The first draft of the map for Sandra Valls’ journey to Broadway may have been charted early in her childhood on the culturally rich international borderlands of Laredo and its Mexican sister city, Nuevo Laredo — two cities that share a common history, language, and deeply rooted family ties.
As a child Valls liked to dance, sing, entertain, and make guests laugh at family gatherings. Her childhood home resounded with her father’s music on accordion and guitar. Her mother, she recalled, loved to sing and dance, and so did Valls and her sister, a lot.
She characterizes her parents as religious, conservative, strict, and loving. She completed grades one through twelve in Catholic schools.
By fifth grade Valls had taught herself to play the piano at home on a small keyboard her parents gifted her.
The first song she learned listening to her father’s eight-tracks was Beer Barrel Polka. “When I asked for a piano, my father bought me a huge double decker Lawrence Welk organ,” she remembered.
At St. Augustine High School she frequented the chapel there — not so much for prayer or contrition, but to play her Stevie Nicks favorites.
“I knew early in my life that I was different, that I preferred G.I. Joe to dolls. I wasn’t Snow White waiting for the prince to wake me for the happily ever after. I had a boyfriend in high school and had a deep appreciation of him, but our relationship wasn’t like the teen romances of television and movies.
“I liked Donny Osmond, but I loved Wonder Woman and Charlie’s Angels. I had questions. I wondered that I might become a nun. If I had crushes on girls, I chalked it up to admiration.”
Valls graduated from high school in 1983, enrolled at Laredo Junior College, and performed in Laredo Little Theater productions, including Funny Girl and Pippin. She credits Brother Bob Warren, a mentor to many young Laredo actors, and José Ruben De Leon for their direction and support in theater.
She transferred to UT-Austin, continuing to refine her skills onstage and backstage in productions like Cabaret, Sweeny Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? After completing a degree in musical theater, she moved to New York City in 1988 to enroll in the American Musical and Dance Academy (AMDA).
She moved to Boston in 1992 and performed in two bands — one a rock band and another an eight-piece horn band.
“When I lived in Boston, my mother called to ask, as she often did, ‘Y el novio?’ (And the boyfriend?)
“I finally told her I Iived with a girlfriend.
“She called me a few days later. There was drama. She said she had missed work for three days. ‘No he comido, but I want to say how much I admire you and respect you, and love you. But don’t tell your father.’
“When I told my father, he asked, ‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying? I knew it!’
“I had no representation of queerness as I grew up in Laredo. That changed when I went to NYC to study at AMDA. I knew I owed it to myself to explore the world in all aspects.
“I am who I am; I live and let live. I am proud to be gay and from Laredo. I’m proud to be representation to anyone who wants to be seen for who they are.”
Valls moved to L.A. in 2000 where her instincts, drive, and irony-rich story-telling abilities carved a niche for herself in comedy, sharing with her audiences not only hilarity but also her humanity as she narrated cultural anecdotes about being Latina and gay, and her sharply honed beliefs as a human rights activist.
She hit her mark in comedy specials like Showtime’s The Original Latina Divas of Comedy and Pride: lgbt Comedy Slam. Good press, recognition, and accolades have documented her career in stand-up and her voice as an important one for all women, and in particular for Latina gays and immigrants.
Her impressive television credits, to name a very few, include Outlaugh Festival, One Night Stand Up, Habla!, Que Locos, Latino 101, and NickMom Night Out.
She has become a public speaker and event host — in demand and lauded for her voice for gender equality, empowering women, accurate representation of the LGBTQ community in English-speaking Latino television, and advocacy for members of the LGBTQ community in recovery (One Gay at A Time.)
“I had left LA for Austin in 2020 and ended up taking a hiatus with my sister Connie during the pandemic, splitting my time from 2022 to 2025 between LA and Austin.
“In 2019, I received an email from an old colleague of mine who wanted me to audition for ROE, Lisa Loomer’s incredible play about Roe v. Wade. I auditioned and was cast as Jane Roe’s partner. The pandemic halted the production, though it would be revived for a run in April 2023 at the Zach Theater in Austin.
“During the pandemic, Connie and I created Playroom Karaoke live on Facebook every Saturday night and sang karaoke songs. Lisa Loomer would tune in regularly and comment that she really liked my singing voice.
Fast forward two years later. In 2022 she contacted me saying she needed a strong, funny Latina to read for this new musical she was writing called Real Women Have Curves.
“After the reading, I auditioned in LA with a couple of songs followed by many self-tapes. I ended up being cast for the development deal of the musical in 2023. Also in 2023, I was cast for the world premiere of the musical in Cambridge, MA where I got to develop the character Fulvia, an undocumented immigrant in a low-paying job, holding on to an unwavering goal set for a better life.
“It was a gift to many of us in the cast that Lisa let us bring what we knew of ourselves and our culture into our stage characters. For most of us this was our first time on Broadway.”
The show previewed April 1, 2025 at the James Earl Jones Theater. It opened April 27 and closed June 29 after a two-month run of 73 regular performances and 31 previews.
“Opening night was surreal. I was happy, proud, and exhausted. I felt accomplished. That first bow on opening night, the way we were celebrated — it’s so hard to put in words. It’s a dream come true,” Valls said.
At the June 13, 2025 kickoff for Pride Month in NYC, Valls was asked One Deep Question by FUSE, the Latino-owned cable TV channel and media company: How does Broadway represent the spirit of Pride?
Valls answered, “I’d love to see more positive representation of Latinos, Latinx, and queers in the LGBTQ community. For me to play a lesbian Latina butch woman, I’m like, that’s me! For me to see myself onstage represented somebody, changed somebody. It validates you. It fills you with hope and joy and imagination. And so you leave the theater better than you came in. You leave transformed. Not only do you see yourself if you are Latina, but you also see yourself if you are a butch Latina, with curves! And it is so important to me, that character (Fulvia). I love her!”
On January17, 2026, Women in Film and Television Texas (WIFT) accorded Valls its Celestial Award for Excellence in Theatrical and Comedy. WIFT Texas CEO Ceslie Armstrong said, “Sandra Valls embodies the resilience, authenticity, and brilliance we celebrate through the Celestial Awards. Her journey — from Texas stages to the Broadway spotlight — is not only inspiring but is a powerful testament to the importance of representation and fearless story telling.”
Valls played the role of Crash in the musical romance, Starstruck, on the stage of the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA from February 20 through March 21, 2026.
She is currently in rehearsal for comedy shows and is developing other projects yet to be named.
“I have lost everything many times, including relationships and my home in LA. The faith I have in the creator and the faith I find in myself, thanks to my parents, have always been the way back. I think of them and how they weren’t happy about me going into acting, but I believe they respected my decision because they had once wanted to perform,” Valls said.
“People who offer kind words about my work may not know they are energizing and encouraging me with a blessing – échale, keep going,” she continued.
“What’s next? When I dream big, I want to change people’s lives and use my work on the stage for the betterment of society. I have many project ideas to bring love and beauty into our lives,” she said.
“A ver dónde me pone Dios. Perhaps somewhere I can make a difference. Asé,” she concluded.
