Gabrielle Brooks
Born (1990-01-28) 28 January 1990 (age 34)
London, England
Alma materLiverpool Institute for Performing Arts (BA)
OccupationActress
Years active1997–present

Gabrielle Brooks (born 28 January 1990) is an English actress. She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical. She began her career as a child actress in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind. She is creative director of the Mawa Theatre Company and producer of the interview series BlackStage UK.

Life and career

Brooks was born and raised in London. She is half Jamaican, half Guyanese.[1] She has two sisters.[2] She attended Sir George Monoux College in Walthamstow before going on to train at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 2011.[3][4]

Brooks became interested in acting when her parents enrolled her in an after school acting programme. She got her first role at the age of 7 through her teacher's agency in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind at Aldwych Theatre.[5]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2001 Grange Hill Gossip Girl 1 episode[6]
2006 Notes on a Scandal Choir member  [6]
2007 Coming Down the Mountain Lisa Television film[6]
2008 You Will See Life Anne Short film
2021 BlackStage UK Documentary series; creator and producer
2021 Shadow and Bone Nadia Zhabin Recurring role[7]

Stage

Year Title Role Notes
1997–2000 Whistle Down the Wind Lavonne Aldwych Theatre
2003–2004 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Sewage Child London Palladium
2004 The Wizard of Oz Dorothy Gale (Islington Youth) Sadler's Wells Theatre
CBBC Proms in the Park Singer Hyde Park
2005 The Demon Headmaster Mandy Embassy Theatre
2006 BBC Children in Need Singer Wembley Arena / UK Tour
2008 Musical Mania Elphaba Millfield Theatre
2012 Avenue Q Gary Coleman (understudy) / Ensemble / Mrs. T / Yellow Bear Theatre Royal, Bath / UK Tour
Our House 10th Anniversary Concert Ensemble Savoy Theatre
2013 Hairspray Little Inez UK Tour
2014 I Can't Sing! Chenice (understudy) / Ensemble London Palladium
2015 The Book of Mormon Nabalungi (understudy) Prince of Wales Theatre
2016 Red Snapper George Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
2017 The Wizard of Oz Dorothy Gale Crucible Theatre, Sheffield[4]
Queen Anne Jezebel (understudy) Royal Shakespeare Company, Theatre Royal Haymarket[8]
Everybody's Talking About Jamie Becca Crucible Theatre, Sheffield[9]
Lazarus Teen Girl King's Cross Theatre[10][11]
2018 The Way of the World Mincing Donmar Warehouse[12]
The Light Princess in Concert Piper Cadogan Hall[13]
Kwame Kwei-Armah's Twelfth Night Viola The Young Vic[14]
2018–2019 Our Lady of Kibeho Alphonsine Royal & Derngate, Northampton[15]
2019 A Midsummer Night's Dream Hermia Regent's Park Open Air Theatre[16]
Anna Bella Eema Two / Annabella Arcola Theatre[17][18]
2021 J'Ouvert Nadine Harold Pinter Theatre, London
2021–2023 Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical Rita Marley Lyric Theatre

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2022 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical Nominated [19]

References

  1. ^ V, Tammy (1 October 2019). "Gabrielle Brooks on her role in Lisa D'Amour's 'Anna Bella Eema'". The British Blacklist. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  2. ^ Thompson, Jessie (21 October 2021). "Stand Up! star on Bob Marley and why theatre has work to do on race". Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  3. ^ "West End Actor Interviews – Gabrielle Brooks". Actor Hub. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Theatre: All off down the Yellow Brick Road". Sheffield Telegraph. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  5. ^ Masso, Giverny (15 January 2018). "Actor Gabrielle Brooks: 'To change in theatre, black representation needs to change in society'". The Stage. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Cast Complete for LAZARUS, Starring Michael C. Hall, in London". Broadway World. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  7. ^ Petski, Denise (18 December 2019). "'Shadow And Bone': Netflix Series Adds Seven To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  8. ^ Gans, Andrew (8 May 2017). "Casting Complete for London's Queen Anne". Playbill. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  9. ^ Bowie-Sell, Daisy (25 November 2016). "Full cast announced for Everybody's Talking About Jamie". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Team: Gabrielle Brooks". Lazarus Musical. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Gabrielle Brooks Cast in David Bowie and Enda Walsh's Musical 'Lazarus'". The British Blacklist. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Gabrielle Brooks: Someone needs to write about black British history". Theatre.London. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Further Casting Announced For THE LIGHT PRINCESS In Concert At Cadogan Hall". Broadway World. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  14. ^ Berrington, Katie (14 October 2018). "Meet Gabrielle Brooks, Shakespeare's Star On The Rise". Vogue UK. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  15. ^ Billington, Michael (17 January 2019). "Our Lady of Kibeho review – startling story of a heavenly 'visitation'". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  16. ^ "Casting Announced: A Midsummer Night's Dream". Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  17. ^ Marshall, Jonathan (9 September 2019). "BWW Interview: Gabrielle Brooks Talks ANNA BELLA EEMA at Arcola Theatre". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  18. ^ Longman, Will (11 September 2019). "Gabrielle Brooks: 'Anna Bella Eema is a beautifully told story about women, growth, mental health and hope'". LondonTheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  19. ^ Underwood, Kitty (8 March 2022). "Nominations announced for the Olivier Awards 2022 with Mastercard". Official London Theatre. Retrieved 8 March 2022.

External links

Categories