In this edition, Tec talent breathes life into characters such as Nala, Scar, Mufasa, Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa.
In this edition of Disney’s The Lion King musical, Tec talent breathes life into characters such as Nala, Scar, Mufasa, Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa.
The production premiered on March 20, 2025, at Teatro Telcel in Mexico City and is based on the 1994 animated film.
This edition’s production is headed by Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart, and Thomas Schumacher.
Several talented members of the Tec community stand out in this edition of the musical: María José Domínguezas Nala (lead), Carlos Quezada as Scar (lead), Jorge Mejía as cover for Mufasa, and Carlos Rodea as walking cover for Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa.
CONECTA tells you about the actors and their experience in this musical:
Majo’s first time in a leading role
María José (Majo) Domínguez grew up in Los Cabos improvising shows at home. Her formal path in musical theater began in local workshops.
At one of those workshops, she met former Tec student Paloma Cordero, who also studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Los Angeles. Upon witnessing Majo’s interest and commitment, Paloma recommended she take an intensive summer course at the school.
This was how Majo traveled to Los Angeles for formal training in musical theater. At the end of the course, she auditioned for admission and was accepted with a 70% scholarship.
But then the pandemic occurred. The plan changed country and format: Majo began a Communications degree at the Tec’s Guadalajara campus, with online classes and the hope that face-to-face classes would return soon.
In the midst of all this, she found something more than just a group in Art and Culture. “Art and Culture were all I knew when I arrived in Guadalajara, and the only things that made me feel safe and welcomed. And that’s where I found my place".
She took part in plays, joined the Choir and Orchestra, and was a campus ambassador. Although she never had a leading role, she was on stage all the time. She learned from the ensemble and made it her own.
After an exchange in Australia, several friends sent her the call for The Lion King on Instagram.
She had no resume, no video, no headshot. Her community put everything together with her: the photo shoot, the video, the vocal preparation.
Best friend Daniela Granja, a sports photographer and Guadalajara campus graduate, was the one who took the headshots. Another classmate helped her with the audition video recording.
She also received guidance from several professors, including Vladimir Gómez, the director of Choir and Orchestra at Tec Guadalajara, who supported her in choosing vocal material and general preparation.
The support continued with the backing of Art and Culture, Tec Ambassadors, and professors from her program, who facilitated adjustments so she could continue her final semester during the process.
After six months of auditions and callbacks, Majo received the call: she would be Nala. “When they called to let me know, it was a shared excitement. The accomplishment was thanks to everyone’s support. I didn’t get here on my own”.
It’s her first leading role, and it came with everything that entails: 12-hour rehearsals, multi-layered costumes, a four-kilo corset, a skin-tight braided wig, and a custom-made lioness headdress. Each movement requires calculation. Each show, resistance. The stage requires body, voice, focus.
But none of this weighs on Majo. She’s doing the very musical she would watch as a child, playing the character she always dreamed of.
“I really identify with Nala. She’s strong physically, mentally, and spiritually. I have a lot to learn from her”.
And although she loves what she does, she also acknowledges that it hasn’t been easy, balancing her lead role while getting through her final semester. “She adjusted subjects, schedules, and deadlines in order to be able to blend both worlds. This wouldn’t be possible without the Tec community.”
Majo now experiences the musical from the inside, but her favorite moment remains in the audience: “Seeing little girls leaving the theater excitedly saying, ‘I want to be Nala.’ It’s like going back to when I was that little girl”.
“Dark characters also possess humanity”
“Ever since I was a child I knew I wanted to sing. Everyone always said, ‘Let Carlitos sing,’ and there I was, happy, singing away at family gatherings,” says Carlos Quezada, artistic director of Tec Guadalajara who plays Scar in the musical.
His artistic training began at PrepaTec in Guadalajara, where he was part of the first Concert Ensemble.
He later studied Organizational Psychology at the Monterrey campus, without ever giving up his art: he participated in musicals, concerts, and other cultural productions at the Tec.
After finishing his degree, Carlos decided to become even more professional. He was accepted into the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, where he completed a Master’s in Performance and Musical Theatre, on a merit-based scholarship.
Upon his return, the Tec invited him to join as a stage and creative director, specifically to strengthen the cultural scene at PrepaTec Santa Anita and later, the Guadalajara campus.
Along with his teaching work, Carlos has forged a solid career as a professional musical theater actor.
His debut was in I Love Romeo and Juliet, under the direction of Manolo Caro. Since then, he has appeared in productions such as Fiddler on the Roof, Rock of Ages, Les Misérables, and Anastasia—the latter of which earned him the Metro Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.
Ten years ago, he was part of the cast of The Lion King as walking cover for Scar and Pumbaa. Halfway through the season, he was promoted to the lead role of Scar.
Today, in the musical’s relaunch, he returns as that same character but has now been cast as the lead character from day one.
“Scar is a complex, sarcastic, manipulative, but fascinating character. I love playing him because I can explore emotions from a very theatrical, very dark, very rich place”.
Scar, says Carlos, requires total physical and emotional integration. The costume weighs 12 kilos, and the puppet mask is battery-operated, using complex mechanisms that require both strength and finesse. “I incorporate the mask as if it were an extension of me. It has to move as if it were part of my body”.
In addition to acting, Carlos continues to direct and train new generations. He is currently the creative general director of the Legally Blonde musical at Tec Guadalajara.
“My commitment to the Tec is to train professionals through the arts, developing their critical thinking and leadership skills. I share with them what I’ve experienced on stage, in London, and at OCESA Teatro”.
Majo Domínguez, who plays Nala, was his student throughout her degree course. “It’s amazing to see her on stage now. I directed her in concerts and now we perform together. It’s strange and wonderful at the same time”.
For Carlos, Scar is more than a character. “Scar has taught me that there is humanity even in the darkest characters.As an actor, my job is to give a voice to that darkness with truth and soul”.
“Theater found me by accident”
“I came to Mexico to study music production. Theater found me by accident,” says Jorge Mejía, a Tec graduate who is currently cover for Mufasa and part of The Lion King musical’s ensemble.
His artistic story began among scores and microphones, not on a stage. He came from the Dominican Republic in 2012, at just 17 years old, to study Music Production at Tec de Monterrey’s Puebla campus.
His passion was music… until someone heard him sing in the choir and said, “You should audition for the musical".
“I went on the last day of auditions, at the last minute... and I stayed. That’s where it all started,” he recalls.
From that moment on, musical theater became his north star. He juggled classes, audio engineering internships, and theater roles.
For years, he participated in the Tec’s cultural festivals: he was part of the choir, the ensemble, and, most notably, the Song Festival, where he competed four times with original songs, winning awards for best music and best lyrics at the regional level.
After graduating, he decided to move to Mexico City, where his professional acting career took off. His debut was inPeter Pan, alongside Lolita Cortés.
Then came productions such as Avenue Q, Para la Libertad (For Freedom), Ghost, West Side Story, and Murder Mystery. Today, he is part of the cast of the The Lion King musical, where he plays multiple characters in the ensemble and is cover for Mufasa.
“Being inside the giant elephant and seeing the audience get excited about the musical’s opening is a privilege. The Circle of Life is a magical moment, one of my favorites. People cry, they clap… it feels like a ritual”.
Although he hasn’t yet played Mufasa in front of an audience, he’s already rehearsing with the costume, mask, and the entire stage set.
“The first time I saw a Mufasa scene I thought, ‘It has to be perfect.’ But then I understood that even he, as king, is a father who doesn’t always have the answers. That’s what this character has taught me: that it’s okay not to be perfect”.
In addition to his role as Mufasa, Jorge sings almost all of the musical’s songs and is an essential part of the visual and aural universe that envelops the audience.
The architect who built a life in the theater
“As a child, I didn’t know I wanted to pursue a career in theater, but now I realize any excuse was enough to make me say yes. And that excuse came at the Tec,” says Carlos Rodea, actor, television presenter, and walking cover for several characters in The Lion King musical.
Carlos studied Architecture at the Tec’s Toluca campus. “But in my third semester, a classmate said to me, ‘Hey, you’re always imitating the teachers. Don’t you want to go into theater?’ That question changed my life. I attended a musical theater workshop without knowing what I was getting myself into, and that’s where it all began”.
Under the direction of Salvador “Chavito” Núñez and Jacobo Toledo, Carlos made his debut with the musical Spamalot. Then came Drowsy Chaperone, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Phantom of the Opera, all on the Toluca campus. “The Tec gave me my university degree, but theater shaped me as a person,” he says.
After graduating, he continued in the artistic scene. He became a storyteller and host of the cultural program Las Mil Y Una Notas (The Thousand and One Notes) broadcast on Mexiquense TV, where he was nominated for an Emmy for best educational program.
Upon moving to Mexico City, Carlos decided to fully dedicate himself to professional theater. He participated in productions such as Sorpresas, Crime, Passion and Boleros, Las Meninas, and The House of Bernarda Alba (male musical version).
And it was his versatility that led him to become a walking cover in The Lion King, playing three main characters: Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu.
“I didn’t know what a walking cover was until it was explained to me. It’s being a wild card, the one that’s ready to step in at any moment. It’s a huge challenge, but also the most fun job in the world”.
Each character has left him something. “Zazu is the butler who wants everything to be perfect and nothing goes right for him. Timon is the little know-it-all with a giant attitude. Pumbaa is pure heart. I got the funniest ones”.
And this season he’s always ready in the wings, waiting for his turn to bring alive one of the characters from his favorite childhood movie. “As a child, I used to pretend to be them. Today, I get paid to do it”.
The Lion King musical
Disney’s The Lion King musical premiered on March 20, 2025, at Teatro Telcel in Mexico City, marking its long-awaited return to the country after a decade.
Based on the 1994 animated film, the show features songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, and additional music from talents including Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer.
The production is headed by Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart, and Thomas Schumacher.
This production is famous for its more than 300 masks, puppets, and props that transform the stage into the African savannah.
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