Professionals | San Diego Performing Arts Directory

James Saba

Performing Professional: Actor; Production Professional: Board Member, Director, Executive Director

James Saba spent 20 seasons at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre (HSRT) in Holland, Michigan, where he was a member of the acting company and also Artistic Director of HSRT’s Children’s Stage. As a director, he has worked at Webster University, Diversionary Theatre, Lamb’s Players Theatre, and was Craig Noel’s assistant on four productions at the Old Globe Theatre. As an actor in regional theatre, he has worked at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, San Jose Repertory Theatre, and Cleveland Playhouse and on many San Diego stages. Most recently, he has been seen in Travels With My Aunt (North Coast Rep) Spamalot, Hay Fever/The Vortex (Cygnet Theatre) and His Girl Friday (La Jolla Playhouse). He has been the Executive Director of San Diego Junior Theatre since 2013 and is the current Vice President of SDPAL.

Tyler J. Sanderlin

Performing Professional: Actor, Dancer, Singer

Tyler J. Sanderlin has been an actor and performer in San Diego for nearly 9 years, starting out at the age of nine with small youth theatre productions, to now having just turned 18 and having performed all over San Diego. His passion for the art form only grows more and more every day, and his love of sharing his passion with others continues to shine through in his work. Tyler has performed with various local and regional theatre programs, doing musicals and Cabarets. These include Broadway San Diego (2023 Broadway San Diego Awards) La Jolla Playhouse (WoW Festival 2023) CCAE Theatricals (Rising Stars 2023) Groundworks Theatre (Miscast Cabaret, Much Ado about Casting Cabaret), Moonlight Youth Theatre (Freaky Friday, Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins), Ovation Theatre (Something Rotten!), Ritz Theatre Company (Freaky Friday, A Night of Stars Cabaret), Scripps Theatre Arts (Newsies), Del Norte High School Theatre Society (Big Fish) and other youth companies (Seussical, Tuck Everlasting, Singing in the Rain, James and the Giant Peach, Into the Woods, High School Musical, Beauty and the Beast, Annie, Peter Pan, Godspell)

Juliana Scheding

Performing Professional: Actor, Singer; Production Professional: PA/Stage Crew, Photographer, Playwright, Writer/Screenwriter

Juliana Scheding (she/her) is an actress based in San Diego, California who was raised in Juneau, AK; Phalaborwa, South Africa; Tsawwassen, Canada; and Salt Lake City, UT. She graduated from The University of California, San Diego with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Literature and Writing in June 2022. Juliana aims to embody stories that center women as complex, fully realized beings and strives to collaborate with other queer and femme artists to create work that lingers with an audience; asking them to inquire more deeply about the world and themselves. Juliana discovered her ambition to forge a career as an artist in high school: since then she’s been on stage as much as possible. She is currently working as a Teaching Artist with Trinity Theatre Company and as an actor with Point Loma Nazarene University's Center for Justice & Reconciliation on the kNOw MORE program, a drama-based human trafficking awareness and prevention curriculum for high school students in San Diego County. In the Fall of 2021 Juliana studied classical acting for a semester at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. In the Spring of 2022 she won the UCSD Literature Department’s Stewart Prize in Poetry. In her free time Juliana loves writing (poetry, plays, short fiction), taking photos, re-watching Miyazaki movies, and discussing Shakespeare with her friends who are gracious enough to listen.

Jennifer Scibetta

Performing Professional: Actor

Jennifer has been acting on stage and on screen for the past 8 years in and around San Diego and Los Angeles. She lived in France for 7 years, is fluent in French, and speaks German at an intermediate level. As a single parent, she taught her kids that it's never too late to go after your dreams. Jennifer also loves to play tennis, go hiking, and play with her granddaughter in her spare time. Fully Vaccinated and Boosted.

James Shelledy

Performing Professional: Actor; Production Professional: Writer/Screenwriter

I'm a actor-writer from San Diego, CA. After many years away from acting, I rekindled a passion for it. Since then, I've graduated from the Meisner Chekhov Integrated Studio and have had the pleasure of working with Asian Story Theater and the SD REP. I am particularly interested in giving voice to marginalized people.

Maya Sofia

Performing Professional: Actor, Singer, Voice Artist

Maya Sofia is a local artist raised in Tijuana. She spent her early life attending a performing arts school in San Diego, crossing the border everyday to do so. As a bicultura/bilingual actress and musician, she had been fortunate enough to study in both cities and perform in both languages. Currently, she is in rehearsals for her upcoming role as Anita in Teatro San Diego's West Side Story. Other local credits include Noche (Villain Queen) in TuYo Theatre's “Daydreamer: A New Musical”, Mimi in SDMT's "Rent" and Olympe in CSUSM's "The Revolutionists". Maya's love for the performing arts is only a reflection of the love and support she has received from her family and loved ones.

Gabriela Sosa

Performing Professional: Actor, Comedian/Improv Comic, Dancer, Voice Artist; Production Professional: Producer, Writer/Screenwriter

Gabriela Sosa was raised in Panama and fled to the United States during the Noriega regime. She attended UCSC, the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Diplomatische Akademie Wien. It was upon her return to California that she resumed her career in the Dramatic Arts with a scholarship to the American Conservatory Program and taught at the Lee Strasberg Studio. She studied Film and TV production at LACC while hosting a tech show, “Ventana al Futuro” on Univision/KMEX’s morning news program, “Primera Edición.” It was her thesis film, "NATO/OTAN," that got her noticed in the entertainment industry as a writer/producer/director as it was selected for the LALIFF in 2005. Since then she has produced four seasons of “BodogFiGHT” and received an Emmy™ for the Oscar™-nominated documentary “Which Way Home.” She performed in the award-winning thriller, “The Spinster” and her web series, "My EcoVillage." Gabriela adapted her novel, "Love in the Time of Taksim" into a touring one-woman-show, soon to be performed at the 10th annual San Diego Fringe Festival. Currently, Gabriela is in production of the animated series, "Koala City."

Ace In Spadesz

Performing Professional: Actor, Comedian/Improv Comic, Musician, Singer, Voice Artist; Production Professional: Playwright

I am a medically retired Navy veteran. "Committing to excellence" was part of the U.S sailors creed that resonated with me the most. I strive to give it back 110%. As humbly as I can, I want to say my strengths are going for it and giving my all even if I may not be the best in the room. I am not afraid to fail or be "that guy" to ask questions if I don't know or understand something. Singing ,acting, dancing, stand up comedy , improv comedy playing, piano and guitar. The best way I believe to give back is to give it my all, and inspire others to do the same. Performing arts is my new passion and purpose. I take pride in preparing to give my best performance. My training has been through Grossmont colleges theater department, music department and dance department. Along with some classess at Southwestern college and Mesa college. I've been a part of Grossmonts vocal Jazz ensemble since 2021 and have gone under classical training since then. At my time there, since I have done 6 classical recitals, 15 performances with vocal jazz, 1 solo, 2 stand up showcases, several classical scenes, 4 musical theater show cases, directed one act for the stage, one musical theater review/showcase as a production, and two Shakespeare plays at different colleges. My first play was Midsummer Nights Dream as Thesus and I just finished Hamlet. I thought it was time to try to my hand in the professional world of theater and share my talents ,the fruits of my labor , and my military creed.

DeNae Steele

Performing Professional: Actor

A character actor who can take the lead, I'm very expressive. Types include: wounded, fragile, manic, edgy, absurd, farcical, quirky, sexual, uptight and southern. Strengths lie in plays, both dramatic and comedic, with experience in period and contemporary, as well as musicals. Comparisons: Melanie Lynskey, Kathy Bates, Sandy Dennis Favorite past roles include: Lala (Last Night of Ballyhoo), Shelby (Steel Magnolias), Mary Warren (The Crucible), Susie (Parasite Drag), Isabel/Sabine (The Liar) Supporting Actress Award--Roz, Moon Over Buffalo Outstanding Theatre Graduate Award, BFA, Rhodes College

Floyd Strayer

Performing Professional: Actor; Production Professional: Director, Producer

Floyd is a retired Marine, having spent 21 years on active duty and the past 22 years supporting Sailors and Marines around the world with Engineering Technical Services as a Navy Civilian. This support took him to Iraq three times and once to Afghanistan to train Marines. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Management from University of Maryland and a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from Naval War College. Floyd volunteered as a mentor for National Alliance Mental Illness (NAMI) and taught interview skills through presentations and mock interviews. He is a speaker on Suicide Prevention and supporter of Survivor of Suicide Loss – Sand Diego. (SOSL-SD) Floyd lost his brother to suicide in 1999, and niece in 2006. He now promotes the prevention of suicide, for the strength of those left behind, and to eradicate the cloud of stigma attached to suicide, depression and mental health illnesses. His passion today is supporting suicide prevention and assisting Survivors of Suicide Loss. He truly wishes he had the benefit of the services SOSL-SD provides earlier in his postvention care. His public speaking spawned him to try standup comedy and Theater. This experience created a burning desire to be on stage and screen. He hopes to one day be able to use this acquired medium of communication to further his passion to reach as many as he can about suicide prevention.

Teresa Suárez Grosso

Performing Professional: Actor, Dancer, Voice Artist

Professional bilingual Character Actor known for broad comedic & dramatic work in Film, Theatre & Voiceover. Fluent Spanish & English, Intermediate French. Dual-National USA/SPAIN, valid passports, can work in USA & European Union. Currently Non-Union & Self-represented. (open to discussion). Other Details: Former Dancer ...(Yes, I can also sing), Educator & Clinician. Upper Extremity Disability - sometimes use a brace and/or eyeglasses; Celiac (no-gluten). Have a service animal who has also acted in film & theatre but is not needed on-set. See samples of my work on my YouTube Channel & via these links: https://linktr.ee/teresasuarezgrosso