Hoboken native Kyla Garcia has been chosen as a finalist in Twinkie Byrd’s 2013 Monologue Slam. Acclaimed casting director Twinkie Byrd (most recently taking the industry by storm for her stellar casting in the Sundance darling “Fruitvale Station”) created her Monologue Slam last year to give up and coming actors an opportunity to shine. Hundreds of actors from around the globe submitted monologue entries on YouTube for this year’s Slam and only twelve finalists were chosen.
The Rutgers B.F.A. graduate first began acting in Calabro Primary School and later went on to star in many productions at A.J. Demarest Middle School under the guidance of beloved Hoboken teacher Margo Singaliese. She continued to hone her craft in multiple productions at High Tech High School under the direction of acclaimed musical theatre director Alex Perez receiving a Papermill Playhouse Best Supporting Actress nomination for the role of “Catherine” in ‘Pippin’ along the way. Garcia starred in her first off-Broadway production at the age of 15 as “Dorothy” in the Papermill Playhouse Best Musical Winner “Oz: A Twisted Musical.” What started as a childhood dream transformed into a true career path as Garcia was accepted into Rutgers University’s prestigious B.F.A. Acting program where she spent her junior year abroad studying the classics at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, England. Garcia is the only finalist to be representing New Jersey in the 2013 competition and will be performing as ‘Boochie’ in a piece from “Den of Thieves” written by award-winning NY based playwright Stephen Adley Guirgis. The Slam was hosted in conjunction with the Hollywood Black Film Festival and took place on Saturday October 5th at 7PM at the W Hotel in Hollywood. Tickets for the Slam are $10 and can be purchased here: http://www.flavorus.com/event/Twinkie-Byrds-Monologue-Slam/193799