Sonia Manzano

For nearly 5 decades, Sonia Manzano played the part of Maria on Sesame Street. The role came to be during her college years while she was studying acting. She had just gone back home to New York for her first gig, which was a role in an off-Broadway musical called Godspell. While she was there, she auditioned for a part on Sesame Street, and her life changed forever. Now, Sonia has a show of her own called Alma’s Way. It is an animated kids series that centers around the show’s title character, Alma Rivera. She’s a 6 year old Puerto Rican girl living in the Bronx alongside her family, friends and community members. Sonia joins the show to talk about her new PBS Kids series Alma’s Way and her many years on Sesame Street. She’ll also share what it’s like when she meets fans in real life. Plus, she talks about her time performing in Godspell.