Today we’d like to introduce you to Sofía Barrera.
Hi Sofía, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Sure! I began singing and acting at 5 years old and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. I started my singing career as a member of the prestigious and award-winning Cantabella Children’s Chorus. As I got older, I became involved in musicals and plays put on by my school, city drama camps, and local community theater companies. I even appeared in a commercial for the Cultural Care Au Pair agency along with my family! However, after a vocal injury at only 8 years old, I took a 10 year break from singing and acting; pursuing sports and focusing on school instead.
After I burned out of my sport, I decided on a whim to audition for my school’s production of Beauty and The Beast during my senior year of high school. I got cast in the production, and the whole experience completely reignited my passion for singing and the arts. I started taking voice lessons, and training professionally in acting and musical theater at Las Positas College. During my time there, I was even a member of a vocal jazz ensemble called Vocal East, which won 1st place at the Reno Vocal Jazz Festival! I eventually moved to Southern California in 2021 to attend CSU Long Beach, where I was accepted into their Bachelor of Fine Arts program for Acting. There, I studied Meisner and Chekhov acting techniques under many industry professionals.
Now, I’m a full time actor, singer, and teacher. I have appeared in multiple mobile commercials for games like Solitaire Clash, acted in numerous short films, and performed in musicals and plays such as Mamma Mia! (Stars 2000), Shag With A Twist! (San Pedro City Ballet), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Morgan-Wixson Theater), and Electricidad (California Repertory Theater).
I also am a director/vocal director of the Musical Theater Junior Conservatory program at OCEAA and teach Musical Theater/Vocal Classes for kids and teens at The Performer’s Academy in Lake Forest, CA!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My singing journey in particular was incredibly hard. Getting a vocal injury at such a young age was very damaging to my confidence and I wasn’t old enough to understand the severity of what happened to me. I wasn’t given any instruction on how to rehabilitate my voice, I was simply told to stop singing. I grew up with a lot of shame around my voice. While I still loved to participate in regular theater, every time someone would ask me to sing, I would start crying. Once I found my way back to it after pursuing sports, I decided to take my own vocal journey into my own hands.
I watched countless YouTube videos on proper singing technique, enrolled in voice lessons to help rehabilitate my voice, and started fixing my technique with a professional voice teacher. My musical theater teachers at school also helped me rebuild my confidence around singing. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come. While I wish my vocal journey had been a little easier, I’m so grateful that it happened because I’m able to use that experience to empathize with vocal students and other young musical theater actors who might be experiencing something similar to what I went through.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most proud of my theater and musical theater work! I’m known for playing quirky, loveable comedic characters and my unique, lower speaking/singing voice. Some of my favorite theater roles include Rosie in “Mamma Mia!,” Twinkie in “Shag With a Twist!,” Taddy Jo in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and Abuela in “Electricidad.”
I am also known as a great teacher. I have a really great ability to connect with kids and I love helping them foster their love of theater, music, and the arts by creating a safe space for them to be themselves. I learn so much from the kids I teach, and all my students have helped me become a better artist and human being.
What sets me apart from most is my drive and passion. I put 110% into everything I do. Whether it’s my students, my own projects, or my family and friends, I make sure I am present, passionate, and show up as authentically as I possibly can.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My family have always been my biggest cheerleaders. They’re always there to support me and my pursuit of my dreams, without fail. During the wins and losses. I think it’s really important as an artist to surround yourself with a good village, am I’m really lucky that those people are my family. I am so incredibly grateful for their support and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.
I also have so many incredible teachers and friends who are also in my village that have helped me along the way. One of my professors at Las Positas College, Dyan McBride, really shaped me into the musical theater actor I am today. She gave me the technique and the foundations to go from a casual musical theater participant, to a professional performer. At Stars 2000, Diane Kamrin took a chance and gave me my first lead role in a musical, which helped me prove to myself that I was capable of success. And finally, my voice teacher Jeanette Smith was also invaluable to me as a singer and a person. She helped me rehabilitate my voice and correct my technique with positivity and light.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sofianbarrera/
Image Credits
Headshot is by Sean Kara. Other photos are by Aaron Burg, Sean Nicholas, and Stars 2000.
