“Maria” From Sesame Street Makes Two Appearances at UAlbany

Sonia Manzano who, for almost five decades played Maria on Sesame Street, will make two appearances at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center this week, both on Saturday, April 30.

At 4pm, Manzano will be the final guest of the season in The Creative Life: A Conversation Series at UAlbany where she will discuss her creative inspiration, craft and career with host Joe Donahue from WAMC. This event is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required. More information can be obtained through the UAlbany Performing Art Center’s box office at (518) 442-3997 or tickets@albany.edu.

At 7:30pm, Manzano will perform in Selected Shorts, the live version of the hit public radio and podcast series featuring readings of classic and new works of short fiction. Alongside Patricia Kalember (The Tick) and Bhavesh Patel (The Good Wife), she will read a special selection of brand-new work by authors Carmen Maria Machado, Jess Walter, Jenny Allen, Etgar Keret and Lauren Groff commissioned for the 35^th anniversary of Selected Shorts. Tickets are still available and are $10-$15 in advance and $15-$20 on the day of the show through the UAlbany Performing Art Center’s box office at (518) 442-3997 or tickets@albany.edu.

Manzano is a first-generation American of Latino descent who was part of the cast of Sesame Street from 1971 until 2015.  She is a 15-time Emmy Award winner and a Peabody Award winner.  As an author, she has penned numerous acclaimed children’s books as well as a YA novel and the memoir Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx. Her forthcoming novel, Coming Up Cuban, will be released by Scholastic in August.