The Wise Fool
RECOMMENDED READING
Juan Bobo: Four Folktales from Puerto Rico, by Carmen Bernier-Grand
Folk Stories from the Hills of Puerto Rico, by Rafael Ocasio.
PUERTO RICAN EDITORIAL TEAM
Charlotte Alvarez - Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Charlotte moved to New York with her family at a very young age. Despite having left as a baby, Charlotte always spent her Summer and Christmas holidays on the island hearing stories of Juan Bobo and all of his mishaps. Charlotte received her BA in Anthropology fostering her love of folklore, food and culture. She continues to cultivate her love for learning and storytelling as a middle school teacher in NYC.
Amanda Cruz - Amanda is a licensed counseling psychologist from San Juan, Puerto Rico, who specializes in Human Sexuality and HIV related issues. Amanda speaks three languages and continues to learn others as it is one of her favorite hobbies.
America Lugo- America was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico. She recently graduated from George Washington University, completing a major in Biology and minor in Public Health. In her years in college, she participates in various clubs that worked to raise money for hurricane relief and educate those around her about the island.
EPISODE CAST
Yara Shahidi is the host of the second half of the series.
Yara is an award-winning actress, producer, change agent, and breakout star of ABC’s Emmy-and Golden Globe-nominated series black-ish. Shahidi is now the executive producer and lead of its Freeform spinoff series, grown-ish (#1 cable comedy, 18-49 yr olds), playing character Zoey Johnson.
JUAN- Voiced by Claudio Venancio
Claudio Venancio is a Peruvian actor based out of the U.S. His resume includes Musical Theatre performances Off Broadway, regional theatres, and tours across the states. He also voiced Benito Ventura in TRAX series Timestorm, which celebrates Puerto Rican history. Claudio is currently diving into the worlds of voice acting, screen acting, and is currently writing a feature film that begins shooting in October in Louisiana. His mission as an actor is to use different media to tell Latinx stories and histories to bring his people to the spotlight!
DON LEON - Voiced by Israel Tanenbaum
Israel Tanenbaum is a bilingual (English & Spanish) voice actor.He has recorded dialogue as a teenager, a young adult, a mature adult and created voices for several fiction and animal characters. Israel has also worked as a radio announcer and programmer. As a successful music producer, composer, pianist and audio engineer Israel Tanenbaum has produced over 800 songs and performed in more than 100 recordings of Salsa, Jazz, Latin Jazz and Folklore, earning one Platinum and two Gold records. He has also composed for jingles, TV, documentary, and theater. His compositions have been featured in motion pictures from National Lampoon, Sunset Pictures, and Matonti Films.
MIGUEL- Voiced by Walter Rodríguez
Walter F. Rodríguez is a professional Puerto Rican/American artist and stage, tv, and film actor who has been working in New York City for many years. He worked on The Onion News Network for several seasons, including the show’s Peabody Award-winning season and its Comedy Central and IFC incarnations. He’s been seen on stages in off-Broadway and regional productions. Walter’s editorial and fashion photography has been seen on billboards and in magazines and in book covers for MacMillan and other major book publishers.
CARMEN- Voiced by Natasha Lorca Yannacañedo
As an actor, casting director and director, Natasha’s work spans independent film, radio, primetime television, and infinite plays. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater. Natasha is a tenured Associate Professor at Eugenio María de Hostos Community College and serves as the Unit Coordinator of Visual and Performing Arts. She is a company member of Harlem Shakespeare Festival and is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
ALBERTO - Voiced by Victor Emmanuelle Ramos
Victor (@vramosrosad) is a young journalist from Puerto Rico interested in investigative and data journalism as well as audio journalism. He is a co-founder of an independent news outlet called El Pocillo and also a co-founder and sound designer for the podcast “En qué quedó.” Most recently, he worked as an editor for the WYNC and Futuro Studios podcast “La Brega” about Puerto Rican stories.
LINDA - Voiced by Alondra Llompart
Puerto Rican actress who recently graduated with a Drama BA from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. Her acting experience includes stage productions, playing everything from Spanish Golden Age ingenues to Lady Macbeth, and short film productions. In 2020 she won Best Actress in an LGBTQ film at the Rincón International Film Festival, and this year she won Best Actress in the Cortadito Short Film competition of the 12th European Film Festival of Puerto Rico.