ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Presenters:

Sophia Alawi (Writer/Producer) Sophia Alawi will be hosting and presenting at the fundraiser. She is a recent Bay Area Transplant, originally from Hudson County, New Jersey. Sophia is a proud first-generation Moroccan-Italian-American Actor, Writer, & singer-songwriter. She won the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle award for Featured Actress – Musical in 2019 for Groundhog Day The Musical and was named one of the “Five Standout Performances” in 2019 by the Houston Chronicle for the role of Wendla in Spring Awakening. As an actor, she has credits on television, Off-Broadway, and at regional theaters across the country. In 2020 she launched her first online series ‘Meet Amal’.You can watch it on YouTube and give the series a follow at @hayawanseries. You can listen to her music on all streaming platforms. Please give @Lionessshortfilm a follow!

Victorya Cintra (Director) Victorya Cintra will be presenting at the fundraiser. She is a Brazilian-American filmmaker and actress born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. After getting her B.A. in Media Studies at the University of Virginia, she moved to Los Angeles to work as the executive assistant to the President of Phantom Four Pictures. Victorya’s first short film, Grieving the Girl, played at the Oxford Film Festival along with festivals in Sweden, Brazil, and England and won her the spotlight award at the Tu Cuentas Cine Youth Fest. She just wrapped her second short film and will be starting the festival circuit. Victorya’s love for storytelling centers on the need to highlight those who have been marginalized, including stories with female main characters and people of color.

Nora Elkind (Assoc. Producer). Nora Elkind will be presenting at the fundraiser. She is an artist inspired by projects that challenge convention. With a background in performing arts, she is excited to combine her passion for storytelling and collaboration through production work for Lioness. Currently, she is working for a public interest legal aid organization in Los Angeles.


Performers:

Christian Eck has been playing music professionally since his early days on the Chicago Blues R&B and Gospel scene in 2005. A multi-instrumentalist vocalist and wearer of many hats Christian relocated to the Bay Area in 2018 and quickly found a home in our vibrant local music scene. www.swampcake.com

Kirk Duplantis is a percussionist, composer, and educator from Houma, Louisiana. In 2011 he earned his BA in Jazz studies at the University of New Orleans. During that time, he became immersed in the vibrant and diverse music scene of that city. In 2017, Kirk recorded a double album with indie-rock band Mighty Brother. Two years later, he made a move to the West Coast to take a full-time music teaching position. Since that time, he has been very active in both the jazz and musical theater scenes of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. His debut album Fragile Limbs was released in 2023. kirkduplantis.com swampcake.com

Victoria Abbott is five years old and is trained in singing and gymnastics. Recent theatre credits include her role as Molly in Annie at Coastal Repertory Theatre. She has been inspired and mentored by her vocal coach, and other performers. Her current interests include singing along to Taylor Swift, The Descendants Disney movies, and playing the video game Just Dance. In 2024, Victoria received her Junior Kindergarten class award for Creativity.

Clara Goetzke is a sixth grader at Pacific Bay Christian School. Her favorite role has been Young Anna in Frozen at Coastal Repertory Theater in Half Moon Bay. When she is not acting, you can find her singing, dancing, or directing plays at home with her friends. She would like to thank her mom, dad, sister, and cats for all of their love and support.

Maura Goetzke is an 8th grader at Seacrest School in Half Moon Bay. Her favorite performance credits have been Annie (Coastal Repertory Theatre) Christmas in Oz & Frozen (Coastal Repertory Kids Theater), The Little Mermaid, The Wizard of Oz & Peter Pan(Seacrest School). Maura also loves to play guitar and write songs. She would like to thank her family for always being there, her friends for supporting her no matter what, and her vocal coach Sophia Alawi for always lending a helping hand.

Savannah Hughes is a student at Pacific Bay Christian School. Her following theater credits include Annie(Coastal Repertory Theatre), Cinderella Jr, and Frozen Jr(Coastal Repertory Kids Theater), where she shined as Middle Anna on stage. Driven by a powerful stage presence Savannah’s passion for tap, jazz, guitar, and theatre truly lights up the stage. Outside of her roles, she enjoys putting on shows with friends and playing tennis. A big thank you to her family, friends, and teachers for their unwavering support and encouraging her artistic growth.

Scarlett Hughes is a student at Pacific Bay Christian School. Her following theater credits include Annie(Coastal Repertory Theatre), Cinderella Jr, and Frozen Jr(Coastal Repertory Kids Theater). She would like to thank her family for supporting her!

Sunday, January 19th 2025
Time: 2:00pm Doors, 2:15pm Show
Admission: $40 general

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