Early work and Hong Kong Disneyland
Valderrama began her professional career at the age of 14 when she auditioned for Repertory Philippines. [1] She was cast in the ensemble and as a cover for the lead role in Cinderella . [3] She also appeared in Aladdin during this period. [1] Before her major break, she performed in productions of Sweet Charity and The Sound of Music , where she played Baroness Elsa Schraeder. [5] [6] She took a brief hiatus from theater to finish her college studies. [2]
In 2001, she returned to theater in a production of The Secret Garden . [1] Following this, Valderrama joined the opening team of Hong Kong Disneyland. [7] She worked at the theme park for three years. [5] During her time there, she performed roles such as "Bebe" in The Golden Mickeys and Nala in Festival of the Lion King . [7] She also toured with the Asian production of Cinderella, starring alongside Lea Salonga. [8]
Theater roles in the Philippines
In 2012, Valderrama played the lead role of Anna Leonowens in the Resorts World Manila production of The King and I . [5] In 2014, she portrayed Princess Fiona in the Atlantis Productions staging of Shrek The Musical . [4] During this time, she also appeared in the play Noises Off as Belinda Blair. [4] She joined the cast of the Philippine educational theater hit Rak of Aegis as Kapitana Mary Jane. [9]
Valderrama's other roles include the title character in Adarna for Repertory Philippines' Children's Theater and the First Woman in Ballet Philippines' rock opera Tales of the Manuvu. [10] [11] She also starred as the Virgin Mary in Guadalupe: The Musical. [9] In 2018, she played Lily dela Rosa in Binondo: A Tsinoy Musical and reprised the role in 2019. [9] [12] For this role, she received a nomination at the Aliw Awards. [11]
In 2019, she played the role of Fosca in the Philippine Opera Company's production of Stephen Sondheim's Passion. [13] Her performance as Fosca won her the Gawad Buhay Award for Best Female Lead in a Musical in 2020. [14] She has also performed in international productions, including The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in Singapore. [2] In 2020, she participated in the show Show Stoppers at the RCBC Theater. [14]
In 2023, she played the role of Sita in the rock opera ballet Rama Hari, which features the work of five National Artists of the Philippines. [15] [16] During the 2024 tour of Rama Hari, she performed dual roles as Sita and Kaikeyi. [17] She also played the goddess Erzulie in the 9 Works Theatrical staging of Once on This Island in 2024. [17] In 2025, she played the role of Diana Goodman in The Sandbox Collective's production of Next to Normal . [18]
Concerts, events, and screen work
Valderrama has performed in various concerts, including the "Triple Threats" series at the Cultural Center of the Philippines titled Part of My World in 2024. [19] [20] [21] She also co-headlined a concert titled As We Are with singer Arman Ferrer. [22] [23] Her other concert appearances include Disco Glam at Resorts World Manila and the Disney Orchestra live concert in Kuala Lumpur. [10] [16] In 2024, she was a featured artist at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Pasay City. [24]
On television, she appeared in the ABS-CBN drama series Wildflower as a lawyer. [9] She was cast in the Erik Matti projects Bagman and Buy Bust . [17] She also worked on the film adaptation of Pagbabalik Tanaw sa Mga Unang Hari ng Balagtasan for the Cultural Center of the Philippines. [14] She has also participated in stage readings, such as Margo sa Tubig, and performed in Isang Gabi ng Sarsuwela. [10] [15]
