The Force of Water

Grace Gonzalez (Narrator/Bastet) especially enjoyed writing scripts during The Summer Pop-Up Theatre. She is going into her sophomore year and this will be her 5th performance. Grace is a small business owner creating buttons across the city, including some phenomenal SOMOS buttons she gave to her cast mates and the creative team! Outside of this production, Grace enjoys theatre, singing, and playing video games with her friends. Grace looks forward to her role as the Narrator in this production.

Cora Joy Price (The Sun/Lilla) is most excited about performing as Lilla the baker in this performance. This is going to be Cora’s 8th production! Cora’s favorite thing about the Summer Pop-Up Theatre was the dance studio, but she also really enjoyed the makeup design with Ivan and making art.

Sheldon Dworak (Mars) is most excited about his solar system play and the play at the end. His favorite part has been making all of the plays together, but he also enjoyed doing the makeup, painting, and making new friends with Vincent. Sheldon is looking forward to his role as Mars.

Gianna Smith (Earth/Cilla) is an experienced performer appearing in her 3rd production. Her favorite part of this program has been literally everything. When not performing, Gianna likes singing, dancing and going to the playground with her friends.

Daniel Bohorquez (Jupiter/Cloth Kid) is a talented performer who has worked with SOMOS since our first interactive workshop at La Nube. This is Daniel’s 2nd performance and his favorite part of the production has been the rehearsal. Daniel really enjoys acting, dancing and cooking. Daniel especially enjoyed designing the costumes, and looks forward to his role as Cloth Kid.

Quetzalli Santillan (Mercury/The Blue Rose) is a creative and skilled actor despite not having a lot of experience. This is going to be Quetzalli’s 1st performance and her favorite part of this process has been learning about doing character makeup. While not working on the performance, Quetzalli enjoys drawing, crafting and telling stories with her mom. Quetzalli is most excited about having family come to see her performance.

Cecelia (CeCe) Rose Price (Venus/Little Flower) is six years old, and is already performing in her 5th production! CeCe’s favorite part of the Summer Pop-Up Theatre has been coloring, and she especially enjoyed learning about makeup. CeCe looks forward to her role as Little Flower. During this production CeCe really enjoyed doing the costumes, makeup and dancing with Josey.

Brianna Gonzalez (Saturn/Bunny) enjoys drawing, playing video games and playing tag with her cousins. Brianna especially enjoyed designing costumes during this production and looks forward to her role as the Bunny. Brianna is a small business owner creating buttons across the city, including some phenomenal SOMOS buttons she gave to her cast mates and the creative team!

Vincent Pickett Lothamer (Neptune/Rattlesnake) will be going into first grade next year. This will be Vincent’s 2nd performance and his favorite part of this production was doing the costumes. Vincent is excited for his role as the Rattlesnake. When not working on this production Vincent enjoys puzzles, cooking and snuggling with his dogs Ahsoka and Chewy.

Eliana Morales (Iris) especially enjoyed making props during this production. This will be Eliana’s 1st performance and her favorite part of this production was working on makeup and costumes. When not working on this production Eliana enjoys art, music, dancing and swimming with her friends.

Abbie Salcedo (Athena) is excited about her role as Athena in this production. This will be Abbie’s 1st performance! Abbie has enjoyed being with friends during this production, and when not working on this production she likes playing, singing and dancing with her theatre friends.

Karen Maynez (Aphrodite) will be going into middle school next year. Karen is a seasoned performer and this will be her 7th production with past credits including Matilda in the UTEP Dinner Theatre’s performance of Matilda. Karen’s favorite part of this production has been blocking the show and she especially enjoyed reading the script. When not working on this production Karen enjoys singing, acting and dancing with her friends.

Hanna Neira (Tethys) is most excited about seeing her full makeup look for the public performance. Her favorite part of this process was painting the canvases. When not working on this project, Hanna enjoys doing arts and crafts, performing arts and shopping. This will be Hanna’s 3rd production.

Emiliano (Emi) Rivera (Khan Shu) is seasoned actor with credits in Matilda with the UTEP Dinner Theatre among others. Emi is excited for his role as Khan Shu, particularly his scene in Goldenland. Emi’s favorite part of this process was creating costume ideas. When not working on this project, Emi enjoys movie making, swimming and theater with his friends.

Gabriel Bohorquez (El Dorado) is going into 8th grade, and this will be his 1st performance! Gabriel’s favorite part of this production has been the story writing. When not creating new worlds and adventures, Gabriel enjoys drawing, playing viola and playing TCG with his friends. Gabriel is most excited to show the final battle in this performance where he plays El Dorado.

Jocelyn Estrada (El Moan) especially enjoyed writing the scripts, and is looking forward to her role as El Moan. This will be Jocelyn’s 3rd theatrical performance. Jocelyn’s favorite part of this production was getting to learn more about how theatre works and being able to interact with prop design and workshopping her character. When not working on this production Karen enjoys reading, drawing and theatre.

Jenna Cyr (The Scientist) is going into her junior year and has spent a lot of time with theatre. This will be Jenna’s 8th performance and she is looking forward to her role as The Scientist. Jenna’s favorite part of this process has been the blocking, especially the choreography. When not working on this performance Jenna enjoys reading, singing and hanging out with friends.

Josey Pickett (Director/Choreographer), is proud to be a founding member of SOMOS Performance Group, and ecstatic to help young thespians develop their creativity in a product that culminates with their presentation of all they did. Josey is a native El Pasoan who has been fortunate to work in and out of the city with El Paso Opera, UTEP Opera, UTEP Dinner Theatre, UTEP Department of Theatre and Dance, Viva! El Paso, NMSU Department of Theatre Arts, ACU Department of Theatre and Dance, Mountain Movement Dance Company, Zilker Theatrical Productions, and Broadway by the Bay. Currently, she is the Socorro ISD Fine Arts Facilitator for Theatre and Dance. Theatre has been a life long passion for Josey, and has come full circle in building a performance group to showcase the individualized talents of those in the El Paso region with SOMOS Performance Group.

Beth Leffler (Director/Costume Designer), is a founding member of SOMOS Performance Group and is enthusiastic about the performance the participants have been able to put together. Beth has worked as an actor, choreographer, costumer, director, and theatre educator in and around El Paso throughout her career. Beth feels blessed to have her skillset culminate in SOMOS Performance Group working with the best in the El Paso region to put on a performance that showcases all we have to offer.

Manny Lothamer (Scenic Designer), is a Texas transplant and SOMOS Performance Group co-founder. As an educator for over 20 years, Manny could not be more excited to see so many creative and inspirational people collaborating on a piece of art that teaches and inspires joy, exploration, and imagination. This process has allowed the participants to develop their ideas, try things out, analyze what works, and redesign when necessary. This is the same philosophy that Manny holds dear in his development of education. You can keep up with Manny on Instagram @mannyfromsomos.

Miguel Escontrias is currently a certified substitute teacher with the Ysleta Independent School District. Miguel is seeking a teaching position in theatre arts either in or out of the city. Eventually he wishes to travel outside of El Paso to expand his horizons in the theatre world and to build his future teaching career. In the meantime he plans to merge himself with local theatre companies to continue his passion for the arts, expand his knowledge base, and hone his technical skills.

Carolina Flores Parada is a graduate of UTEP with a BFA in Musical Theatre. She has had the honor to work as a performer in productions of the UTEP Theatre Department, UTEP Dinner Theatre, Teatro Neplanta, Madeline Park Shakespeare Festival, Lyric Repertory Company, SOMOS Performance Group, and Gilbert and Sullivan Company of El Paso. Recent credits include: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Gloria, Mother Teresa), Taming of the Shrew (Grumio, Bianca), Acts of Kindness (Tina Chavez, Viviana Sanchez), and others. It’s Carolina’s second time working with SOMOS, and she is excited to be a part of a project like this that serves and inspires the members of our community. Learn more about Caro at https://carofloresp12.wixsite.com/my-site-1.

Eliana Pier-Fogel is a passionate performing artist and educator from El Paso, Texas, with a rich background in music, theatre, and dance. She is currently a member of Lumanyx, an up-and-coming K-pop dance cover group, and is participating in the University of Texas at El Paso’s (UTEP) Dinner Theatre production of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical. Through her involvement in these projects, Eliana continues to want to inspire and help the community through the arts in as many ways as possible.

Georgina Escobar is an international playwright and musical theatre writer. She is an O’Neill National Musical Theatre Conference, American Musical Theatre Project, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Alcove, 121 Project, MacDowell, Djerassi, Fornés Workshop, Clubbed Thumb Emerging Writers Group, Kilroy’s, & La Mama Umbria writer. Escobar is the recipient of the Gotham & Variety Audio Honors, the National Kennedy Theatre for Young Audiences, and Outstanding Service to Women on the Border awards. Her plays have been seen in Canada, the UK, México, Italy, Denmark & Sweden and nationally at INTAR, New York Children’s Theatre, Dixon Place, Clubbed Thumb, Hartford Stages, Lincoln Center, Bushwick Starr, Two Rivers, Milagro, Aurora Theatre, and People’s Light. As an arts educator she has taught at Kingsborough College, UTEP, Princeton University, University of New Mexico, and currently at Dartmouth College. Musical writing credits include LITTLE DUENDE, DESAPARECIDAS, VINYL CAFE: THE MUSICAL, FRIDA with director Diane Paulus, and WE BELONG TOGETHER featuring music by Ritchie Valens and Los Lobos. Learn more about Georgina Escobar at georginaescobar.com!

Larissa Reyes-Arzate is from the Cuidad Juárez and El Paso region with a BFA in Performance from UTEP. Larissa is a multi-disciplinary artist showcasing talents in theatre, dance and film. Larissa continues to work on developing their talents and the talents of those around them through both teaching and performing.

Lizbeth Sánchez Pineda was born and raised in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. Lizbeth graduated from Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juarez with a BFA in Graphic Design (2003) and a Masters in Education from Tecnológico de Monterrey (2011). After graduation Lizbeth moved to El Paso with her familia and has been involved in community theatre and dance brojects on both sides of the border for more than two decades. Lizbeth was a frequent performer with the UTEP Dinner Theatre and the UTEP Department of Theatre and Dance from 2013 to 2022. Some key roles include: Anita in West Side Story, Diana Morales in A Chorus Line and Dolores Reyna in Zoot Suit. In 2018 Lizbeth started exploring the world of fiber arts and currently runs her own studio CushiCushi915, where she teaches textile arts and designs hand embroidery patterns. Lizbeth has been a teaching artist at the El Paso Museum of Art, the Las Cruces Museum of Art, The Socorro Independent School District and with the Mexican American Cultural Center. While doing all this she still finds time to participate in dance, film and theatre from time to time. Find out more about Lizbeth at CushiCushi915.com.

Ivan Cano is a native artist who has had the pleasure of performing in the Sun City for many years. Some of his favorite roles have been Leo Bloom in The Producers, Agatha Trunchbull in Matilda, Rump in Grease, Miss Understanding in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family, and Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. Ivan is heavily involved in many creative organizations such as The Utep Dinner Theatre (performer since 2003), El Paso Opera (makeup designer), Founder of The Creative Coven, and is proud to add Summer Pop-Up Theatre to the list.

Luis Torres is a born-and-raised El Paso Designer, proud to have partnered with local productions such as EPISD Summer Theatre, UTEP Department of Theatre and Dance, The UTEP Dinner Theatre and the EPCC Theatre Department. He has also had the privilege to costume productions in Albuquerque, New Mexico with The Adobe Theatre and The Vortex Theatre. Luis is currently an Imagination Leader at El Paso’s Children’s museum La Nube. He instructs camps on STEAM in Theatre and Fashion Technology.