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Meet Denise Blasor in Hollywood

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Blasor.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Denise. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in Europe of Puerto Rican parents and returned to the island when I was 13. I’ve loved the arts all of my life and when I went to college I decided to get a BFA in Theatre & Art. I moved to Chicago and joined the St. Nicholas Theatre Ensemble working with Steven Schachter and William H. Macy. A few years later I moved to Los Angeles. There wasn’t a lot of theatre then in LA, so I created my own company, LADiversified Theater Co. a multi-cultural theatre alliance, where I served as Artistic Director, producer, designer, adapter, choreographer and performer in new adaptations and new work including THE THREE SISTERS, the Original Musical CADERAS with music by percussionist Maestro Lazaro Galarraga, HE WHO GETS SLAPPED starring Bud Cort and a new translation & adaptation of NO EXIT. I was also founding member of LAAFO and KOAN at the Odyssey Theatre and I am now Associate Artistic Director of the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts where I have been performing and directing for over twenty years. I’ve worked with many wonderful writers in World premieres, some of my favorites are Tim McNeil’s LOS MUERTOS directed by David Fofi at the Elephant Theatre, also presented at Stella Adler Theatre in NYC with Marc Ruffalo, Octavio Solis JUNE IN A BOX directed by Octavio Solis and produced by Sean San José & Campo Santo, Isabel Allende’s THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS directed by Margarita Galban with Carmen Zapata, Luis Alfaro’s ELECTRICIDAD, Rodrigo Garcia’s TEN TINY LOVE STORIES, Stephen Sacks HEART SONG directed Shirley Jo Finney, Miguel Sabido’s LA FALSA CRONICA DE JUANA LA LOCA performed at BFA where I played Juana and invited later by the author to perform at the Festival Cervantino in Guanajuato Mexico. In film I played Felicidad Noriega opposite Bob Hoskins in NORIEGA: GOD’S FAVORITE directed by Roger Spottiswoode and we were nominated by the 2001 Alma Awards for Outstanding Made for TV movie and Outstanding Latino Cast in a made for TV movie.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
A smooth road? Not quite. But through the struggles you learn how re-invent yourself and from that challenge you learn how to manifest yourself artistically. It’s really a transformative journey as a human being and artist as well. I started as a stage actress and I wasn’t working as much as I wanted. I realized I needed to create my own work, so I started to design my own sets, costumes, videos and became a director and teacher.

I started working as a recording voice artist and was the voice of Adelie Chica in George Miller’s Oscar winning film HAPPY FEET, Pippi in the CD Rom PIPPI LONGSTOCKINGS, Mami in the Audio Children’s book THE FAMILY TREE and recently as Ceci in COCO directed by Lee Unkrich. I worked in PUSS IN BOOTS, TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, THE MASK OF ZORRO, A WALK IN THE CLOUDS, MAN ON FIRE, THE BRAVE etc. I also began working on independent features and guest starred in several TV Pilots. While starring in the title role of “Yerma” by ‘Federico Garcia Lorca’ in a theatre production at Bilingual Foundation of the Arts I was seen by producer Moctesuma Esparza who introduced me to the director Marcos Zurinaga and I was then cast in Death in Granada with Andy Garcia and Esai Morales where I portrayed Spanish Diva Margarita Xirgu who was Lorca’s main stage actress and the star of “Yerma.” The film was nominated Best Motion Picture in 1998 by the Imagen Awards and won. It was also nominated for the ALMA Award for Outstanding Feature.

In addition to my adaptations, I’ve written screenplays, children audio books with original music, web series and my photo work and poems with original collage/art work have been published and exhibited in Los Angeles and Puerto Rico. Two years ago my short film DENTRO DE LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA was nominated as best short film by the Imagen Awards. So you see, you just need to open your imagination and let yourself create, not be afraid and never lose faith in yourself.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Denise Blasor – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I’m a director, actress and coach. I am an artist and view my life and art as One. I believe in giving your all in every aspects of life. I believe in mutual respect, dignity, social justice and independence of spirit. When I work with others I want to explore all the possibilities and achieve from the performance complete truth.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m finalizing Henry Ong’s delicious play THE BLADE OF JEALOUSY which I directed, designed and produced at the Whitefire Theatre and I’m about to start rehearsals for this wonderful play by Hilary Bettis GHOSTS OF LOTE BRAVO at Cal Rep. I’m also working on Stephanie A. Walker’s new play THE ABUELAS which is the second part of her play THE MADRES. We premiered The Madres at the Skylight Theatre and in Chicago at the Victory Theatre/Teatro Vista this past spring. It was presented with support from The National Play Network Rolling World Play Initiative. It’s a brilliant powerful piece that deals with Argentina’s horrible period of military dictatorship from 1976 until 1983 and female solidarity. During this time an estimated 9,000 to 30,000 people disappeared. I also have a recurring role in SNOWFALL where I play Doña Rosa and last but not least, my daughter Juliette Blasor and I are working on a web series using her music, talent and poetry.

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