ARTISTIC TEAM
Sabrina Soto
Artistic Director
Sabrina Soto was born in Baytown, Tx and moved to the RGV at the age of 4. She grew up watching her older sister perform and knew immediately that she wanted to do the same. After years of training in acting and music she furthered her education at The University of West Texas A&M where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance and studied under renowned professors such as Royal Brantley, Stephen Crandl and more. After which she was offered several opportunities to partner and work with regional theatre company's in North Texas. However, she denied after being drawn back to the RGV with one goal in mind. To launch the Spotlight Theatre Company and provide equal opportunity's to actors in the RGV. Soto strives to make theatre more inclusive and accessible to all while ensuring that equal opportunities are offered to all. She has directed several shows in her 7 years of directing such as: Beauty and the Beast, Shrek the Musical, and Seussical! Soto's goal is to further cultivate the performing arts, and more than that be the destination for theatre in the RGV. She aims to give back to the community that showed her the love for the art form and more so, spread that same love across the area.
Selina Soto
Art Director
Selina Soto was born in Baytown, Tx and relocated to the RGV at the age of 9. From a very young age she was interested in the performing arts, being a baton twirler for local parades she always knew she wanted to put a smile on others faces. It wasn't until watching local high school productions here in the RGV that she realized exactly what her calling was. Soto attended the University of Rio Grande Valley where she majored in Theatre Performance. She has since become a professional costume dresser and has worked for touring broadway shows that perform at the Mcallen Performing Arts Center. She has served as a Wardrobe Supervisor, Costume Designer, and Acting coach on several projects across the nation. One of her most notable accolades is working at Walt Disney World Resort, where she honed her costume and wardrobing skills. Soto hopes to bring an escape and creative outlet for all those who strive to be apart of something bigger than life. She aims to push inclusivity into the theatre industry and hopes to show all that no matter who you are, you have to power to be in the spotlight.
Rosario
Guillen
Choreographer
Rosario Guillen hails from Pharr, Tx where he trained under the direction of Nadia Valdez. It is there where he began his extensive training in Ballet, Jazz, Flamenco, Modern, and Contemporary dance styles. To further his training Guillen excitedly began to attend variously elite intensives and workshops such as: Nashville Ballet, NYC Beginnings Workshop, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, and Joffrey Ballet. Rosario has also had the opportunity to portray several roles with theater across the nation. Some of his theatrical presentations include: Greg in "A Chorus Line", Rudolpho "Matilda" and Judas in "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot". Rosario has also recently worked in film performing as a principal dancer in the Sony Pictures' production of "Little Women. Rosarillo has worked with various artists in the field such as Jennifer Archibald, Yury Yanowsky and Monica Bill Barnes. His extensive training and dedication has granted him the opportunity to graduate from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee one of the nations top institutions in contemporary dance. Guillen believes that dance is a form of self expression, and story telling. He hopes to push artist to tell their stories through the art form.
Production Specialist
Jacqueline Sifuentes
Production Specialist
Jacqueline Sifentes was born in the heart of the RGV in Mcallen, Tx. They were first interested in theatre when a close friend encouraged her to audition for a community project. They soon realized that theatre was much more than singing and dancing, but that it was telling a story in a creative and innovative way. Since then they have worked to push the boundaries and create live innovative art on stage. They have always pushed for inclusion when it comes to the art form and aim to make it accessible to all because "Art should have no boundaries". There hard work and dedication has earned them the title of State Champion in Theatrical Design and earned them a spot at the exclusive film program at The University of Texas at Austin. They hope to one day be able to give back to the community that has given them so much. Working with Spotlight they hope to create more jobs and oppurtunities for those in the valley because they believe there is so much talent here that cannot go to waste merely because the opportunity wasn't present. When working their main goal is to create a safe place where people feel free to be who they truly are while also encouraging them to be the best versions of themselves.
Kassandra Rodriguez
Costume Manager
Kassandra Rodriguez has always loved theatre and the power it has to share a message, change ones perspective, and tell a story. Kassandra has always aimed to tell a story through the costumes they make. With each stitch they bring life to the costume and with each cut make it unique. Rodriguez graduated with a BA in Theatre Design from the University of Rio Grande Valley. Having worked in the university costume shop for several years she was proven to be a dedicated and hard working individual who had a true love for the work they do. Their dedication to the craft earned them the opportunity to travel to Seoul, South Korea where they studied abroad to become a master at their craft. Kassandra joins the Spotlight team because they know how important it is to bring more opportunity's to the talented community that has made the RGV their home. In the future Kassandra hopes to continue to be able to tell stories with Spotlight and make the magic happen.
Jami
Aguirre
Production Manager
Jami Aguirre was born in McAllen, Tx. She found a passion for performing after being enrolled in dance classes at the age of 5. A year later she stared in her first musical "Camp Rock" still being able to remember some of the choreo to this day she remains just as passionate for the art form as she was then. It wasn't until high school however that she would discover her passion for designing. Competing in the UIL Tech Challenge she was named State Champion back to back two years in a row. Jami currently attends the Katherine G McGovern college of the arts at University of Houston where she is earning a BFA in Theatrical Design with a concentration in Scenic Design. She believes that there is a story to be told in everything. Whether it be the most climatic part of the show, or the bookshelf being painted the perfect color, Aguirre makes her presence known with her clever attention to detail, and intricate designs. Jami aims to foster the love of theatre in the RGV. She along with the entire spotlight team want to ensure that not only theatre lives on but that it leads the way in performing arts for years to come.