Carmela Full of Wishes

Carmela –

Mireya Luna (Carmela) is a theatre artist from Houston, Texas. Mireya has most recently appeared as Viola in Twelfth Night with The University of Texas’ Shakespeare and Dramaturgy, Maria/Lisa in Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play and Ariel in The Tempest with UT’s Performance as a Public Practice Graduate Student Alliance. When she isn’t on stage, Mireya enjoys writing, baking and relaxing with yoga. Mireya is very grateful to The Rose Theater and her family for all the support and for making dreams come true!

Big Brother –

Isaiah is thrilled to be making his Rose Theater DEBUT! Isaiah is the brand-new Director Of Community Connections for The Rose. He joins us from Chino, California where he has built a career as an award-winning performer and director. Some of his favorite past roles include Fester in The Addams Family, the title role in Shrek and Bernardo in West Side Story. Isaiah has studied Communications and Theater Arts at a few different colleges and attended The Young Americans College of the Performing Arts where he had the opportunity to teach and perform around the country. For fun Isaiah loves to read, cook, and hang out with friends! Isaiah is extremely grateful to be able to play in a space full of Latinx creators and hopes you enjoy the show as much as he has!

Mami –

Tatiana is thrilled to be a part of her first production at The Rose Theater. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa last spring with a B.A in Theatre, she is excited to dive back into the world of storytelling in Carmela Full of Wishes. Her favorite past roles in undergrad include Helga in Cabaret and the roles of Adventurer, Scientist, and Astronaut in the all immersive experience and devised theatre for youth production of To Touch the Moon. Tatiana’s favorite part of theatre has always been the community that is built within each project and she is grateful that The Rose Theatre has welcomed her in with open arms and an open heart. She sends out immense gratitude to everyone who helped her expand her love and knowledge of theatre and those who continue showing their support.

Papi –

Manny graduated from Creighton University with a degree in Musical Theatre in 2019. Since then he has been working at RESPECT writing, directing and acting in plays primarily for students. Manny also works as a Legal Assistant at Immigrant Legal Center. Manny has been involved in a number of productions in the Omaha area, some of which include "EPIC!" at GPTC, "Dairy Maid Right" at Shelterbelt, "Madagascar" and "Newsies" at The Rose, and "Sweat" at Omaha Community Playhouse, which he received the Elaine Jabenis Cameo Award. Manny is excited to be back at The Rose and to be performing such a beautiful script with such a talented cast and team.

Director –

Anna Skidis Vargas is a director, actor, and playmaker who subverts stereotypes through myth, spirituality, and humor with a focus on Latinx and mixed identity stories. Skidis Vargas holds an M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Texas at Austin (UT), and a B.A. in Performance from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She is part of the 2018-21 Rising Leaders of Color cohort with TCG, and is the Founding Artistic Director of Theatre Nuevo. Skidis Vargas has directed for Mustard Seed Theatre and Theatre Nuevo (St. Louis, MO), First Stage (Milwaukee, WI), Texas State University, UT Austin, St. Edward’s University (Austin, TX) and has upcoming productions at Cape Fear Regional Theatre (Fayetteville, NC), and Children’s Theatre of Madison (WI). She is absolutely thrilled to to be making her debut here at The Rose with Alvaro Saar Rios’ incredible adaptation of Carmela Full of Wishes! skidisvargas.com

Composer & Music Production –

David R. Molina is a musician, sound artist/designer/engineer, and instrument inventor. He works nationally and internationally in the performing arts, multimedia, and film productions. His work focuses on social justice and working with marginalized community members. Recent credits include: Regional: King Lear (STL Shakespeare Festival), Quixote Nuevo (Hartford Stage, Huntington Theater, The Alley, Round House), Mojada (Rep of St. Louis, CTG, OSF), Two Trains Running (Seattle Rep, Arena Stage), Macbeth (Next Chapter Podcasts, Play On! Shakes). Resident Artist: Brava Theater, NAKA Dance Theater, Human Shakes. Awards: LA Ovation, Creative Capital Grant, Wattis Fund, InterMusic SF MGP, San Francisco Arts Commission Grant. Instrument design and multimedia art: SFMOMA, The Broad, Oakland Museum of California, McLoughlin Gallery. Music collaborations: Tau (Berlin), Emanative (UK), El Paso (Peru), The Pyramids. Molina’s bands: Impuritan, Ghosts and Strings, Transient. www.drmsound.com