Today we’d like to introduce you to Ciarlene Coleman.
Hi Ciarlene, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
San Diego has been a part of my life from the beginning: I was born at the Naval Medical Center in Balboa, and I was raised in National City and Chula Vista throughout my childhood. As I grew up, I increasingly became involved in school choirs and theatre groups, and eventually moved on to earn my BA from the Music Department at UCSD. Since then, I pivoted from pursuing classical music to my now continuing acting career. I have worked everywhere from La Jolla Playhouse to SeaWorld to immersive productions at Liberty Station. I also have worked as a Teaching Artist with San Diego Junior Theatre and The Theatre School at North Coast Rep. Most notably, I co-founded MaArte Theatre Collective, a Filipino American theatre company focused on Filipino plays and actors, which brought me closer to the arts community as a whole in San Diego. In 2019, my original solo show “Your Best American Girl” premiered at the San Diego Fringe Festival, and was awarded Best World Premiere, Best of Fest, and Critic’s Pick by the festival.
After pandemic lockdowns eased around 2022, I moved to London to earn my MFA in Acting at the East 15 School of Acting (I graduated in 2024!) Which brings us to the last few years: returning to freelance acting and theatre production, as well as continued teaching artist work. This year, I am finally bringing the spiritual successor to my first show, titled “Your Favourite American Woman” to both London and San Diego to globalize its message and themes. I couldn’t be more excited to be bringing this London-developed show back home to my first ever fringe!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like anything worth doing, pursuing the arts in this current cultural and political climate has been challenging, on top of the interruption of the pandemic. Now, I have added being a foreign national to the list!
Gratefully, the theatrical and artistic work I have made over the years has prepared me for challenging circumstances and tough situations. I come from a First Generation Filipino immigrant family in South Bay, and I have always been aware of how incongruous that background was to seriously pursuing the arts. So much of this career is based on “who you know,” and traditionally, the theatre and music worlds are almost exclusively designed for the upper class, Eurocentric networks. I suppose this lifelong, systemic-sized mountain of a challenge looming over me is what has kept me persistent in advancing the scope of my art; in my theatre and in my music, I always have a desire to start with who I am and where I come from. I am a Second Generation Filipina American from National City and Chula Vista, and I have had the privilege of performing Shakespeare on the actual mainstage at Shakespeare’s Globe here in London. Alongside that, I have been bringing my stories and voice to many places around the UK that I never thought possible before. I try to remind myself how special that is, when I can.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an actor, musician, theatre creator, and arts educator. At least, that’s what is most relevant to me at this time in my life–freelance work is never boring, but unpredictable! The majority of my work has been performing in theatre, I would say; I have performed onstage with La Jolla Playhouse, New Village Arts, and the former SD Rep. Of course, I identify as a singer first (what Filipino wasn’t bred on family karaoke?), so for a lot of those gigs, I was also singing.
As of late, I have been exercising my music writing and production skills to accompany the script and acting in “Your Favourite American Woman.” We have a saying in creative professions, where, when you don’t have the resources to hire a million assistants, you “wear a lot of hats.” And this show has me in a lot of hats.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Of course, the best support for the work we’ve (and I mean we–even though I’m bringing a solo show, it is far from a solo effort production) done would be to come watch the show! The San Diego Fringe Festival will be happening from May 12 to 24. 2026, and we’re aiming to bring our show for the last week of the festival. Tickets can be found all on their website, and we’ll be there listed as “Your Favourite American Woman”!
Pricing:
- $7 for FRINGE TAGS (admittance to the festival)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ciarlene.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ciarlene
- Other: https://instagram.com/yourfavouriteamericanwoman
Image Credits
Wesley Anthony, Andrew H. Williams, Yellowbelly Photography
