Costa Rican Performer ISA CONDO-OLVERA stars as 'Mariana' in LAUGHS IN SPANISH at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre

Isa Condo-Olvera is a Costa Rican actor and singer currently playing 'Mariana' in the play Laughs in Spanish by Alexis Scheer at the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. This hilarious and heartfelt new comedy follows Mariana, the director of an art gallery, with a serious problem on her hands. The piece playfully explores mother-daughter relationships, art, and love. This production is the Midwest premiere of the Kennedy Center Award-winning play, and is directed by Anna Skidis Vargas.

Opposite Isa as Mariana, Milwaukee favorite Rána Roman plays Estella, Mariana’s larger-than-life movie-star mother, Ashley Oviedo plays Mari’s intern Carolina, Arash Fakhrabadi plays Caro’s cop boyfriend, Juan, and Jenna Bonofiglio plays Estella’s assistant, Jenny.

Isa Condo-Olvera was born and raised in San Jose, Costa Rica, to a Mexican mom and an Ecuadorian dad. Growing up in Costa Rica, opportunities in theatre were limited, but Condo-Olvera managed to create her own.  Isa's  efforts as a young producer in Costa Rica led to her being recognized by then-Costa Rican vice president Ana Helena Chacón for her leadership in the arts, through Nosotras: Women Connecting, an initiative for women’s leadership. Isa’s passion for acting later earned  a spot at the University of Minnesota Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training program, where she graduated last May.

While in acting school, Isa made her US professional debut going as an understudy for the Guthrie Theater’s production of The Tempest. She performed in various subsequent professional productions while obtaining her BFA, including playing the title role of Iphigenia in Ten Thousand Things’ Iphigenia at Aulis, a performance for which she got rave reviews.

Talkin Broadway:

“As Iphigenia, Isa Condo-Olvera is astonishing, presenting a range of feelings from girlish excitement over her impending marriage to a bona fide hero, to horror and despair at learning the truth, to a countenance of peace and even victory. Based on this work, Condo-Olvera has a bright future ahead”. (For full article Click Here)

Star Tribune:

“Lorca has cast the theatrical equivalent of Yankees all-stars for her sublime production. Condo-Olvera is sweet and earnest as Iphigenia, an innocent who finds her own courage and strength.” (For full article Click Here)

Outside Minneapolis, Isa performed the leading role of 'Marian' in Texas Shakespeare Festival’s production of The Music Man and was the youngest member of The Acting Company at Illinois Shakespeare Festival this past summer, playing 'Miranda' in The Tempest and 'Alice' in The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson. Following her run in Laughs in Spanish in Milwaukee, Isa will be returning to Minneapolis to play Fan in the Guthrie Theater’s beloved production of A Christmas Carol.

To Purchase Tickets for Laughs in Spanish Here!

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