Shiela aims for versatility

She’s known as the pop theater diva, a name coined by her management because she has a talent for singing contemporary pop as well as theater songs.  

But Shiela Valderrama-Martinez is so much more than the music she makes. She got her start in theater via Repertory Philippines and under the tutelage of Baby Barredo and the late Repertory Philippines founder Zeneida “Bibot” Amador.

Shiela starred in her first Repertory Philippines production when she was 14 years old. Since then, she has appeared in other productions for other theater companies like The Wedding Singer (9works Productions), Dani Girl (Sandbox Productions), The King & I (Resorts World Manila), and Spelling Bee and Shrek, both of which under Atlantis Productions. 

But now, after conquering the stage, Shiela is looking toward spreading her wings. “Theater is my first love, but I want to be versatile and venture into different mediums like TV and film, this year,” she says. 

Another of Shiela’s goals for this year was to do more original Filipino musicals, of which she considers herself very fortunate to have been offered parts in two critically-acclaimed musical hits — PETA’s Rak of Aegis (as Kapitana Mary Jane), which will run until Aug. 16 at the PETA Theater, and Dalanghita Productions’ Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady (as Super Hero leader Madre De Dios). “They are two very different roles and both very enjoyable,” says Shiela, who counts among her musical and theater idols Barbra Streisand, Lea Salonga and Sutton Foster. 

She enjoys experimenting. “I’ve always liked to do roles that are not my ‘type’ because I usually get cast as an ingénue or princess-like shows. Doing different roles helps me grow as an actor and in a way keeps me ‘relevant’ because I won’t get stuck in just one type.”

After her current shows close, Shiela will get busy promoting her self-titled debut album which she already launched last December. She is also working on a couple of concert series and hopefully more TV work.

As she seeks to spread her wings into other platforms, Shiela considers herself blessed to have the support of her husband Lorenz Martinez. Lorenz is also a theater and film actor. One of his more notable movie appearances was in Hari ng Tondo in 2014. “My husband Lorenz is my biggest mentor,” says Shiela. “I’m lucky that I’m married to someone in the same field. But I’m also blessed to have so many friends and colleagues that I trust to give me sound advice. My Stages managers, my theater besties Carla Guevara, Sweet Plantado and Topper Fabregas and respected director-friends Bobby Garcia, Robbie Guevara and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo.”

Most artists say that theater is where they learn the discipline — and because she has done a lot of theater work, Shiela, as expected, is disciplined and dedicated to her work and the profession she’s chosen. This, she believes, is what sets her apart from other artists. Her theater training gave her that advantage.

“I’m professional and I work hard. I’m passionate about my work. I love my job and I’m fortunate because not many people can say that about their work.”

She may not be considered “mainstream” just yet, but Shiela doesn’t feel that it makes her any less of an artist. Whether theater or mainstream art, the public’s level of appreciation is the same. 

“I think the ‘impression’ of being not appreciated is just due to the fact that there’s a lack of exposure in the field of theater as compared to mainstream art,” she says. “But Filipinos know how to appreciate good talent when they are shown it. Also there is a now a stronger influx of new audiences in theater which is a good sign.”