NORWALK, Conn. — The Norwalk Conservatory’s (NoCo) Broadway in the Park continues this week at Mathews Park and will feature a host of new performances from Moana, Hamilton, Aladdin, and The Princess and the Frog. Guests to this week’s series will get the opportunity to meet Princess Tiana, played by Gabby Gibbs, a Musical Theatre major.
Originally from Long Island in New York, Gibbs split her time between a regular high school and an art school. After meeting Daniel Loftus George, the president of the Conservatory, who led workshops at the Long Island High School for the Arts, Gibbs decided to attend NoCo after learning that the programs there are designed to prepare students for the real world.
This weekend, Gibbs will step into the shoes of Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog for meet and greets. It is a character that she loves and a role she is familiar with, having played Princess Tiana in a student-written play about Tinkerbell recruiting various princesses for a tea party.
In the Q&A below, she reflects on her similarities with Princess Tiana and preparing to wear the tiara again.
What does Princess Tiana mean to you, and how do you relate to her?
Gibbs: My mom was so excited when that movie came out, because Tiana is the first black princess. Disney had never had someone who looked like me on screen before that movie came out, who was the leading character. My mom took me to see the movie, bought me all the dresses, and really hyped it up. We would watch it all the time. And in her story, Tiana’s a very hard worker. She’s trying to make her dream come true, and she’s putting in the work. And I feel like that’s me, like everything that I do is in service to my career right now. From doing Broadway in the Park, doing NoCo, I’m really just trying to get that training in so that I can do what I want to do. And I feel like in that way, I’m very similar to Tiana, like we have a similar drive and ambition, although our career paths are different.
How are you preparing for the role of Tiana to meet the kids?
Gibbs: What I’m really struggling with right now is that accent as a Long Island native. It’s hard to break that. It’s like really, really ingrained in me. And learning different accents sometimes can be a little bit hard, because I have the New York twang about me a little bit. So it’s really going to be hard to get into that Southern feel.
What is one physical detail, like a posture, wave, or walk, that puts you in ‘Princess Mode’?
Gibbs: Definitely the posture and holding my head up as if I’m wearing a tiara, which I probably will be. And making sure that it doesn’t fall off my head, and just the poise and the grace that comes with being a princess. I’m very loud and animated, not that the princesses are not, but there’s a certain type of demureness about them that I need to channel. And standing up straight, putting my shoulders back, really gets me into that setting.
How do you stay in character for long stretches while improvising with kids?
Gibbs: Kids say the darndest things. And you have to make sure that you’re answering their questions and anything they want to say to you, not as you, but as their princess. And so, I make sure that I remember my name is not Gabby Gibbs, and it is, in fact, Tiana. So when someone calls out to me as Tiana, I actually turn my head, react, and stay in character. But I think since I feel like I’m so similar to Tiana, that staying in character, the personality doesn’t have to shift all that much. So, staying in character, I remember that I’m her, but also that it’s my own twist, because I am Gabby as Tiana, which I don’t think the two are all that different. So, it’s not like I’m playing a character who’s super different from me. I think staying in character is going to be pretty easy.
What are some icebreaker questions you ask the kids?
Gibbs: I, of course, ask them if they’re excited for the show. I love to do that. Who is their favorite princess? Or what is their favorite Disney movie, their favorite song to sing, their favorite Disney song? And if they were a princess, which princess would they be? Who is their favorite? Am I their favorite? Just easy questions like that, to make sure they’re they’re feeling safe and feeling comfortable.
What do you hope kids remember about meeting your character?
Gibbs: I hope the kids remember how kind Tiana is, and she’s a hard worker. She’s a great person who is always trying to help. During the Meet and Greet, I hope that the kids feel like she’s really interested in what they want to say and that she’s engaged in their conversations. She’s ambitious. She has this drive and a go-getter attitude. I want kids to get that spirit of no, I can pursue my dreams, I can do it myself. And that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, have the drive, and the motivation to do it, you can achieve anything you want.
How has this experience changed your goals for performance or near-future goals?
Gibbs: It hasn’t really changed it. It more reaffirms the fact that this is what I’m supposed to do and what I meant to do. Because getting on that stage, I’m just like, “Yeah, this is what I was put here for.” It was a little bit enlightening because at the Conservatory, you’re surrounded by so many extremely talented people, and the year is starting. It’s time to get into high gear. It’s time to step it up. Because I’m watching all of my friends perform, and I’m like, “wow, like everyone is just so good.” I feel we all push each other to be better because one person gets better, and you have to follow suit. Doing Broadway in the Park gave me that spark and motivation that I needed to start the school year.
Broadway in the Park will be held rain or shine, on the last two Saturdays of August from 4 to 6 p.m., but families are encouraged to attend from 3 p.m. for preshow activities like the Meet and Greet.
For more information, visit: www.thenorwalkconservatory.org/broadwayinthepark
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