Sonia Manzano Best Known as “Maria” on “Sesame Street Gives MLK Commemorative Address
Sonia Manzano Best Known as “Maria” on “Sesame Street Gives MLK Commemorative Address
Tickets are now available to hear Sonia Manzano deliver the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m. at Elon University in North Carolina. The event will take place at McCrary Theatre and Manzano’s talk is titled, “Multi-Racial Latinos & the Civil Rights Movement.”
Manzano is best known for inspiring, educating and delighting children as “Maria” on “Sesame Street.” She was a fixture on the iconic program for more than 30 years, having broken ground as one of the first Hispanic characters on national television.
Raised in the South Bronx, her involvement in the arts was inspired by teachers who encouraged her to audition for the High School of Performing Arts.
Following study at Carnegie Mellon University, Manzano landed a role in the original production of the off-Broadway show “Godspell”. Within a year she had joined “Sesame Street,” eventually writing scripts for the series. She played Maria for more than four decades until her retirement from the show in 2015.
Twice nominated for an Emmy for her performances on “Sesame Street,” she won 15 Emmys as part of the writing team for the series. Her latest books are, “Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx” and a Christmas picture book, “Miracle on 133rd Street.” She authored the children’s book, “No Dogs Allowed” in 2007 and the young adult novel, “The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano” in 2012.
She received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 43rd Daytime Emmy Awards and in 2016 was presented with honorary doctorates from Carnegie Mellon, Tufts University and Lehman College.
Admission is $15 or free with an Elon ID. Tickets are available at the Center for the Arts Box Office. For ticket information, call (336) 278-5610.
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