I am Denice Lopez, a Deaf Nuyorican mother. At present, I am residing in Texas. I am proud to be a graduate of NTID/RIT, and I find great joy in cherishing moments with my family, capturing beautiful snapshots, engaging in social activities with my friends, and much more.
Since I have a passion for acting, I am excited to fully embrace the learning opportunities at the Deaf Talent Creative Lab® this summer.
DENICE LOPEZ
Member of Deaf Talent® Casting and represented by Deaf Talent® Management
A Toronto-based actor, Gaitrie is a theatre maker who develops facial expressions and body languages to bring Deaf and hearing actors to work together on the stage in physical theatre styles. Gaitrie continually seeks to challenge herself through new techniques and learning from her mentors who specialize in physical theatre styles.
She is the founder of Phoenix the Fire, a theatre & film hub that supports Deaf artists to discover their talents and to provide ASL theatre & film interpretation service. She has been strongly active in the Tkaronto theatre community for almost 13 years.
Over the years, her solo performances and collaborations have toured nationally and internationally. Gaitrie has been involved in the Nickelodeon Jr. show Blue's Clues & You (as the Deaf librarian Camila) and CBC kid’s show Silly Paws (as Simmi). She is also a news anchor with Sign1 News powered by CNN.
GAITRIE PERSAUD-KILLINGS
HENRY TORIBIO MARTINEZ
Member of Deaf Talent® Casting and represented by Deaf Talent® Management
Henry Toribio Martinez is a proud native of the Dominican Republic. At a young age, he moved to the vibrant neighborhood of Kingsbridge in the north Bronx. Growing up in this culturally rich environment profoundly shaped Henry into the dynamic actor, writer, director, and filmmaker he is today.
From an early age, Henry was immersed in a mix of cultures, languages, and stories, which sparked his love for the arts. He discovered his passion for acting young and threw himself into it, participating in theater productions and film projects. His dedication to his craft has been unwavering, driving him to constantly improve and explore new creative avenues.
As an openly gay man, Henry understands the importance of representation and inclusivity in the entertainment industry. He uses his platform to amplify underrepresented voices and share stories that reflect the complexity of his identity. Through his performances, Henry aims to challenge stereotypes, encourage meaningful conversations, and promote understanding.
Recently, Henry’s career has reached new heights. After attending the Deaf Talent Creative Lab® (DTCL) program, he has grown both professionally and personally. Now officially an actor, scriptwriter, director, and filmmaker, Henry continues to push boundaries and inspire others with his work.
Henry’s versatility allows him to bring depth and authenticity to every role he takes on, whether in drama, social commentary, or comedy. His unique perspective enriches every project he works on.
With each performance, Henry strives to challenge perceptions, ignite conversations, and celebrate diversity. He looks forward to returning to the Deaf Talent Creative Lab®, eager to continue growing and making his mark in the entertainment industry.
Ladan Sahraei is an Iranian-Canadian actress and Director. She is Persian. She is the first Deaf filmmaker in Iran. She has directed six short films and got a few awards for her achievements in Iran. She settled in Vancouver, Canada, from Tehran, Iran, in July 2014 Ladan Sahraei (Pronouns: She, Her) is an Iranian-Canadian deaf female filmmaker.
She completed her Associate Degree in Physical Education but later pivoted to studying graphics design before coming to Canada in July 2014. She is the first deaf filmmaker in Iran, where she has made several short films and two feature documentaries made in Canada.
Ladan has received awards and honors for her work. Filmmaking is her passion, and she avidly supports the visual and performing arts, painting, and film in disability. Ladan loves to make films and documentaries. She enjoys traveling around the world and meeting people from different cultures.
LADAN SAHRAEI
Lanetra Williams is a California native and alumnus of California School for the Deaf in Fremont. Lanetra grew up in Silicon Valley and attended Rochester Institution of Technology (RIT) for a short time before leaving to pursue other interests and her passion for acting on the screen and the stage.
As one of the members of the Black Deaf LGBTQIA community, the focus is primarily on bringing the voices of representation to the mainstream screens.
Lanetra is represented by Deaf Talent® Management and Deaf Talent® Casting. She is looking forward to expanding her scriptwriting skills to her creative bucket. Lanetra's goals are to support and elevate the voices of Deaf BIPOC and LGBTIQA+ representation by honing her skills to create stories so they can see themselves on the mainstream screens. The experiences in the entertainment industry, Lanetra has acquired were: Live on-stage actor, a Commercial actor, and a TV actor, as well as offered on-set production support.
LANETRA WILLIAMS
Member of Deaf Talent® Casting and represented by Deaf Talent® Management
Sixta Salazar, a proud Native American of the Apache Tribe and Mexican, was born and raised in Los Angeles. She is currently majoring in Accounting and Film Production at Mt. San Antonio College. Additionally, she is an actress, writer, and director in training at the Deaf Talent Creative Lab. Her past experiences include film and video editing, leadership roles, and creative projects in video production, broadcast journalism, and ASL studio work during her high school years. Sixta aims to develop stories and increase the representation of Deaf Native Americans and Mexicans in both feature and short films.
Sixta is passionate about using her diverse background and skills to bring unique and underrepresented voices to the screen. She is committed to making a significant impact in the film industry by championing diversity and inclusion, and she looks forward to creating compelling narratives that resonate with a wide audience.
SIXTA SALAZAR
Member of Deaf Talent® Casting
SUSIE SQUIRE
Member of Deaf Talent® Casting
Susie was born deaf and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and graduated from Indiana School for the Deaf in 1974. She and her family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in 1984 on God’s calling to enter a full time deaf ministry. She also raised her four children.
Susie graduated from University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in Theater / Music in 2008 and also graduated from Carson Newman University in 2015 with a master’s degree in Business Administration.
Susie is an entrepreneur and a trailblazer. She had founded five businesses over the years. She also loves acting and directing her church plays over the years and had founded Christian Theater for the Deaf (now closed). She also recently founded God’s Heart ASL Films, LLC and her current passion is to be a filmmaker.
Susie is also an actress in three hearing movies, “Saving Faith,” “Summer of 67,” and “The Farmer and The Belle.” She was trained in a hearing acting training school called, “Actors, Models, and Talents for Christ” (AMTC). She got a completion certificate and a Performer Choice Award from AMTC.
She is now looking forward to learn new experiences by exploring the deaf world of acting / filming and is very excited to learn from Jade Bryan!
NATASHA "COURAGE" BACCHUS
Member of Deaf Talent® Casting
Natasha “Courage” Bacchus is a very active multidisciplinary artist, former three times gold medallist Deaf Olympian Sprinter. Her theatre /TV and Film performances include Shaw Host Talk (2014), ‘The Black Drum’ with Soulpepper Theatre (2019) in Toronto and France, ‘The Two Natasha’s’ (2020) comedy performed in art festivals, ‘21 Black Futures’ produced by Obsidian Theatre and CBC Arts, (2021), mini-TV series ‘The Coroner’ season four on Netflix (2022). She has participated in cabaret events including the 2019/2024 ASL Deaf Drag Performance, Rainbow Senior Showcase, and Criptonite at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto, Ontario.
Her areas of expertise include interdisciplinary visual artist, art accessibility consultant Deaf LGBTQ/racialized marginalized Indigenous, Black, People of colour, Sign Language Translation for theatre, Interpretation and Promotional vlogs, Panellist and presenter for workshops, emerging art curator, and activist for Indigenous and Black Deaf art community to expand Indigenous and Black Deaf artists representation.
Courage has participated as an art collaborator with numerous theatre and film productions focusing on breaking down barriers for Indigenous and Black Deaf Artists in Canada.
She has participated in Leelee Oluwatoyosi Eko Davis and Donna Michelle Bernard's method of social justice community. Natasha was one of the winners of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch by the Canada International Black Women Event (CIBWE) 2019.
She continues her journey of self-discovery in her art.
ELVIS ZORNOZA
Elvis Zornoza is a Guadalajara (Mexico) native, born to a Mexican Deaf’s Lengua Senas de Mexicana family and a father of four Deaf children, returning to Riverside, CA from the Bay Area for more than decade. Elvis was raised in Los Angeles, and attending to mainstreamed schools, before transferring and graduated at California School for the Deaf, Riverside and attended Gallaudet University/ Ohlone College with the degrees in Human Studies Development and Liberal Arts in Language Emphasis from Ohlone College and Deaf Studies from Gallaudet University.
Elvis has served in a variety of roles, including Advocacy, Sales, Customer & Support Specialist(s), Organizational President, Youth Athletics Coach, American Sign Language Instructor, & Content creator/signer.
A multicultural background - sports coach, & deaf father Elvis envisions the importance of accessibility in sports by adding another language which is American Sign Language (ASL) to “LIVE” on Sports Games or/ subtitles. Elvis founded the S5SSPORTS Broadcasting Network in Summer 2023. After Elvis has received praises and honors for his creative sports broadcasting. The purpose of the channel is to provide an exciting mix of sports, cultures and history in ASL that which prolled his enthusiasm for broadcasting the sport games. Elvis enjoys broadcasting the games and sharing the athletes' voices through ASL.
Elvis looks forward to embarking on the journey to Deaf Talent Creative Lab to continue expanding the Sports Network in American Sign Language.
DEBRIANA CARTER
Creative Intern
Debriana Carter, a Jamaican-American, was born in Bronx, New York and raised in Georgia. She had a passion for film and photography from a young age, making short films and taking photos, which she edited herself. She was a self-taught photographer and even started a small photography business.
For years, she has been fascinated by languages and film. To further her knowledge, she has focused on studying ASL, Spanish, and Danish. Connecting with people and cultures through language is something she values, and she believes that film has the power to connect people through its emotional resonance.
Since earning her degree from Valdosta State University in 2023, she has been diligently honing her interpreting skills. She has an unwavering desire to enhance her cinematic knowledge and is enthusiastic about merging her dual passions for film and American Sign Language (ASL). Her primary objective is to facilitate greater accessibility within the film industry. She looks forward to collaborating with Deaf Talent Creative Lab® as a Creative Intern, working alongside gifted Deaf artists to actualize her aspirations.