We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sheldon Gomabon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sheldon below.

Sheldon , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Thank you so much for having me and creating this awesome platform. There’s been a number of projects over the years that have meant a lot to me, but the most recent experience would be at my first job out of school last summer. In 2020, I moved from New York to Southern California to attend San Diego State University (SDSU) in search of ways to create more opportunities for myself that reflected my Pacific Island upbringing. I was frustrated working on scripts that didn’t align with the way I saw the world and tired of performing roles that didn’t authentically reflect my identity. While pursuing my MFA in musical theater at SDSU, I had the opportunity to teach courses to undergraduate students, many of color. This new generation of artists provoked conversations that made me question the impact theater has on society and question why there weren’t more directors and creative teams of color that reflected the actual makeup of American society and the stories we were telling. These conversations were an integral part in helping me find my passion for directing. Last summer I was given the opportunity to assistant direct Dial M For Murder at The Old Globe, directed by Stafford Arima. I had no idea the life changing impact this project would have. Stafford was someone I’d looked up to for many years, not only because he is on a very short list of Asian Broadway directors, but because his life philosophy and the way he saw the world was so similar to my own. The amount of knowledge I learned over the summer of 2022 was vast, and most importantly, I learned that even if a script doesn’t resonate directly with my own experiences in life, as a director, I am able to infuse my view of the world within the DNA of any piece and mold the impact that a story could have on an audience.

Sheldon , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Absolutely! I was born and raised in Pearl City, Hawaii, attending dance classes and performing in community theater productions all over Oahu since I can remember. I attended Kamehameha Schools, a Native Hawaiian serving school with a vigorous performing arts department which teaches Hawaiian art forms like Hula and Native Hawaiian chants as well as musical theater and ballet. The reality that both theater and Native forms of performance could live in the same space has been ingrained in me since I was a child. I attended Chapman University in Orange, CA as a dance major, and got a job opportunity to dance in parades at Disneyland which eventually led to performing in “The Spirit of Aloha” luau and a plethora of other shows at Walt Disney World. I transferred to The University of Central Florida graduating with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Theater, Dance, and Cultural Studies. After Florida, I made my way to New York City and found spaces like Musical Theatre Factory and The Tank which cultivated new theater works in its developmental process. I helped create stories that uplifted underrepresented voices, and collaborated with like minded creators to establish more opportunities for artists of color. When I moved to San Diego in 2020, I met Julio Catano, one of the founders of Teatro San Diego. We instantly shared a passion for creating more artistic opportunities for underserved communities in his hometown of City Heights. I currently serve as the Artistic Director of Teatro San Diego and am so grateful for his wonderful company and platform.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

This auspicious position as Artistic Director allows me to actively pursue my goal in real time of creating opportunities for theater artists of color. This hasn’t always been the case in the past where many of my out-of-the-box ideas had to go through channels high above me in order to get it on its feet. At Teatro San Diego, we create the art we want to amplify and bring together artists that best celebrate the diversity of our communities. The thing that makes Teatro San Diego different is that we serve both artists and our audience- all our performers and designers are paid for their art, and we are able to offer full professional musicals free of charge to the public. We see this directly reflected in our mainstage summer production of West Side Story at the City Heights Performance Annex in the heart of City Heights. This will be the first musical theater production at this venue, and we are ecstatic to not only present a fully accessible, free of charge show to the community of City Heights, but also showcase local actors and artists, many in their own backyard. What started as a personal creative journey to create more theater for artists of Pacific Island identities has turned into a drive to pursue the mission of Teatro San Diego which is to create an extended community by bringing together the many isolated and under-served communities in San Diego in order to raise their visibility. Moreover, by exposing musical theater to a community that may not have had another opportunity to experience it otherwise, we hope to inspire a new generation of theater artists who can continue this mission into the future.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve had the most bizarre jobs throughout my lifetime. From flight attendant, to elementary school teacher, to legislative aide to a Senator chairing the Hawaii Judicial Legislative Committee, my life is made up of constant pivoting. I feel like the life of an actor, or any artist really, is to constantly be on your toes and be ready to take a new opportunity at any time. These pivoting artists, chameleons, no, unicorns, are the kinds of energy that I gravitate towards in my professional life, but my husband, Josh Tatuso Cullen, is the ultimate pivoter and the person that has guided me throughout many of these big life changes. A huge pivot for us was deciding to relocate to San Diego. We had made a life and a home in New York City for many years, and moving to the west coast was a huge investment and gamble for both of us. Who would have known that a pandemic was coming our way when I accepted the invitation to attend graduate school in February 2020, but I feel so blessed and happy to have gotten the opportunity to study the landscape of the theater during its shutdown and create a plan of action on how we could pivot once we reopened. I believe that the universe will open doors for you at the right time when you’re ready and willing to walk through. I will continue to trust that and pivot my way through that next door when the time is right.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.teatrosandiego.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sheldano
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/teatrosandiego

Image Credits
Sheldon1, Sheldon2, Sheldon3- @LadyJajaPhotogarphy All Others- Teatro San Diego website