A place where your imagination has no limits!
Meet the Team
Meet the passionate team behind Tierra Blanca Arts Center! Each of us brings creativity, dedication, and a love for culture and community. Together, we strive to inspire, connect, and celebrate the rich traditions that make our city vibrant. Get to know the people who make the magic happen.
Blanca Araceli Soto
CEO / President & Founder
Blanca Araceli is an acclaimed Mexican-American actress, director, producer, and choreographer whose dynamic career spans theater, film, and television. She is internationally recognized for her beloved role as the Master of Ceremonies in Disney/Pixar’s COCO, winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Her screen presence continues to grow, with notable performances in television series such as Matlock (CBS, alongside Kathy Bates), Doctor Odyssey (ABC, recurring role), The Conners (ABC), S.W.A.T. (CBS), American Horror Stories (Hulu), Kajillionaire, and the Netflix international hit Monster, where she played Grandma María. In 2025, she stars alongside Keanu Reeves in the upcoming film Good Fortune, directed by Aziz Ansari, set to premiere on October 17, 2025. Blanca has headlined over 130 theatrical productions, commanding the stage with emotional depth and cultural power.
She earned the Favorite Actress Award at the Fred Awards for her performance in Real Women Have Curves at the Pasadena Playhouse. Pixar’s COCO, winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Her screen presence continues to grow, with notable performances in television series such as Matlock (CBS, alongside Kathy Bates), Doctor Odyssey (ABC, recurring role), The Conners (ABC), S.W.A.T. (CBS), American Horror Stories (Hulu), Kajillionaire, and the Netflix international hit Monster, where she played Grandma María. In 2025, she stars alongside Keanu Reeves in the upcoming film Good Fortune, directed by Aziz Ansari, set to premiere on October 17, 2025. Blanca has headlined over 130 theatrical productions, commanding the stage with emotional depth and cultural power. She earned the Favorite Actress Award at the Fred Awards for her performance in Real Women Have Curves at the Pasadena Playhouse.
She is the founder and artistic director of the Tierra Blanca Dance Company (est. 1996) and Tierra Blanca Arts Center (est. 2002), two nonprofit organizations based in Los Angeles dedicated to artistic training and cultural empowerment. In 2024, she launched the Blanca Araceli Acting Studio, offering masterclasses and private coaching for actors seeking excellence and authenticity in their craft. Her work has been honored with numerous awards, including the Sol de Oro 2025, the Golden Eagle Award, the Be the Light Award, and the Azteca Inka Gold Award, celebrating her artistic impact and community leadership. Blanca Araceli is not only a performer—she is a visionary dedicated to fostering cultural pride, artistic rigor, and transformative storytelling. Her mission is rooted in a powerful belief: “Cultural awareness creates stronger communities.”
Gerardo Gutierrez
Artistic Director
A scholar and researcher of the history of Mexico and Latin America for more than 20 years. A producer and director of theater and dance. Born in Mexico City, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Gutiérrez began his career in film. His work as a theater director has given him great satisfaction and recognition such as the “People's Choice Award” at the BFA International Theater Festival. In 2002, his mission to promote culture and art led him to start the non-profit organization: Tierra Blanca Arts Center.
Gerardo and Blanca believe: "Cultural awareness, makes better communities."
Liane Schirmer
Secretary
Liane Schirmer is a director, actor and VO talent of Costa Rican descent with a long career in L.A. Latinx theatre: Bilingual Foundation of the Arts (BFA), Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA, Casa 0101, and Tierra Blanca Arts Center (Todas Somos Luz, La Mujer que Cayó del Cielo). Directing credits include La Vida es Sueño, BFA’s entry for the national festival Encuentro 2024, hosted by the Latino Theater Company. Opera directing credits include Hector Armienta's Camino de Fe for Portland Opera’s “Opera To Go” and Amahl and the Night Visitors in Los Angeles.
In addition to theatre, Liane owns In Other Words, a company focusing on foreign language media translation. An avid L.A. historian and archivist, Liane is project director for the Voces del Teatro Oral History Archive, the first attempt to chronicle the history of Latinx theatre in modern Los Angeles (1960s to Present).
Gerardo and Blanca believe: "Cultural awareness, makes better communities."
Mariana Montes Sandoval
Theater Instructor
Actress, director, and theater educator with a career dedicated to sharing the magic of the stage with people of all ages. Her work in theater combines a deep passion for performance with a strong commitment to training new generations of artists and awakening creativity in those who step on stage for the first time.
Throughout her artistic journey, Mariana has trained in various acting techniques and systems in both Mexico and the United States. She is a graduate of Casa Azul (Mexico City) and has complemented her education with workshops at the Stella Adler Academy, Edgemar Center for the Arts, and the Los Angeles Performing Arts Conservatory, where she explored diverse acting methods and approaches. Her practice integrates influences from Konstantin Stanislavski, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Sanford Meisner, among others, adapting them into her own teaching style.
As an instructor, Mariana works with both children and adults, tailoring her methods to each stage of development. With children, she uses playful and expressive techniques such as theater games, improvisation, and character building through imagination, fostering confidence, empathy, and teamwork. With adults, her focus is on emotional exploration, body and voice awareness, authentic character connection, and the creation of genuine, organic performances.
Her mission is for every student to discover their own artistic voice and dare to tell stories with truth, humor, and heart. Her purpose as a theater educator is to create spaces where art becomes a vehicle for freedom, self-discovery, and shared joy—spaces that inspire, nurture, and celebrate the artistic and human growth of all who dare to live the theater.