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If Margaret Cho and George Lopez had a love child, it would be Sandra Valls! - Georgia Ragsdale, comic
Sandra Valls - Biography From Sandra Valls' Website - welovesandra.com
Sandra Valls is a brash, high energy, outrageously funny, in-your-face Latina comic… and then some! Her comedy career began just after an ex-lover broke up with her then signed her up for comedy classes as a consolation prize. (That’s no joke!) An expert at “making lemonade”, Sandra quickly learned to use the stage to motivate, provoke, entertain, and…oh yes…above all, make audiences LAUGH THEIR @#$% OFF!
Sandra performs over the country and at local comedy clubs in Los Angeles including the world-famous Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store, and The Hollywood Improv and yes even at London's Comedy Camp where they're still gasping for air ( and no, it's not because the Brits smoke 10 packs of cigarettes a day) .
Sandra ignites the stage with her powerful and electric performance in Showtime's The Latin Divas of Comedy (available on dvd December '07). She is a featured comic on I Love Shanghai Surprise, an anniversary dvd release of the movie Shanghai Surprise. Her television credits include Outlaugh Festival and One Night Stand Up (Logo), Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen (ABC), First Amendment Comedy (Starz Network), ComicView (BET), Que Locos (Galavision), Loco Comedy Jam (Mun2), Latino Laugh Festival, Funny is Funny, Inside Joke (Sitv), and Habla (HBO). More recently, she was just seen with Eva Longoria at the HBO Comedy Festival in Las Vegas.
Sandra's honest, explosive comic flair, original writing talents, and her bi-lingual proficiency, have opened the door to such gigs as joining the comedy writing team of Nickelodeon's smash hit, Taina, writer, producer, and on-air personality on Off The Roof, an international show on Mun2 Television, as well as producing and writing for SiTV networks on shows including Flow and Tell (pop culture/video interactive show), The Drop ( a music video show ), The Rub (a talk show on sex...imagine that), Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (a talk show on controversial hot topics. Yes, she believes in gay marriage) and is currently in production on Luv, Carmen (a digital media show with Carmen Palumbo). GLAAD has honored her work at Mun2 with a Special Recognition Award for her groundbreaking achievements on behalf of the gay and lesbian community. She also hosted the GLAAD Media Awards in Florida.
But the story begins much earlier in a little town called Scottsbluff, Nebraska when Sandra was born into a Mexican family (what's a Mexican doing in a red state?) who quickly moved to Mexico where Sandra spent her formative years. At age 6, they subsequently, made the "big move" to America (for the record, there was no swimming involved) and then settled in Laredo, Texas (yes, the very one made famous by that annoying song.) Sandra attended catholic school but experienced a very difficult first day of school as she didn't speak one word of English (que?) and the nuns would charge 5 cents for every Spanish word spoken. (dios mio !) Needless to say, she never had lunch money throughout the first grade. As the years passed by, the only way Sandra coped with catholic school was acting a fool, playing in a garage band, and the assurance that, every now and then, a strong gust of wind would come along and blow the girls' blue plaid skirts up to the heavens. (Thank god for uniforms.)
Sandra attended the University of Texas at Austin where she studied acting and starred in numerous musical productions including Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, and Merrily We Roll Along, for which she won an Austin Circle of Theatres Best Actress Award. She then ventured forth to New York City ( What? An unmarried, childless, Mexican, catholic girl off to NYC by herself?) to study Musical Theater and then found herself in Boston fronting an eight piece R&B horn band. Yes, this girl can sing! I mean, really sing! R&B, rock, blues, you name it! Just ask her when you see her. She'll break into song for you! This girl can SAAAHNG! It was in Boston where she began doing some serious comedy after that breakup mentioned earlier. It wasn't until after yet another breakup that Sandra moved...ran...well...escaped... clear across the country to Los Angeles to start anew and conquer the world!!
Sandra Valls is a brash, high energy, outrageously funny, in-your-face Latina comic… and then some! Her comedy career began just after an ex-lover broke up with her then signed her up for comedy classes as a consolation prize. (That’s no joke!) An expert at “making lemonade”, Sandra quickly learned to use the stage to motivate, provoke, entertain, and… oh yes… above all, make audiences LAUGH THEIR @#$% OFF!
Sandra performs all over the country and at local comedy clubs in Los Angeles including the world-famous Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store, and The Hollywood Improv . She recently just returned from a very successful run at London’s Comedy Camp where they’re still gasping for air (and no, it’s not because the Brits smoke 10 packs of cigarettes a day). Her television credits include BET’s ComicView, Galavision’s Que Locos, Mun2 Loco Comedy Jam, SiTV’s Latino Laugh Festival, Funny is Funny, Inside Joke, and, more recently, HBO Latino original programming “Habla ”. (Uh…that means, “talk” in Spanish. The ‘H’ is silent.)
Sandra’s honest, explosive comic flair, original writing talents, and her bi-lingual proficiency, have opened the door to such gigs as joining the comedy writing team of Nickelodeon’s smash hit, Taina ;writer, producer, and on-air personality for Off The Roof ,an international show on Mun2 Television, as well as producing and writing for SiTV networks on shows including The Drop (a music show), The Rub (a talk show on sex…imagine that), and, currently producing, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (a talk show on controversial issues… yes she believes in gay marriage). GLAAD has honored her work at Mun2 with a Special Recognition Award for her groundbreaking achievements on behalf of the gay and lesbian community.
But the story begins much earlier in a little town called Scottsbluff, Nebraska (yes you read right) when Sandra was born into a Mexican family (what’s a Mexican doing in a red state?) who quickly moved to Mexico where Sandra spent her formative years and then, at age 6, subsequently, made the “big move” to America (for the record, there was no swimming involved) and then settled in Laredo, Texas (yes, the very one made famous by that annoying song). Sandra attended catholic school but experienced a very difficult first day of school as she didn’t speak one word of English (que?) and the nuns would charge 5 cents for every Spanish word spoken. (dios mio !) Needless to say, she never had lunch money throughout the first grade. As the years passed by, the only way Sandra coped with catholic school was acting a fool, playing in a garage band, and the assurance that, every now and then, a strong gust of wind would come along and blow the girls’ blue plaid skirts up to the heavens. (Thank god for uniforms.)
Sandra attended the University of Texas at Austin where she studied acting and starred in numerous musical productions including Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, and Merrily We Roll Along, for which she won an Austin Circle of Theatres Best Actress Award. She then ventured forth to New York City (What? An unmarried, childless, Mexican, catholic girl off to NYC by herself?) to study Musical Theater and then found herself in Boston fronting an eight piece R&B horn band. Yes, this girl can sing! I mean, really sing! R&B, rock, blues, you name it! Just ask her when you see her. She’ll break into song for you! This girl can SAAAHNG! It was in Boston where she began doing some serious comedy (oxymoron alert) after that breakup mentioned earlier. It wasn’t until after yet another breakup that Sandra moved… ran… well… escaped… clear across the country to Los Angeles to start anew!
So, if Margaret Cho and George Lopez had a love child it would be Sandra… only she’d have a really big, brown, Asian head.
“Valls is as true to her ethnicity as she is to her sexuality; knocking TV audiences on their behinds!” Curve Magazine
Fasten your seatbelts! Sandra Valls is a brash, high energy, outrageously funny, latina, comic and then some. Voted one of Curve Magazine’s Top 10 funniest lesbian comics, she sure packs a punch with her frank, in-your-face comedy performing all over the country as one of the world’s only out Latina comics!
Sandra ignites the stage with a powerful and electric performance in Showtime’s hit comedy special, The Latin Divas of Comedy, which was just recently nominated for an Alma Award. Her other television credits include Outlaugh Festival, One Night Stand Up (LOGO), Comic’s Unleashed with Byron Allen (ABC), Habla !(HBO), to name a few. From hosting the GLAAD Media Awards to sharing the stage with Eva Longoria at the HBO Comedy Festival, Sandra still finds time to give back to the community by volunteering and producing comedy shows for various causes including benefits/fundraisers for AIDS, sobriety, domestic violence and LGBT rights. Always an activist of human rights, GLAAD has honored Sandra’s work at Mun2 with a Special Recognition Award for her groundbreaking achievements in production for promoting fair and accurate representation of the LGBT community in english-speaking latino TV. The California Senate presented Sandra with a Certificate of Recognition for her relentless support of people in recovery in the LGBT community as exemplified by her leadership in producing an annual comedy show “One Gay at a Time.”
And now she’s a published author fresh off the press in “Out on the Edge: America’s Rebel Comics.” A funny and illuminating piece about what it’s like to be a lesbian and a woman of color in the comedy world!
But the story begins much earlier in a little town called Scottsbluff, Nebraska when Sandra was born into a Mexican family (what’s a Mexican doing
in a red state?) who quickly moved to Mexico where Sandra spent her formative years. At age 6, they subsequently, made the “big move” to America
(for the record, there was no swimming involved) and then settled in Laredo, Texas (yes, the very one made famous by that annoying song.) Sandra
attended catholic school but experienced a very difficult first day of school as she didn’t speak one word of English (que?) and the nuns would
charge 5 cents for every Spanish word spoken. (dios mio!) Needless to say, she never had lunch money throughout the first grade. As the years passed
by, the only way Sandra coped with catholic school was acting a fool, playing in a garage band, and the assurance that, every now and then, a strong
gust of wind would come along and blow the girls’ blue plaid skirts up to the
heavens. (Thank god for uniforms.)
Sandra attended the University of Texas at Austin where she studied acting and starred in numerous musical productions including Sweeney Todd,
Cabaret, and Merrily We Roll Along, for which she won an Austin Circle of Theatres Best Actress Award. She then ventured forth to New York City
(What? An unmarried, childless, Mexican, catholic girl off to NYC by herself?) to study Musical Theater and then found herself in Boston fronting
an eight piece R&B horn band. Yes, this girl can sing! I mean, really sing! R&B, rock, blues, you name it! Just ask her when you see her.
She’ll break into song for you! This girl can SAAAHNG! It was in Boston where she began doing some serious comedy after an ex-lover broke up with
her then signed her up for comedy classes as a consolation prize. (That’s no joke!) It wasn’t until after yet another breakup that Sandra moved,
um, ran, well, escaped, clear across the country to Los Angeles to start anew and take the world by
storm!
Scene 1 – Definitely ‘Showtime’ for Out Lesbian Latina Comic Diva Sandra Valls
Sandra Valls is headed to the Showtime Network this spring as part of the network’s Laugh Out Loud monthly comedy series which kicked off in January. The Original Latin Divas of Comedy debuts on the pay cable network in May, 2007. Showtime insiders explained, “Taking the torch from their African-American sisters, this comedy special spotlights Latina comediennes Marilyn Martinez, Monique Marvez, Sara Contreras and Sandra Valls.”
“Filmed in San Bernardino at the historic California Theatre, the ladies have been collectively honing their respective crafts for decades and are at the top of their game,” continued sources. “In the documentary portion of the film, we are introduced to these four women in a way that not only spotlights their on-stage skills, but also allows the audience to see the origins of their culturally inspired comedy.”
Okay, so I’ve taken it upon myself to get the inside story directly from Sandra, my bud. You may or may not know her, and what she wants you to know right out of the gate is, “Hi, if I offend you, I don’t mean to, sorry,” and “thank you for taking time out to read this.”
“I have been part of the Latin Divas of Comedy for a while now, about two years,” Sandra explained. “We had our first gig in New Mexico somewhere—don’t remember exactly where. All I remember was a casino, a big auditorium and the divas rockin’ the place! Scott Montoya (Payaso Entertainment) had seen me perform locally a few times. He called me and asked me if I wanted to be a part of the Divas. I, of course, jumped at the chance to work with greats such as Mariyn Martinez, Sara Contreras and Monique Marvez—all strong women—all kick-ass comics.”
“Scott wanted to show a variety of different Latinas,” continued Sandra, “and boy are we different. I’m the only gay Latina in the group—well, I think every woman has a little lesbian in them, uh, or wants a little lesbian in them but that’s a different interview. The thing we all have in common is that we’re fierce!”
According to Sandra, the special has been in the works for a long time, as Montoya previous produced “the very successful Latin Kings of Comedy with George Lopez, Paul Rodriguez, Joey Medina, Cheech Marin and Alex Reymundo. So, why not call the special, Latin ‘Queens’ of Comedy?
“…Either the name was already taken or he was afraid that people would mistake it for a drag queen show, which would have been fabulous, by the way,” Sandra explained. “Can you see it? Queens with names like Conchita del Mar, Eva Lesboria, J. Blow. I was a little confused about the name myself and why he had picked me since I’m clearly not a ‘diva’ per say. I’m a little difficult at times, a little whiny, but not a diva. I mean, I’m all about the comfortable shoes! Clearly not Diva. I’m a tomboy, dyke, with faggy moments, not a diva,” Sandra continued in a stream of consciousness.
“But Scott wanted the spicy, girl loves girl thing so, it worked out for me. When Scott called me about the good news that Showtime was interested in the project and we were going to be taping the show, I jumped for joy. Then he breaks the news to me that I’m going to have to dress accordingly. Dude, I don’t do gowns! What does a diva dyke wear? Scott was all against me wearing a tuxedo. I think he didn’t want me looking too dykey. Whatever. It’s not like I was going to wear flannel up in there. I do clean up well. He didn’t want me wearing white nor black. No black? That’s my wardrobe!”
“He was ok with me not wearing a dress and then gave me some guidelines,” confided Sandra, “funny as shit. He said, ‘think Dean Martin meets Hugh Heffner meets Prince in Purple Rain.’ I’m all, ‘So a purple, velvet pajamas?’ I was trying to be a smart ass and Scott’s all ‘yeah!’ I’m all, ‘Whaaaaaaat?’ Whatever. I followed my gut and I rented a Zoot suit! I mean, it’s Latino right? Hot! Scott sees me and he fucking loves it. I dare say he was a bit turned on. It was a hit! People loved the suit. It was so my version of Diva! And it was a hit with the hot girls! I need to own a Zoot suit like now! A couple of guys even gave me their number. Hmm, go figure.”
“One of the highlights of the evening came when I was on my way to In ‘N Out Burger and the security guard stops me and tells me that his brother is my biggest fan and how much he loves me and how much it would mean to him if I signed an autograph. I asked where his brother was,” shared Sandra. “He said he was at work around the corner at the porn shop. How great is that? Long story short, I went to In ‘N Out (no pun intended) Burger, picked up some chili fries and surprised him at work. He was beside himself. The people by the lube shelf looked all confused like, ‘why is that guy making such a big deal over chili fries?’ He finally screams my name and is all, ‘It’s you! I fucking love you!’ Oh and yes, I got a substantial discount on some goodies. I love my job.”
Scene 2 – Sandra Does London?
London’s Comedy Camp is the city’s “top mixed gay/straight comedy club hosted by the hilarious Simon Happily” and yes, that’s his real name.
“I was planning a trip to London/Spain and I decided to surf the net for some gigs,” expressed Sandra. “I came across Comedy Camp. I emailed Simon with my info and he booked me, simple as that. It was freakin’ easier to book myself over there than over here in my own turf. The crazy thing was that I had horrible jet lag! I had landed that same morning and was booked for that evening. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was vomitous,” she explained, making up a new word in the process.
“Plus everyone smokes over there like there’s no tomorrow,” continued Sandra. “I mean, I smoke cigarettes (‘fags’ if you will) now and again but that’s ridiculous! I seriously thought, ‘I’m going to hurl all over the front row.’ It was also the first time I was aware I had an accent. I came on stage with explosive energy and bang, bang, bang with tried and true jokes and punch lines and for the first minute or so, I noticed their faces squinting and heads tilted attentively.”
“At first I thought, ‘Well, they can’t see me for the smoky fog up in this room.’ I tell you it was a basement with no windows and the audience just lit up one after the other after the other,” added Sandra. “Then I recognized the look. It was the same look I had with the four comics before me. I didn’t understand what they were saying with their thick English/Scottish accent! So, I spoke slower and then they burst out laughing! Yeah! I loved it and was grateful I didn’t puke all over the host’s kilt—not good!”
Scene 3 – On God and GLAAD
“What I loved most about catholic school is the girls running around with short, blue plaid skirts,” confided Sandra. “Windy days were my friend. Also, I really loved—well mostly in elementary school—I really loved the bible stories about God and how much he loves us. I’m not making a joke. I really loved that feeling that everyone around me, teachers and peers alike, were on the same page about god. The nuns would say, ‘God is everywhere.’ I remember thinking, ‘Well if he’s everywhere, where does he sleep at night?’ I didn’t want God sleeping on my bedroom floor so I used to move over on my bed all the way till to the other side and left room for God to sleep on my bed with me. That was beautiful, come to think of it.”
On the flipside, “What I hated most about catholic school was that as I moved from elementary to high school, the teachings on the love God has for us turned into teaching us that god judges us. It did not sit well with me and still doesn’t,” Sandra emphasized. “I thought it was load of crap then and still do. The difference now is that, after lots of struggle and questions and discovery, I can come to my own conclusions about my god. The sad part is I shouldn’t have had to go through all that struggling and grappling with my homosexuality for fear that god would reject me. No one should, ever.”
Many of Sandra’s fans know her from Mun2, a Latino TV network with programming in both Spanish and English, owned by NBC.
“I was part of the producing team in Los Angeles,” explained Sandra. “I worked as a writer/producer for a show called Off the Roof. The show focused on a variety of segments—mainly Latino music videos, comedy, current events and a segment called Rise and Shine where it spotlighted local Latinos in different careers, like a Latino pride segment showing that Latinos are more than just maids, bus boys, or valets.”
“I produced two shows where I spotlighted a Latina, lesbian activist and a Latina lesbian playwright/director and her groundbreaking lesbian play based on the passionate romance between Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz (17th century Mexican nun) and a countess,” shared Sandra. “GLAAD (the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) gave us a special recognition award for my production work representing gays and lesbians in a fair and accurate manner.”
Scene 4 – Coming Out Sandra
“I came out at twenty-four years old when I moved to NYC,” revealed Sandra. “I grew up in a conservative Latino household where homosexuality was not spoken about except to condemn it. I was so, so confused and repressed that in college I was even a born again Christian for about two years—more repression. No, I didn’t roll in the aisles and handle reptiles. It was just lots of prayer and fellowship.”
“I auditioned for a musical theatre school in NYC—American Musical/Dramatic Academy—and was accepted. I packed my bags and headed to NYC, alone. One day between classes, this girl asks me out for drinks,” confessed Sandra. “She assured me that it’s just friendly and she’s not coming on to me etc., etc. We decide that it would be more fun to get a six pack and go to the rooftop of her building. The weather was cold and crisp and we stand up on her roof overlooking the city lights of Broadway—drinking, talking about life, dreaming about stardom—standing very close because it was chilly. She turns to me and asks, ‘Can I kiss you?’”
“All at once,” continued Sandra, “all these thoughts and doubts and fears swirling around, a tornado in my head. I had never kissed a woman before. Shit. I hadn’t kissed anyone hardly so I was doubtful about my skill. Whatever! She was too irresistible. I looked in her eyes and said ‘okay, but don’t’ tell anyone.’ We kissed. It was fireworks. I had never felt like that… ever. I thought, ‘Okay, I’m so gay!’ Then I thought, ‘Oh shit. Now what am I gonna do?”
“I was hesitant to come out to my family,” added Sandra. “I came out to my sister and brother first. They were super cool. I came out to my mother next. She asked me weekly if I had a boyfriend till on day I just said, ‘What do you want to ask me?’ She’s all, “What? Nothing—what are you talking about?’ I finally said, ‘I don’t have a boyfriend but I have someone special.’ Silence. ‘I love women.’ She hung up but not before the whole ‘why do you do this to me’ business. She called me two days later telling me she’s been sick and hasn’t been able to get out of bed. Then she says, ‘I love you and respect you even more.’ Amazing!”
“My father came next,” continued Sandra. “We were having dinner and he’s telling me that so and so is getting married and then comes the question, ‘What about you? Don’t you want to get married someday?’ I say, ‘Yes when they let people like me get married.’ He’s all, ‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying?’ Yes. Then he’s all, ‘I knew it! That Sandy girl in high school…’ He just rolled out all the facts and the times he noticed it.”
“Fast forward to the present day,” Sandra explained. “My father and I have a great relationship. He and I talk about girls and he lets some advice on ‘how to treat girls’ slip out now and again. My mother became friends with all my partners and went shopping with them and treated them like daughters. My mother has since passed away, but I’m happy we had that honesty between us.”
Scene 5 – Sandra + Angelina = Love
“Angelina and I are going on our 4th year Anniversary—we’re all on the down low so don’t print this. Actually, I’m not in relationship,” Sandra confessed. “I just haven’t changed the myspace page to reflect that,” she expressed with a sigh. “Wait. Am I in relationship? You never know with lesbians. I guess I should ask her huh?”
Television
The Latin Divas of Comedy, Showtime
One Night Stand Up, Logo TV
Comics Unleased w/ Byron Allen, ABC
Outlaugh, Logo TV
Habla, HBO Latino
First Amendment Comedy, Starz Network
Locos Comedy Jam, Mun2 Television
Latino Laugh Festival, SiTV
Funny is Funny, SiTV
Off the Roof, Mun2 Television
Comic View, Black Entertainment TV
Que Locos, Galavision
Stand up Comedy - Selected Performances
The Latin Divas of Comedy
HBO - The Comedy Festival
ComedyCamp
2 Dyke Minimum Tour
The Laugh Factory (Paid Regular
Hot Tamales Live
The Comedy Store
Ice House
The Hollywood Improv
Out on the Edge Festival
Vixen
Comedy Connection
Just For Laughs
Bad Dog Comedy
Writing
Flow & Tell Series Writer SiTV
Taina Punch Up Writer Nickelodeon
The Rub Series Writer SiTV
The Drop Series Writer SiTV
Off the Roof Comedy/ Sketch Mun2 Television
Valley of the Valls Original Piece One Woman Show
Production
Flow & Tell Co-Producer SiTV
Dating Factory (Pilot) Producer SiTV
Breakfast Lunch and Dinner Co-Producer SiTV
The Rub Producer SiTV
The Drop Segment Producer SiTV
Off the Roof Producer Mun2
Theatre
Valley of the Valls One Woman Show Dir. Christopher Steinmetz
Drinking Games Lead Dir. Paul Rubin
Merrily We Roll Around Lead Dir. Rod Caspers
Do Black Leather Shoes
Really Reflect Up Lead Dir. Marion Hampton
Sweeney Todd Lead Dir. Bruce Shapiro
Dining Room Principle Dir. Marion Hampton
Training
Screenwriting – Josefina Lopez
University of Texas at Austin – BA Acting
American Musical & Dramatic Academy – Musical Theatre
Stand Up - Rick Jenkins
Special Skills
Comedy Writing, Singing, (blues, pop, broadway, Spanish), Piano, Songwriting, Fluent Spanish, Voice Overs, Salsa Dancing, bike riding, some skateboarding, Drag King, Spanish Accent (cholo/border/mexico)
BIRTHDAY: August 24
BIRTHPLACE: Scottsbluff, NE
HOMETOWN: Laredo, TX
RESIDES: Los Angeles, CA
Coming soon.
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Keywords: sandra vals