Staff & Ensemble

Monica Torres, Executive Artistic Director, Actress, Founder

MΓ³nica Torres

  • Monica is a native Puerto Rican pediatrician who graduated from San Juan Bautista School of Medicine in 1996 and finished her pediatric residency in 2000. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Case Western Reserve in Genetic Epidemiology.

    Despite her inclination for the sciences and medicine, her love for theater never stopped. She studied Dramatic Arts at the University of Puerto Rico in 1992. She is also a former member of the Yaguez Theater company in Puerto Rico. Some of her stage performances include Dollhouse, La Cantante Calva, and Arriba las Mujeres. She also participated in XXX11 Puerto Rican theater festival with the play Epoca de Celo.  

    In Cleveland, she co-founded and is currently the Executive Director of LatinUs, the first independent Latino/Hispanic theater Company in Ohio. With hard work and ambition, she was able to raise enough funds to make this dream a reality. Since 2018, LatinUs has produced La Cueva De Salamanca, Death and the Maiden, The Unusual Case of Miss PiΓ±a Colada, Divorcees, Evangelist and Vegetarians, La Casa de Bernarda Alba, BaΓ±os Publicos, S.A., Tiempo Muerto, La Siempreviva, and Gloria. Monica has participated as an actress and producer in all productions.

    • Appreciation Award from the Hispanic Alliance Leadership Development Initiative - 2019

    • 100 Latinos Cleveland Must Know - 2020

    • Nominated for β€œLa Cumbre Award” September 2023

    • Hispanic Influential Leader by The Plain Dealer, October 2023

Executive Artistic Director, Actress, Founder

Kivin BauzΓ³

  • Kivin BauzΓ³ is a 1996 graduate of the City University of New York, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Speech and Theater. After graduating, he studied drama in London, England, and later completed a leadership internship in Costa Rica. Upon returning to New York City, he continued his career as an actor. In 1999, Kivin relocated to Cleveland, where he has since collaborated in the development of the arts throughout Northeast Ohio.

     

    Kivin is also an accomplished photographer. His photograph Barbershop received first place in the Americana category at the 3rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest in 2006.

     

    He is currently an actor and director and serves as Associate Artistic Director with LatinUs Theater Company. He also works as a Bilingual Outreach Coordinator with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.

     

    Some of his stage performances include West Side Story, The Boys Next Door, Tiempo Muerto, Isla Invadida, Con Olor a Tempestad, La Siempre Viva, I-Juca-Pirama, Camino Real, and Los Amantes del Alto Manhattan, among others.

     

    As a director with LatinUs Theater Company, he has directed EvangΓ©licas Divorciadas y Vegetarianas, BotΓ‘nica, Los Soles Truncos, and Vuela Alto, MamΓ‘.

Associate Artistic Director, Actor

Sebastian Garcia

  • Sebastian Garcia is an arts administrator with experience in music, theater, and digital systems, supporting the daily operations of LatinUs Theater Company. As Assistant to the Artistic Director, he assists with organizational coordination, communications, and production support, while also serving as Website and House Manager.

    With a certificate in Full Stack Software Development, Sebastian manages and maintains LatinUs’ website, ensuring accurate information, functionality, and accessibility for audiences and partners. His combined background in the performing arts and technology allows him to contribute effectively to both administrative efficiency and audience experience.

Assistant to the Artistic Director/House Manager/Website Manager

Sandra Insaurralde

Actress, Stage Manager/Education Coordina

  • Sandra is an Argentine born in Buenos Aires. She is a Language and Literature teacher and has worked with young people and adolescents in state schools in her country. She has been training in drama for seven years, taught Complementary Language of Theater classes, and offered free theater workshops for teenagers. Sandra likes narrating and writing. Additionally, she loves to bake and decorate birthday cakes and prepare typical Argentine foods to entertain her family and friends.

    Sandra debuted with La Siempreviva and is proud to be part of LatinUs.

Maricris Gutierrez

  • Maricris GutiΓ©rrez, born on March 21, 1995, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is a broadcaster at Mega Cleveland and a member of the Dominican Club of Cleveland in the cultural department. She studied Broadcasting and Master of Ceremonies at the Otto Rivera National School of Broadcasting.Maricris furthered her education in Voice Acting, Broadcasting, Dubbing, and Performing Arts at the Dominican American Cultural Institute She has acted in several theater productions including "La HabitaciΓ³n Oscura" as SeΓ±ora Picciotti, "SueΓ±o de Una Noche de Verano" as Helena, "Matrimonio Moderno" as Amalia, "El Chicle" as Jevita, and "La Casa De Bernarda Alba" as Martirio, among others.

Actress/Stage Manager

Carlo Reynoso

  • Born in Mexico City in 1987. Always drawn to the performing arts since childhood, he explored training in acting, singing, and dancing. He is a multi-instrumentalist musician, music producer, and vocal coach. He has participated in short films, commercials, and theater productions. One of his favorite roles was as John Lennon in the play "The Last Breath," produced by Silvia Pasquel at the Silvia Pasquel Forum in Mexico City, which ran for a year. Nacido en Ciudad de MΓ©xico en 1987.

Actor/Vocal Coach

Maria Sosa

Actress

  • Maria, originally from Puerto Rico, relocated to Ohio before starting high school. She graduated from Lincoln-West High School in Cleveland and fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer after earning her Juris Doctor degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Maria' s passion for acting paralleled her legal career. She began her theater studies at the University of Puerto Rico and later excelled at Cleveland State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts. Deeply committed to community service, Maria has actively participated on multiple boards throughout Northeast Ohio. She also shares her expertise as an Adjunct Professor at Lorain County Community College, where she teaches courses in Legal Studies, Public Administration, and Urban Studies, as well as the Avanzando Through College program. Additionally, Maria takes great pride in her childrenβ€”Ocean, Yasir, and Katherineβ€” each currently attending college and pursuing their dreams. Her life is a blend of professional achievements and personal passions. Maria loves being involved in her community, teaching, being a lawyer, and acting!

Sylka Edmondson

Actress

  • From Panama, Rep. of Panama Mother of two sons, and a grandmother of 3 boys and 3 girls. She works for the City of Euclid Senior Programs as a Nutrition Supervisor; she enjoys traveling, music, and dancing. Has been working in and around Cleveland as a theatre artist since 2018. She has been a performer in La Casa Bernarda Alba and La Apuesta y Santa Clo va a la Cuchilla en LatinUs Theater.

Gloria Ossa

  • Gloria Ossa is a Chilean-born actress whose journey began in Miami, Florida, and now thrives in Cleveland, Ohio. With over two decades in entertainment and as a legal assistant, Gloria balances her career with being a devoted wife and mother of two. Her passion for acting, nurtured from a young age, continues to shine through her authentic and captivating performances on stage and screen. Gloria Ossa embodies resilience, love, and the joy of pursuing dreams while cherishing family.

Actress

Luis Galicia

Actor

  • Luis Galicia is Venezuelan and is 33 years old. He has been living in Cleveland for two years. He holds a degree in Criminal Investigation and worked for ten years as a Criminal Investigator in his country. He is self-taught, enjoys failures and the beauty behind imperfection, is fascinated by the arts, and enjoys playing soccer. This year, he participated in constructing the set for the musical Seussical Jr., produced by UpStage Players Children's Broadway Musical Productions of Cleveland, Ohio. He came to LatinUs enthralled by the beautiful opportunity to step into the shoes of other characters.