Meet Grace Bernardo | Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Grace Bernardo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Grace, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
The decision to pursue a creative career didn’t originate instantaneously so much as it was the general unfolding of my life. I always found performing to be tremendously fun. The pursuit of fun may seem like a trite reason to base a career on, but I knew that if I wanted to stick with something long-term, there would need to be a fairly large element of joy. So I kept choosing the next artistic opportunity that seemed like it would fit that bill. I’ve enjoyed the range of people I’ve met through my work in acting, the places I’ve been able to travel to, and the inevitable bouts of laughter that come along with a group of people pretending to be people that they’re not. I also find human behavior incredibly interesting, and the chance to explore that in plays and through different characters has enriched my experience as a person in the world. It has made me more grateful, I think.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Most of my professional artistic life has been as an actor, primarily of classical works like Shakespeare, Chekhov, Shaw, & the Greeks, but my early training was in music. I studied classical voice at a residential boarding school in South Carolina and continued my studies in college, graduating as Vocal Performance major. I knew I didn’t want to pursue opera professionally and always had a love for rich literature, so I ended up studying at the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia for a semester after graduating. While I had done some acting in classes and plays throughout college, this was my first real exposure to the depth and technical craftwork of acting. I was blown away; I loved it! The theatre I witnessed there felt transformative. They work with such an attention to detail and commitment to both the physical and emotional in storytelling. When I moved to New York after finishing the program, I sought out other groups who seemed to work in similar ways, training with the folks at The Shakespeare Forum and SITI Company. I joined up with Bedlam Theatre Company and most recently performed with the SuperGeographics, a group of internationally-based artists who are committed to exploring text and story in highly physical and unexpected ways. If anything, I’m most proud of and excited by the unbelievable group of artists I’ve been able to learn from and work with over my near-decade in NYC. I feel like I’ve been involved in more than my fair share of projects that are both theatrically rich and personally fulfilling, and fun! (Not that I’m hoping that slows down anytime soon.) But I think it’s shown me that it’s worth pursuing the projects and collaborators that I’m genuinely intrigued by, regardless of how glorious it seems to the outside world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I know this is technically Shoutout LA, but it’s Shoutout NY in my heart, and the first place I would take any visitor is Riverside Park. It’s the less-crowded, more vertical cousin of Central Park, and spans the length of the west side of Manhattan, along the Hudson River. We’d probably pick up breakfast from Absolute Bagels on the way and swing by Daily Provisions or Joe for a coffee mid-walk. I’m a museum lover, so we might pop into the Natural History Museum or Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the New York Public Library. The branch at Lincoln Center is specifically focused on media about dance/music/drama (it’s amazing!!) and there’s also a free exhibit at the main Bryant Park branch which houses some of the institution’s archival treasures, like the original Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals, Sondheim’s marked up scores, and a Gutenberg bible. You know what nicely compliments free knowledge? Dumplings. We’d go hunt down some of those, along with ramen or Indian food (my favorite), and maybe take in a show at Joe’s Pub, a wonderful cabaret venue down at the Public Theatre. New York has so much offer and I still enjoy discovering new places!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I genuinely do not believe I would still be slogging it out in the arts if it weren’t for the tight-knit group of artist-friends I’ve had for the last decade or so. Some of these are former roommates, college pals, church friends, or folks met through other collaborative projects. We’re all at different stages of our artistic careers at this point, but what makes the group steadfast is that we’ve tracked with each other since the early days: through bad plays, self-produced projects, living room auditions, Zoom line-throughs, and hours of walking through various cities and parks discussing artistic dreams. We encourage one another when doubts resonate loudly and challenge each other to keep practicing. We run ideas by each other and give honest feedback, but mostly, by the presence of friendship, we remind one another of our shared humanity, which is an invaluable gift as an artist. Companionship along the way cannot be overstated, in any area of life. I believe it’s what we’re made for, and not only makes our work better by giving it perspective, but enriches our daily life.

Website: www.gracebernardo.com

Instagram: @gbernardo92

Image Credits
Jeff Harris Ashley Garrett Maria Baranova Sub/Urban Photography Nile Scott