show is about a dad who will do absolutely anything to be with his kids. It’s definitely a unique story, the way that he goes about it," she said. "But ultimately, the show is about love and that everything’s going to be OK as long as you have that."
It’s a message the cast has taken to heart in particular. Gutierrez said when her friends and family come to see the show, one of the first things they have pointed out is that the cast really does seem like a family.
Gutierrez has been with the show for a year-and-a-half, since the tour began.
“I’m proud of the way that we’ve become a family over the past year-and-a-half. I think it’s very evident on stage, the bond that we all have,” she said. “Touring is so unique because you’re not only with these people all the time, but you’re also living with them and you’re traveling from the same airport to the same hotel to the same restaurants and so you kind of have to become really close really quickly.”
Gutierrez, who is 20-years-old, said having her “younger siblings” in the show by her side all of the time is inspiring.
“They’re precious. I love them so much. They are such hard working kids… I have so much respect for them. They’re so fun and such a good reminder backstage that I should appreciate what I am doing because they are always in good spirits. It forces me to be excited and see things in a new light,” she said.
Gutierrez’s life has been filled with light and love. She’s gotten to see the entire country at a young age, surrounded by her newfound touring “family,” found a career she loves and cultivated a special relationship with her high school theater teacher.
Her senior year theater teacher has not only seen Gutierrez in the show once, but twice.
“She and my music director from high school came to our opening night and then she also came to the show that was in Florida in our hometown. It was really special,” she said.
But whether you know someone in the cast or not, Gutierrez said the message stays the same, and she said it’s one that’s more important now than ever.
“I hope that [audiences] will be able to disappear into the story for the two-and-a-half hours that it is and come out of it knowing that love will always be the answer,” she said. “I think, especially now, with a lot of things going on in the world, I think it’s so important to have that reminder that as long as there is love, everything’s going to be OK.”
"Mrs. Doubtfire" runs at the Fox Cities PAC in Appleton, Wis., from Nov. 19 to 24. Find ticket information, here.
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