Debut of the Month: Gabrielle Nevaeh Enters the Upside Down in STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW

Gabrielle Nevaeh is making her Broadway debut as Patty Newby in Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Marquis Theatre. Nevaeh is beest known for starring in Nickelodeon’s That Girl Lay Lay, and the 2019 reboot of All That, as well as lending her voice to Nickelodeon’s Monster High and DreamWorks’ Curses!.
 
Nevaeh has received multiple Kids’ Choice Award nominations, an Emmy nomination for Nick News, and a Young Artist Academy Award for All That. She was also the first woman and first Black woman to call an NFL Wildcard Game on CBS and has hosted  events including the 2022 Kids’ Choice Awards, the Nickelodeon Slime Cup, and Nick News.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Nevaeh about starring in Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broaday. Read the full interview here, and check out photography by BroadwayWorld's own Jennifer Broski!

This is such a major moment—your Broadway debut! Can you take us back to the first night of performances? What was going through your head as the curtain rose for the very first time?

Oh my gosh, the first night of performances was absolutely insane. I’ll take you all the way back to our very first invited dress. All of this time, all of these months, we’d been rehearsing since January, so it had been about two-ish months, and from the beginning to the point of our first invited dress it was a private event, we were rehearsing just for each other, we’re performing for each other, it felt very much like we were sharing a space between friends. And then all of a sudden, we were crossing over a threshold of people actually coming to see our work, and coming to see our souls on stage.

So, it was a nerve-wracking moment, it felt like we were leaving a chapter that we would never be able to turn back to. That we were heading into a stage that was going to be the new normal, the new reality for the next year of our run; having people out in the audience, having the laughs, having the screams, and having the coexistence of the audience with us. What I didn’t realize is that the audience was actually our last cast member. The audience has so much say in the performance, and has a huge impact on how the show is going to be. 

How did you approach building your character during the rehearsal process? Were there any moments where something clicked for you emotionally or creatively?

I play Patty Newby, she’s Bob’s adopted sister, and she’s a warrior, she fights for what she believes in. I think that I share a lot of similar qualities to Patty, so building her from the ground up was a gift, because I’m not playing the young version of an already existent Stranger Things character, I got to have a little bit of a creative aspect that the others maybe weren’t gifted. I had a different type of creative license, so I really wanted to stay true to the Stranger Things universe and make sure that Patty fit in with the others, while also letting my own soul and my own artistry shine through.

So, as far as the development process is concerned, I went back and rewatched the entire series, just to make sure I was in the same tone as everyone else. And I looked for similarities between my own life and Patty’s life, and tried to create an emotional umbilical chord between the two, and I really hope it resonates on stage.

What was the dynamic like in the rehearsal room? Can you share a moment or memory with the cast or creative team that really stands out?

The rehearsal room was filled with so much love. I remember the first week I was so nervous I felt like I was going to throw up. Every single day I was shaking and trying not to show it. The first day I walked into the rehearsal room I was so nervous it sounded like the adults in Charlie Brown, people were trying to converse with me, but I was just spinning and trying to take it all in.

I remember meeting Louis McCartney, who plays Henry, for the first time. I was sitting in the corner, and I was in my emotional tornado of, ‘Oh my gosh, I hope these people like me, I hope I’m doing a good job,’ and Louis came in, and he just gave me the biggest hug. He told me how he felt when he first started out doing the production in the West End, and he made me feel really seen in that moment.

That’s something that really sticks out in my brain when I think about the early days, how nervous I was, and how new and fresh everything felt, and the general support that everyone provided me. There are so many Broadway debuts in this cast, including Louis McCartney, so it was nice to feel like I wasn’t alone, and that I had others who were feeling very similar to myself.

You’ve done so much work in TV—what was the biggest shift for you stepping into the world of live theater?

The biggest shift was definitely my physical maintenance, taking care of my mind, my body, and my voice. When you do TV, it has its own challenges, but you get to do one take, maybe two takes, and then you get to go sit down and recalibrate. But with live theatre it’s a marathon, you don’t get the opportunity to reset yourself mid-show, and have those moments where you can walk back to your dressing room, walk back to your trailer, sit down for a second. You’re just going, going, going the entire time.

Early on I would come home, and I would feel so beat up and so exhausted. So, that was the biggest challenge for me, trying to figure out the self-care routine, trying to figure out how to build up my stamina to be able to do the run for the next year. And I’m very grateful to say that I’ve finally found that, I’ve found the magnesium baths, and physical therapy, and all of the things that are necessary to keep me going. But, it was a learning curve, for sure.

Broadway is such a dream for so many performers. What does it mean to you personally to be making your debut now, with this particular show, and at this point in your career?

It feels absolutely insane to be making my Broadway debut. Growing up I never thought that I would have the courage to be on Broadway. I was the kid that was in the back of the class, if I had to get up and give a presentation in front of everybody it felt like a punishment. So, it was something that I never thought was achievable. It felt like going to the moon, something that was so outlandish or so intangible. So, being here, it means a lot to my childhood self. Walking on the stage for the first time was a complete out of body sensation.

But, what’s interesting about it is it felt like I had been there before. Even though it was my very first time setting foot on a Broadway stage, the space felt like home. It means the world to be making my Broadway debut with a franchise that I grew up watching. Season 1 came out when I was nine or 10. I’ve grown up with the series, and having the opportunity to work with Kate Trefry, who worked on the television series as well, it’s incredible. It’s a blessing, and I couldn’t ask for a better show to make my Broadway debut with.   

Do you have anything you want to tell audiences who are planning to come and see the show?

I would say that Stranger Things: The First Shadow is a prequel, and you don’t have to know the series to enjoy the show. What’s great about our Broadway production is we’re starting from the beginning, so you don’t have to be a longtime fan, but if you are a longtime fan you’re going to find so many different Easter Eggs, there are going to be so many nods to the original series. Who knows, maybe there are going to be some Easter Eggs you find that tie into season 5 of the television series!

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