MUSE • Musicians United for Social Equity

Biography

Bookwriter, playwriter , actress and singer. Paloma has created clever and entertaining librettos for both, plays and musical theater, with her very unique perspective nurtured  by her experience on stage.

Paloma Mantilla Bretón, began with her approach to theater and singing form a very young age, getting involved in school plays, and also in her school choir. Later, at the age of  fourteen, she began her training as a soloist singer and at the age of eighteen, she moved to Paris, where she deepened her studies of singing and piano.

Upon her return to Mexico, Paloma began her bachelor’s degree in music at UDLAP (Universidad de las Américas Puebla), and at the same time she began with the theater certificaction. She was part of the representative teams of musical theater and choir at the university, and it is with these experiences that she defines her path towards musical theater.

When she was already graduated, she went to New York to study the “Broadway Teacher’s workshop” to be able to nurture her educational experience in this genre. Upon her return, she formed her own theater company: Gaudenti producciones, and at the same time she was hired to be a titular actress in the theater company of the CCU (BUAP University cultural center). In these companies, Paloma began to write texts for the productions, and even ventured into the composition of music for plays. While working with Gaudenti she begins to write musical theater with her partner and main collaborator, Christopher Bullé Goyri. In 2017, they wrote their first musical “Capitán Calzón”, and it was presented in the same year with great success. It is with this musical that the society “Bretón & Goyri”, begins, specialized in the creation of musical theater, where Christopher is in charge of music and lyrics, and Paloma of the libretto.

Her stage work has been rich and inspiring in order to sustain Paloma’s specialty in theater writing.  She has worked as an actress in plays, musical theater, opera, zarzuela, and cabaret. She has been directed by important and interesting figures in the mexican scene, such as: Diego del Río, Alejandro Ricaño, Anahí Allué and Richard Viqueira. Also, her career as an actress and singer  in musical theater has coincided with important figures of the genre in México such as Lol-beh Hernández, Sergio Carranza and Jorge Mejía. The same way in opera she has worked with Rogelio Marín, Verónica Alexanderson, Nadia Ortega and Gisela Crespo.

Later on, Breton & Goyri has the opportunity to write for Africam Safari, in their night safari, the show “Lán” in 2017-2018 and, due to their great success, they are again selected to create the  consecutive years shows, performing in 2018-2019 “Huesos” and in 2019-2020 “Vida”.

In 2019, Paloma wrote the play “Polvo de estrella” for the flamenco company “Tablao”, and in 2020 she also wrote her play “Chocolate para ella”, a powerful work denouncing feminicides in Mexico. These being, so far, her two non-musical works.

Paloma, in 2020 also develops her own children’s short story  project “Los wattas” for the brand “Buenas puntadas” by Ade MB; thus managing to further expand the resources of her narrative.

During the pandemic, she has managed to write three more musicals with her colleague: “Y procura verte feliz”, a musical that addresses themes about new masculinities and freedom; They also wrote “Por si me olvido”, that talks about the life of a couple facing Alzheimer’s; and “El lago” (In progress), a burlesque adaptation of “The Swan Lake.”

In 2020 Paloma finished her master’s degree in Theater and Performing Arts, at the University of La Rioja, specializing in playwriting.

Paloma is also a vocal couch, specializing in musical theater, and currently doing the certification on Michael Maresca’s program One voice techique, couched by Alex Zeto. She has directed school musical productions, such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “Chicago”. She has performed in musicals such as “West Side Storie”, “Hairspray”, “Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat”, “Romeo y Julieta, el musical” and “Capitán Calzón”. She has extensive experience in concerts and cabaret shows. All  of this, has allowed her to have a great background to be able to communicate her ideas musically and to be able to tell stories through music.