Michelle Rios

Sometimes you don't have to go all the way to New York to see a Broadway star shine.

Michelle Rios, born in Puerto Rico, formerly of NYC, and now a proud Edmontonian, has performed in countless venues, all over Canada and the US, and Europe. She has performed with Grammy winners like Marc Anthony and Paul Simon, and shared the stage with Placido Domingo! She has performed and collaborated with Grammy award winning Latin artists such as Ednita Nazario and Lila Downs, and has acted alongside of Oscar nominees such  as Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Mare Winningham. Some of her many credits include featured roles in the Tony Award nominated Broadway productions of Paul Simon's The Capeman, The Sound of Music, and Man of La Mancha. Other guest artist appearances include: The Washington Opera, The National Symphony, The Greenville Symphony, The Arlington Symphony,  and The Pan American Symphony Orchestra.      

And now she's ours!

What makes someone trade in the Big Apple for the Big Onion? It's the simplest yet most complicated of reasons... LOVE! Michelle married her partner Carla almost 4 years ago right here in Alberta. At the time, gay marriage was not legal in New York City. Gay marriage recently became legal in NY; however, it is still not acknowledged federally. Michelle hopes is that someday the U.S. will support gay marriage across the board. Although she still has close professional and personal ties in NY, and does fly to NY on occasion to do projects, her marriage is her first priority.

Still, Michelle hopes to continue performing, teaching, advocating, and growing as an LGBTQ artist and activist. She has been worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, TV and Film, and looks forward to sharing that professional experience and knowledge with other young artists. “Although New York is my hometown,” Michelle says, “I am thrilled to call Edmonton my new home!”

This dark beauty has an absolutely amazing voice (check out some recordings here), and she's planning on sharing that voice with the Edmonton area. She is in the process of completing her MFA in community-based theatre practice at the University of Alberta, and her concentration is working with and for LGBTQ youth to create theatre that is socially relevant. Michelle approached the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University about her interest in pursuing this kind of project.

The Youth ‘Artivist’ Theatre Project emerged. “Artivist” is derived from both Artist and Activist; hence, ‘Artivist’. Michelle is in the process of beginning this project with youth from several of Edmonton’s GSAs in the Fall, in the hopes of presenting pieces that incorporate theatre, music, and art based on narratives that are youth driven. The main objective is to offer awareness, education, and advocacy to the community about the LGBTQ youth experience through creativity.

Michelle is also in talks with Kate Reid about collaborating on a musical theatre project. They hope to work together to theatricalize songs into a scripted piece that offers awareness and advocacy about the LGBTQ family experience.

This Summer, she will be performing in an adaptation/translation of a new piece called “The Absent One” at the StageLab Festival here in Edmonton, which will take place August 28-30th.

So she's keeping busy! And how does Edmonton compare to New York so far? “I have been living in Edmonton now for two years,” Michelle says, “and I find that the LGBTQ scene is extremely alive and supportive. If I had to make a comparison it would be that in NY, the fight for equal rights as an LGBTQ individual is still very much alive, especially when it comes to recognizing gay marriage and gay rights on a federal level. The U.S. still has a ways to go on this issue… Nevertheless, as a community, I would have to say that we all continue to share the same hardships regardless of geography, so having a strong and supportive community still continues to be a major goal, especially for queer youth.

As for Edmonton’s theatre and art scene, I find Edmonton to be a culturally rich city. I have had the pleasure of meeting a bevy of talented artists and look forward to collaborating with several of them in the future.”

We think that bevy of artists will be equally glad to number Michelle among their ranks.

For more informaton on Michelle, click here.