Photo Credit: Corinne Louie Photography
Bio
Francesca Fernandez is an actor, educator, and theater worker from the San Francisco Bay Area based in New York City. She has shared her work in NYC: Roundabout Theatre Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST), Royal Family Productions, Pipeline Theatre Co., 59E59, Daryl Roth Theater, Ant Fest at ARS NOVA, Center at Park West and Regionally: Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Dorset Theatre Festival, KC Rep, California Shakespeare Theatre, Southern Rep, Mu Theater, Two Rivers Theater, Magic Theater, Cleveland Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep.
In NYC, she has workshopped new work with New York Theatre Workshop, Ping Chong & Company, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Ars Nova, EST, New Dramatists, Playwrights Realm, The Lark, National Showcase of New Plays (NNPN), Bechdel Project, The Brick, LPAC Rough Draft Festival, Hunter MFA Thesis Festival, 2g Productions, and the National Black Theater of Harlem. Some memorable roles include Shen Te/Shui Ta in “Good Person of Szechwan” directed by Eric Ting at CalShakes, the world premiere of “Bald Sisters” by Vichet Chum directed by Jesca Prudencio at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and understudying Tony Award Nominated Gabby Beans (Lortel Award Winner) in the world premiere of “Jonah” by Rachel Bonds directed by Danya Taymor at Roundabout Theater Company.
TV/Film credits include “Law & Order: SVU,” “Blue Bloods,” “Arcadia,” “The Hardest Part,” “Mooshrooms,” and “The Locker Room Series,” and PBS’ Great Performances recording of the play “Gloria: A Life.” While getting her MFA in acting at Yale School of Drama, she was a co-Artistic Director of Yale Cabaret in its 50th season, a co-founder of the Asian and Asian American Coalition (aka Asian Potluck) and Yale School of Drama’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.
While in New Orleans she was part of Cripple Creek Theater Company and an ensemble member of Goat in the Road Productions. In 2015, she was featured in American Theater Magazine as a “Theater Worker You Should Know.” She is a co-Founder of Encompass Collective NYC, and is a recipient of the inaugural Stonehenge NYC Still Standing Artist Residency. She’s taught at the College of Performing Arts at the New School, the Theatre and Performance Studies at Yale University, and scene study faculty at ACT’s Summer Training Congress. She is currently the Community Engagement Manager at Ensemble Studio Theatre NYC.
RESUME
Film/TV
Law & Order: SVU
Blue Bloods
Arcadia
The Hardest Part
Mooshrooms
Locker Room Series
Guest Star
Guest Star
Lead
Lead
Lead
Supporting
NBC
CBS
Web
Short Film
Web
Web
dir. Batán Silva
Ralph Hemecker
Ean Castellanos
Philip Zain Dias
Nolan DeGraff
Kat Belinfante
NYC Theater
Marilla of Green Gables
Sex & the Abbey
House of Telescopes
Jonah
Smart
…what the end will be
Gloria: A Life
Love, Medea
Kenny’s Tavern
Anne
Adelheide
Lila
Ana (u/s)
Gabby
Chloe (u/s)
Ensemble
Medea
Laura
Royal Family Prod.
The Brick
Pipeline Theatre Co.
Roundabout Theatre
Ensemble Studio - EST
Roundabout Theatre
Daryl Roth Theatre
Center at Park West
59E59
dir. chris henry
Emily Lyon
Lyam B. Gabel
Danya Taymor
Matt Dickson
Margot Bordelon
Diane Paulus
Michael Alvarez
Jess Chayes
Regional
Exotic Deadly: or the MSG Play
Ms Holmes & Sherlock Apt 2B
Bald Sisters
Othello
Twelfth Night
King Lear
Good Person of Szechwan
Lily’s Revenge
Twelfth Night
Mister Paradise
Sheddin’
Electra
Cradle Will Rock
ExoticDeadly
Irene/Women
Sophea
Emilia
Viola
Cordelia
Shen Te
Bride Love
Olivia
Girl
E’boa
Chrysothemis
Ella Hammer
SF Playhouse
Dorset Theatre Fest
Steppenwolf
Play On Podcasts
Kansas City Rep
Play On Podcasts
CalShakes
Southern Rep, NOLA
Theater Mu
Provincetown Players
Horizon Theater, ATL
Stanford Summer Fest
Cripple Creek
Jesca Prudencio
Aneesha Kudtarkar
Jesca Prudencio
Victor Malana Maog
Nelson T. Eusebio III
Eric Ting
Eric Ting
Aimee Hayes
Randy Reyes
David Kaplan
Sheddin’
Rush Rehm
Andrew Vaught
Yale School of Drama (David Geffen)
Wait… Now, What?!
Blood Wedding
Our Lady of 121st Street
The Hour of Great Mercy
Salt, Pepper Ketchup
Wrong River
Lear
As You Like It
Othello
Much Ado About Nothing
Death of Yazgherd
Thunder Above Deeps Below
Pantalona
Mother-In-Law
Inez
Irma
Linda Wu
Lisa
Goneril
Rosalind
Emilia
Hero/Dogberry
Woman
Teresa
Chris Bayes
Kevin Hourigan
Pironne Yousefzadeh
Kevin Hourigan
Al Heartley
Shadi Ghaheri
Shadi Ghaheri
Ensemble devised
Rory Pelsue
Jecamiah Ybanez
Shadi Ghaheri
Sebastian Arboleda
“Francesca Fernandez makes an ingenue’s openness not static or stock but dramatic, juicy with possibility...she is superb.”
Contact Francesca
IMDB
Representation
Brantley Brown, Authentic (manager)
Dawn Gray, Gray Talent Group (theatrical agent)
Training
Yale School of Drama, MFA Acting
Santa Clara University, Theater Arts