“Storytelling is an act of empathy — and empathy is the most radical thing we can offer each other.”
Brenda Orellana is a New York-based Latine-Queer director, actor, and philanthropist — rooted in community, driven by stories that bring people together.
Raised in Los Angeles by Salvadoran immigrant parents, Brenda came of age inside a vibrant community where performance and belonging nurtured culture and empathy. Today, as an artist and philanthropist, they take that sense of belonging everywhere they go.
As a director and actor, Brenda moves between solo performance, film, and theatre with conviction, curiosity, and craft. Their one-person show I Am A Rose led to a guest artist residency at California State University Summer Arts, and continues to shape their work. Their short film My Little Tomate, written and shot in Hollywood, marks their arrival as a filmmaker. Their full-length play Sun Kissed Montañas was workshopped at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
As Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Hear Me Roar Theatre, Brenda produced staged readings, built community, and created real opportunities for young BIPOC theatre artists from the South. The company's legacy lives on in the artists it believed in.
Alongside their artistic work, Brenda is a committed philanthropist who has collaborated with nonprofit organizations, Universities, Theater’s — championing equity, access, and community through storytelling at every turn. At the heart of it all is a simple belief: there are untold stories in every corner of the world worth finding.
Credentials
Brenda is a proud member of SAG AFTRA and ACTORS EQUITY ASSOCIATION.
They hold their Masters in Fine Arts in Acting from The University of Tennessee Knoxville, and Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Long Beach.