The Ballot of Paola Aguilar by Bernardo Cubría
Season 19
About the Play
World Premiere
Just in time for the November election comes this smart comedy about ethnic stereotypes, feckless political consultants and one woman’s journey toward personal fulfillment.
A major unnamed political party — we can all guess which one it is — hires a university professor to help it stop the hemorrhaging of Hispanic voters. Desperately in need of cash to pay for sperm, and IVF treatments to start a family, Professor Aguilar reluctantly takes the job.
This critically acclaimed comedy by Mexico-born playwright Bernardo Cubría pokes fun at America’s obsession with identity politics while exploring one woman’s very non-political quest to become a mother.
“This play gets to the conversations we all want to have, and Cubría gets us there with smart, loving lampoonery — of ourselves, of our cherished metrics and boxes. You can just feel his play rooting for all of us to see one another.” — Jessica Robblee, BETC Producing Artistic Director
Performance Details
Venue
Carsen Theater, Dairy Arts Center, Boulder
Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 17, 7:30 pm (Preview)
Friday, Oct. 18, 7:30 pm (Preview)
Saturday, Oct. 19, 7:30 pm (Opening)
Sunday, Oct. 20, 2:00 pm
Thursday, Oct. 24, 7:30 pm
Friday, Oct. 25, 7:30 pm
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2:00 pm
Saturday, Oct. 26, 7:30 pm
Sunday, Oct. 27, 2:00pm
Thursday, Oct. 31, 7:30 pm
Friday, Nov. 1, 7:30 pm
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2:00 pm
Saturday, Nov. 2, 7:30 pm
Sunday, Nov. 3, 2:00 pm
CAST
Bobby Bennett (BERNARD) is pleased and proud to make his BETC debut in The Ballot of Paola Aguilar. His most recent work includes, The Piano Teach, The Boys in The Band and, The Inheritance at Vintage Theatre, You Enjoy Myself with Local Theater Company and Bennett Sings Bacharach at Dazzle Jazz Club. National audiences may remember Bobby as a top 24 finalist on the 5th season of American Idol. Mr. Bennett is a two-time Henry Award nominee and is also a TruWest and OSCA winner.
Laura Chavez (PAOLA) is full of gratitude to be back in Colorado, working with the amazing GerRee Hinshaw again, on her first production with BETC. She was last seen at Theatreworks Colorado Springs in their production of Dream House as Patricia. Other credits include: Alma (Curious Theatre Company); To the Moon (Creede Repertory Theatre); Recipe (Theatre Artibus, Grapefruit Lab & Emancipation Theatre); Santos y Santos, Botánica, The Beatification of Carmen Miranda (El Centro Su Teatro); Siren Song (Buntport Theatre Company); Unmerciful Good Fortune (Firehouse Theatre Company); The Last Session (Theatre Off Broadway); Nickel & Dimed (Curious Theatre Company); and Marisol (Pangaea Theatre Company). Laura dedicates her work in this piece to her three beautiful children who are cheering her on from their new home in North Carolina.
Adrian Holguin (HISPANIC/LATINO/LATINA/LATINX/LATINE ACTOR) has been performing and teaching in Denver since 1992. He was with Impulse Theater from 1997 until their last performance in 2016. He is currently performing with The King Penny Golden Radio Hour, The MAD LIBrarians, and at Chaos Bloom Theater.
Adriane Leigh Robinson (NICOLA) is thrilled to be making her BETC debut! Adriane was recently seen at The Arvada Center as Cynthia in Beautiful, Lola in Damn Yankees, Agnes in I Do! I Do!, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and in the 2018 and 2021 productions of Elf the Musical. Other credits: Casey in First Date (DCPA Theatre Company); Olivia in Miss You Like Hell, Ada Lovelace in Futurity (Aurora Fox); Alicia in The Thanksgiving Play (Curious Theatre); Sally in Cabaret (Miners Alley Playhouse). Adriane graduated with a B.A. in musical theatre from The University of Northern Colorado in 2015. Follow her on Instagram at @little.adriane.leigh.
Adam Schroeder> (KAJ) is honored to be making his BETC debut. Adam was recently seen as Garry Lejeune in Noises Off at the Arvada Center. Adam has been seen in NYC with Theatre for a New Audience, New York Theatre Workshop, and Queensborough Theatre. Internationally with The Bermuda Festival, and Edmonton Fringe Festival. Regionally with Williamstown Theatre Festival, California Shakespeare Theatre, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Utah Shakespeare Festival, PCPA, and The Western Stage. Adam holds an M.F.A. in acting from UC Irvine. Follow Adam on IG @adamschroeder Adam is also an interior designer at www.1601interiors.com
Madelyn J Smith (REBECCA) is tremendously excited to return to BETC after last appearing in Amelia’s Big Idea! Other notable credits: Cinderella, Into the Woods, Animal Farm, The Liar (The Arvada Center); The Mousetrap (Lone Tree Arts Center); I Hate Hamlet (Miners Alley Playhouse); Another Kind of Silence (staged reading, DCPA Theatre Company); Macbeth (Misfits Theater Company); Recent Tragic Events (Stage 33 Productions). Training: Lewis-Myers Scholar, DCPA: Education; B.A. Vocal Performance, Gonzaga University; Doctoral candidate, University of Northern Colorado. Endless love and thanks to Mom, Dad, Jocey, Bryce, Florence, and Barley – you are my light. www.madelynjsmith.com @madelynjsmith.
Amalia Adiv (U/S REBECCA) is an actor, writer, educator, and a proud mom working in the arts. Recent Colorado credits include Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (Aurora Fox), The Tempest and Merchant of Venice (CSF Educational Tour), The Hours of Anne (DCPA Studio Loft), and The Girl on the Train (Firehouse Theatre). Amalia’s writing was featured in the 2023-2024 BETC Writer’s Group, and she is currently working on a solo play about birth entitled Mom and Baby are Doing Great. The play was most recently workshopped at Buntport Theatre in Denver with the support of 10(23) Productions. Amalia holds a master’s from NYU and is also a certified pre/post natal fitness coach.
Aaron Klass (U/S KAJ) is a playwright-actor-designer-director based out of Longmont. Notable acting credits include Rothko in Red (CU Sandbox), Mr. Zyclo in Anon(ymous) (CU Presents), Jerry in Betrayal (Blunt Force Drama). He is a founding member of Blunt Force Drama, an educational company based out of Boulder. Previously he participated in BETC’s 2023-24 Writer’s Group and developed his short play For the Sake of the Tale. He is very proud to play a small part in BETC’s An Enemy of the People and is so grateful be trusted to help keep Ballot of Paola Aguilar on its feet!
Lucinda Lazo (U/S NICOLA) is a Denver-based actor and educator. She grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, with an extensive background performing traditional Baile Folklórico dance. She is a University of Colorado Boulder graduate with a BFA in Acting. Her recent professional credits include roles in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s main season and their Shakespeare & Violence Prevention Tour. She is also a proud member of Su Teatro’s Cultural and Performing Arts Center, and Denver’s new theater Flamboyán Theatre.
CJ Swain (U/S BERNARD) is very excited to make his professional debut as an actor. He is currently studying at Metropolitan State University, pursuing a BA in Theatre. His many shows include The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Bright Star, Ragtime and The Scottish Play by William Shakespeare. CJ would like to thank God, his family and friends, and his theatre Professor Carri Colton. He cannot wait to see where this career will take him next.
ARTISTIC TEAM
Adara Baltazar (STAGE MANAGER) is a professional stage manager and technician. She received a distinction in stage management from the University of Denver with her BA in theatre and psychology. Recent stage management credits include Cabaret (BBT), Grounded (BETC), this man i call mi primo (CNPF), Holly Alaska (BETC), Shakespeare in the Parking Lot (DCPA), Airness (BBT), Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Dorothy’s Dictionary, Fourteen Funerals, and JQA (BETC). She has also designed props for productions including Madagascar Jr. and Enchanted Bookshop (NYT). She is also a recent graduate of The Chicago School for Professional Psychology with her MA in Forensic Psychology.
Bernardo Cubría (PLAYWRIGHT): His play Crabs in a Bucket won the 2024 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Writing. His play The Play You Want premiered at L.A.’s Road Theatre in 2022, garnering Cubría both a Stage Raw Award and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle nomination for Playwriting. It received its regional premiere at Milagro Theatre in Portland in 2023. In 2019, Cubría was nominated for the Ovation, Stage Raw and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Best Playwright awards for his play The Giant Void In My Soul. Other playwriting awards include the Smith Prize for Political Theater. For film he penned the feature screenplays Like It Used to Be and Guerrero which Gina Rodriguez is attached to direct and star in, and he was a 2023 Sundance Screenwriters Lab fellow for the screenplay Kill Yr Idols which he co wrote and that Carlos Lopez Estrada is attached to direct. He is currently working on a studio film "Copa" that Eva Longoria is set to direct. He was also a writer on Season 3 of Acapulco on Apple +.
Anthony DeCosmo (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER) is very excited for this production and happy to be a part of such an important piece of theater in such an important time. Anthony has a number of various theater experiences, such as working with Colorado Shakespeare Festival and with the DCPA Off-Center for their production of Space Explorers: The Infinite. He hopes that you all enjoy this production, and that you learn something about your own privileges as well as realizing that we all might not be that different, and our differences should be celebrated and talked about.
GerRee Hinshaw (DIRECTOR) is thrilled to work with BETC for the first time, with this exciting production team and cast. She recently directed DREAM HOU$E for Theatreworks and Colorado audiences last saw her onstage in RAISED ON RONSTADT with Local Theater Company, written by Hinshaw, for which her performance received a Henry Award. GerRee is an associate artist and board member at Local Theater Company and an artistic company member of Curious Theater Company, where she has appeared in: REFUGE, WATER BY THE SPOONFUL, THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST, and THE WAR ANTHOLOGY. Other Colorado stage credits include The Catamounts' MEN ON BOATS and The Aurora Fox's MISS YOU LIKE HELL.
Alexandra Ligh (COSTUME DESIGN) is proud to make her costume design debut with BETC! She previously worked with BETC as an ASM for The Royale and Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt 2B. Alexandra’s design credits include Miss Holmes (Phamaly Theatre Company), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mary Moody Northen Theatre) and Pipeline (Spectrum Theatre Company). Alexandra would like to thank her boyfriend, Gilberto, and her 4-legged design assistant, Cleo, for their continued support.
Vance McKenzie (LIGHTING DESIGN) is a freelance lighting designer and resident lighting designer at Miners Alley Performing Arts Center. Recent designs include School of Rock (Miners Alley), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat PNTC, Always Patsy Cline (Candlelight), Every Brilliant Thing at Little Theatre of the Rockies, POTUS (Thunder River) and Raisin (Townhall Arts Center). Other designs include: Newsies, Once on this Island (Town Hall Harts Center) Indecent (UCCS) The Foreigner, White Christmas, and She Loves Me at the Arvada Center, Misery at Miners Alley Playhouse (2024 Henry Award).
Andrew Metzroth (SOUND DESIGN) has helped create over 150 shows in the Denver metro area since 2005. Selected BETC design credits include Holly, Alaska! (Lighting/Projections), Eden Prairie, 1971 (Sound (2023 Henry Nomination)), Going to a Place Where You Already Are (Lighting (2018 Henry nomination)/Projections), Ambition Facing West (Lighting), Grounded (Production Design), Bach at Leipzig (Sound), Ghost-Writer (Sound (2013 Henry Nomination)), The SantaLand Diaries (Lights/Sound), Shipwrecked! (Sound/Music), and An Empty Plate in the Cafe du Grand Boeuf (Lights/Sound). Other Colorado credits include Plaza Suite (Arvada Center), Marat/Sade, The Grapes of Wrath (Sound/Music), Autobahn, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, and The Time Machine (Director) at CU Boulder. When not designing, Andrew is the Executive Director of CU Presents and co-host of Alzabo Soup, a literary speculative fiction podcast. He holds a BFA in Theatre Technology and Design, a BA in Religious Studies, an MA in Theatre, and an MS in Organizational Leadership from CU-Boulder.
Brian Watson (SCENIC & PROJECTION DESIGN) is making their BETC debut with this production! Formerly from the Bay Area, they have been residing in Denver, Colorado for the past 2 years. Brian has worked for companies like 42nd St Moon, Berkeley Playhouse, Town Hall Theatre, Musical Theatre Works, Capital Stage, Sacramento Theatre Company, and California Music Circus. They hold a B.A. in Theatre Arts from CSU Sacramento and also works as an actor with Actor’s Equity Association. Follow them on Instagram @BWatScenic and visit bwatscenic.weebly.com
The University of Denver Theatre Technical Internship Program provides DU students with paid opportunities to work with professional companies and designers in a supportive setting that prepares them for work in the entertainment industry. During the build process, students are engaged in the construction shop with working professionals, and then experience the challenges of moving the show elements to a professional venue, working with the theatre company’s team to install and present the show.
Projects with BETC include Enemy of the People, Holly Alaska, Coal Country, The Children and two seasons of the Summer Theatre Truck. In the last twelve months, TTIP has built 22 shows, including 14 plays, two musicals, opera, and a comedy special with Paul Reiser. Companies include DU Theatre, Phamaly, Parker Arts, Curious Theatre Company, Local, and Lamont Opera Theatre.
Scenery Director: Steven McDonald
Shop Foreman: Trevor Marrs
Intern Carpenters: Cooper Atchison, Allie Gaty, Ruby Gregorson, Kate Hebert, Erin Kubat, Aspen McCart, Jack McDonald
Charge Painters: Haley Delich, Allie Gaty
