Kristi Garcia
Credentials
An award-winning performer, Kristi's work spans many mediums including Musical Theatre, Shakespeare, Contemporary Plays, Physical Theatre, Film, and Burlesque.
Kristi has recently performed with several professional Bay Area theater companies including San Jose Playhouse, Cabrillo Stage, and The Western Stage. She holds a BA in Theatre Performance with a Minor in Cinema Studies from Northern Arizona University, where she appeared in over 17 productions. She later attended the prestigious Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Manhattan where she studied under award-winning actor & world-renowned mime Bill Bowers, distinguished actress Elizabeth Shepherd, casting director & actor Noel Wilson, and more.
Kristi has appeared in a variety of films and industrial videos, earning praise for her fierce, complex, and vulnerable work. She is a Resident Actress with Illumeably Media, and was the lead actress in the company's highest viewed videos both on Facebook (30.3 Million views) and YouTube (3.9 Million views). In 2019, Kristi was awarded Best Actress at the UTV Film Festival in Flagstaff, AZ for her work on the titular role in CAMELLIA.
Additionally, Kristi possesses training in a variety of dance techniques and, with her dynamic stage presence, enjoys performing as a member of Burlesque troupe Lulu & the Lushes. She has choreographed pieces for the troupe that have been performed at popular Bay Area venues such as the DNA Lounge. Kristi also possesses credits as a Choreographer for Musical Theatre, the most recent being The SpongeBob Musical at Cabrillo College. A trained Director, Kristi has served as Assistant Director for classical productions with Crooked Figure Theatre and is the founder of the Bilingual Drama Club at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Cruz County. Kristi is also an accomplished vocalist, and holds the award for Outstanding Musicianship in Vocals from the 2014 Santa Cruz Jazz Festival.
Background & Approach
Kristi believes it is the actor's duty to balance honoring the written word of their material with advocating for social and moral improvements to our society.
Kristi is a Mexican-American actress who was born and raised in the beachside town of Santa Cruz, California. The town is fueled by nature and art, and Kristi was exposed to both at a young age. Her love of nature as a child sparked a philosophical perspective of the senses. As an adult, this culminated in her fascination with Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty, which can be seen today in her approach to acting and directing.
Kristi grew up surrounded by elements of both Mexican and American culture, exposing her to an understanding of specific power dynamics between the two. She is committed to involvement in Latine art. Kristi is deeply passionate about remedying the false dichotomy of ferocity and vulnerability that exists in both Latine culture and expectations of women in our society.
Kristi synthesizes techniques from several methodologies (including but not limited to: Stanislavski, Adler, Uta Hagen, Meisner, and Morris) to bring a character to life. Kristi was introduced to dance at the age of three, and now views movement exercises as an integral part of her process. She enjoys utilizing her understanding of the Alexander Technique, Meyerhold's Biomechanics, and Laban Movement Analysis to embody and illustrate the validity of both personal and universal truths of the human experience. Both onstage and on screen, she strives to give an honest voice to those who have been unable to speak their truth.
