MEET THE TEAM

These are the people that make LYT possible

“The ownership the young people felt for this project was extremely present. Fantastic performances that brought important and complex themes to the audience and challenged us to make the community better.”
– Parent LYT Participant 20213

Latinx Youth Theater

LYT is brought to you by a group of Latinx, British Latinos, and British artists and changemakers who recognize the vital importance of fostering an inclusive cultural space for the next generation of Latin American artists in the UK. Having experienced first hand barriers to accessing cultural spaces, limited opportunities, and lack of representation, the LYT team believes that change is possible if we sow and nurture the future starting now

We are an interdisciplinary creative production company collaborating with global artists and cultural organisations to produce films, media, theatre, and live events. Based in Colombia and the UK, our multicultural background drives us to craft high-end artistic experiences that resonate globally…

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Community At Project is an organisation that works to empower people to take creative actions that enable transformations on two levels: the individual and the community. We use artistic and empathetic tools to work effectively with people…

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Team Members:

Carlos
Ossa

Co founder &
Youth Lead
Read Bio

Miguel
Umba

Co founder &
Creative Director
Read Bio

Fernanda Mandagara

Creative
Lead
Read Bio

Camila
Robinson

Creative Lead
2021 & 2023
Read Bio

Sayen
Sanchez

Youth
Ambassador
Read Bio

Anna
Alvarez

Production
Coordinator
Read Bio

Matthew
Schmolle

Production
Consultant
Read Bio

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© Latinx Youth Theatre – 2024

We are an interdisciplinary creative production company collaborating with global artists and cultural organisations to produce films, media, theatre, and live events. 

Based in Colombia and the UK, our multicultural background drives us to craft high-end artistic experiences that resonate globally and reach a wide variety of audiences.

We are on a mission to inspire positive change in every person and community around the globe through exceptional storytelling that celebrates diversity, amplifies marginalised voices, empowers communities, and fosters meaningful connections.

Our community and outreach initiatives are dedicated to empowering marginalised communities and enhancing their visibility.

Some of our projects include: Milo y Yo, a TV series co-produced with Hazlo TV and Film, currently in production; Terminal 1 at Glastonbury Festival 2024, a repurposed airport celebrating migration; The Latinx Youth Theatre, a platform for Latinx youth to engage in the performing arts; the online docu-series Usme: Nido de Resistencia (Memory, Peace, and Reconciliation Award, Bogotá-Colombia), & S.O.S Colombia podcast covering the Colombian social outbreak of 2021; Puente Bridge Podcast, stories that connect Latin America and the UK; Until I Find You: a two-part podcast about the experiences of thousands of families in Mexico whose loved ones have been forcibly disappeared; and Stardust, an irreverent and impassioned multimedia solo production exploring the human cost of the global cocaine industry on communities in Latin America (**** “Using a mix of animation, movement, and monologue, the storytelling is beyond impressive” – The Guardian).

UMBA’s productions include: ‘Puente Bridge Podcast’, stories that connect us, a link between Latin America and the U.K.; ‘S.O.S. Colombia’ podcast & Online docu-series ‘Usme: Nido de Resistencia’ (Memory, Peace, and reconciliation award, Bogotá-Colombia) on the Colombian social outbreak of 2021; “Desata” a video art testimony of a violence survivor for the Colombian Truth commission; And ‘Stardust’, an irreverent and impassioned multimedia solo production exploring the human cost of the global cocaine industry on communities in Latin America (**** “Using a mix of animation, movement and monologue, the storytelling is beyond impressive” The Guardian.) Umba Arts is a Co founder of the Latinx Youth Theatre. “

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Community At Project is an organisation that works to empower people to take creative actions that enable transformations on two levels: the individual and the community. We use artistic and empathetic tools to work effectively with people, especially those that are at risk or in vulnerability. We grasp 20 years of practical experiences around the world of our founder and team to create strategies, and approaches to facilitate empowerment.

Some of our collective experience are:
In Colombia working with Internal Displaced People (IDPs), youth ex-combatants, youth in conflict areas. In Myanmar budding a methodology created with a multidisciplinary group of: Art therapist, phycologist, peace practitioners, yoga practitioners, performers, artists, musicians. IN Myanmar we worked with young people, elderly, IDPs, ex-political prisoners. In London, Community Art Project was founded in 2021 to continue applying locally and internationally the successful approach built in the last 20 years. 

Some of our projects in London are: ‘Puente Bridge Podcast’, stories that connect us, a link between Latin America and the U.K.; ‘S.O.S. Colombia’ video – podcast. “Desata” a video art testimony of a violence survivor for the Colombian Truth commission; De Camino a Ti (A Journey Within) champions the symbiosis of creativity & resilience, of storytelling & empowerment. Refugio, a project that focuses on improving the mental health and wellbeing of Young Refugees and new migrants providing a regular safe space where Young Refugees and new migrants, from around the world, can connect, share experiences, learn new skills, be physically active and mindful of the present moment. Community Art Project is the proud co-founder of the Latinx Youth Theatre.

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Carlos Ossa

Co founder & Youth Lead

I am a theatre maker, director and facilitator, with a specialisation in art and education and a Master degree in peace building. I have been working using creativity for social change for more than 20 years. My work involves experiential and creative approaches to establish safe spaces for connection and cohesion; spaces that allowed community dialogue on difficult issues, exploring differences, sharing stories, supporting the development of community-owned solutions.

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Miguel Umba

Co founder & Creative Director

Miguel is a skilled physical performer and theatre practitioner from Colombia, with training in Acting from the Superior Academy of Arts in Bogotá and Corporeal Mime from the International School of Corporeal Mime in London. He is known for his work with Gecko Theatre, where he has performed in “Missing,” “The Wedding,” and the film “Institute” by Gecko/BBC. Miguel was also a devising performer in Gecko’s “KIN,” co-produced with the National Theatre. His one-man show, “Stardust,” which examines the human cost of the global cocaine industry, received critical acclaim and won the ‘People’s Choice Award’ at the Vault Festival. As a creative director, Miguel led the immersive theatre production “Rumble in the Jungle” for Rematch Live and was instrumental in successful productions at Secret Cinema, including “Moulin Rouge,” “Back to the Future,” and “Star Wars.” He has also collaborated with immersive theatre companies like Immersive Cult and Les Enfants Terribles. Miguel’s creative practice focuses on inclusivity, playfulness, and impactful storytelling. Through his production company, Umba Arts, he has produced a wide range of projects, including LYT – Latinx Youth Theatre, a platform for young Latin Americans in London to celebrate their identity and connect with the creative industries.

Fernanda Mandagara

Creative Lead

A Drinks Industry Group of Ireland ManifestoI am a Latinx actress, cabaret artist, playwright, and voice over artist with 21 years of career. I am a theatremaker who loves teaching drama and facilitating educational workshops to professional actors and amateurs. I strongly believe theatre and performance are powerful political tools that can positively transform individuals and communities. Nothing can be more inspiring to me than helping people to express themselves artistically, towards finding their own voices.

I trained at East15 Drama School (UK) and UFRGS (Brazil). I also did Cabaret & Drag Lab at Soho Theatre; Queerlesque with Rubyyy Jones, Radical Cabaret with Marisa Carnesky and The Art of Drag School at RVT. In 2019 I got the grant Developing Your Creative Practice (ACE) to research about the language of Cabaret.

From 2003 to 2014 I worked as a theatre-maker in Brazil and was one of the founders of Teatro Enlatado Theatre Company, based in São Paulo. During that period, I was in many professional theatre productions as actress, playwright, director, and producer, working with many mainstream Brazilian theatre companies and devising my own shows.

Living in London since 2015, I wrote two shows: Tropicalia Island (Zoo Southside, VAULT Festival, Ventnor Fringe, Clout Festival, CASA Festival – Arcola), a show about an Immigration Officer receiving Europeans refugees in her Latin American island, after a flood has destroyed the whole world; and Invisible Museum, a show about an immigrant invigilator who ended up locked in a gallery with an important artist and the curator of the museum where she works. Both my shows address bigotry, racism, invisibility of lower classes and misogyny thought humour. In London, my stage credits as actress also include Viva Portugal! (Omnibus Theatre), Desire (Brixton House), Taylor Mac A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Barbican), I Walk in your Words (RichMix, Omnibus Theatre), among many others. As Lola Del Fuego, my drag persona, I have presented cabaret acts in several venues including Royal Vauxhall Tavern, The Glory, and Bethnal Working Men’s Club. In my act Miss Visa Denied, I talk about Trump, maracas and how a Brazilian cleaner can become a Drag Queen. Now I am writing a new show about my experience with motherhood and transforming Invisible Museum in a short movie script. My creations always have nuances of physical comedy, with a bit of a very personal tropical-surrealist-burlesque-drag aesthetic.

Camila Robinson

Creative Lead 2021 & 2023

Camila is a drama facilitator, theatremaker, and youth worker. She has worked with a broad range of demographics at a variety of art charities in the U.K. Her work includes using drama and therapeutic models of working to support families and young people. She’s run drama projects with refugees, Latino communities in South London and she set up a girls youth theatre project in Lewisham. Political and cultural-based work excites her and she’s performed and written for venues such as Southwark Playhouse, Soho Theatre and Jermyn Street Theatre where she was a creative associate. You can often find her dreaming up new ideas, trying her hand at a new hobby and eating Colombian food in Elephant and Castle!

Sayen Sanchez

Youth Ambassador

Sayen Sanchez joined LYT 2023-2024 as a participant and quickly established herself as a passionate advocate for the performing arts and the Latin American community. With a vibrant background in both theatre and film, Sayen’s experience spans diverse roles, from leading performances in productions like My Kingdom at the Southwark Playhouse and Te Quiero, to contributing to multimedia projects such as music videos and corporate showcases. Her versatility as an actress is evident in her ability to take on multiple roles, from dynamic stage performances at the Young Vic to impactful appearances in films like The Joy of Hooky and Backstories.


Sayen’s bilingual fluency in English and Spanish, combined with her intermediate Portuguese skills, further enhances her ability to connect with a broad audience, embodying the fusion of Latin American and British cultures that LYT celebrates. In her role as Youth Ambassador, Sayen will leverage her extensive network and performance expertise to recruit and inspire young people from diverse backgrounds, particularly those from underrepresented communities. She will also play a key role in curating monthly newsletters, offering valuable opportunities for her peers, and ensuring that their creative voices are amplified within the LYT community.

Her charisma, energy, and dedication to her craft make Sayen a vital bridge between participants, facilitators, and producers, ensuring that LYT’s mission of empowering young Latinx artists continues to thrive. Whether she’s performing on stage, in front of the camera, or working behind the scenes, Sayen’s commitment to the arts and her community is unwavering.

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Anna Alvarez

Production coordinator

Anna is a multi-hyphenate artist. Her practice is as a choreographer, movement director, performer, producer, educator and artist-scholar creating work ranging from dance, theatre, film, installations that are often site-specific.

Anna draws on an Indigenous/Latinx worldviews to explore how movement demonstrates the intra-connection of body-mind-environment. A key aspect of her work is the artistry of exchanging creative processes. Her work occupies a distinct place in dance and theatre, drawing ideas from her movement heritage and cultural landscape. She creates work that connects us to ourselves, community and environment. When working collaboratively within creative teams, Anna aims to empower and free performers through movement and embodiment.

Anna began to produce through a beautiful synchronicity of noticing a lack of the type of work she wishes to see on stage and the desire to present work of the Latinx diaspora outside of its current representation on stage. Following her first self-production of Where are my glasses? and invitation to participate in the “Optimist” program at China Plate, she discovered she was quite good at finding partners and co-producers and that producing provided a different connection to the creative process. Anna’s producing portfolio includes work with artists, community art projects, mentoring, curation of events, enabling self-performance and performance in teams and acting as a soundboard for artistic ideas Underpinning her work as a producer is a passionate and clear approach to complex ideas and challenges. For more about Anna and her work:
www.annaalvarez.co.uk

Matthew Schmolle

Producer LYT 2021 & 2023 & Senior Production consultant

Matthew is an independent producer with experience working nationally, internationally, in the subsidised sector, in the commercial sector, on new writing, on revivals, on site-specific work, on events, in community settings and on large-scale cultural festivals.

MATTHEW SCHMOLLE PRODUCTIONS was formed in 2019 with the support of the STAGE ONE Bursary for new Producers to create new performance and theatre work nationally and internationally. To date MSP has produced successful runs in the commercial and subsidised sector of over 20 projects in the UK, working with The Bush Theatre, Leeds Playhouse, Pleasance Edinburgh and London, Stratford Circus, The Old Vic, Vault Festival, Theatre503, Queens Theatre Hornchurch, The Park, The Finborough, The Rich Mix, The Albany, Tobacco Factory Theatres and many others. MSP also work as Associate Producer to the Olivier Award Winning producers Various Productions, currently working on new large-scale musical projects with two chart topping, world famous artists.

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