Miracle Insider
Volume 9 Issue 5: March 3, 2010

Mundo de las Mujeres: Miracle celebrates International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 6
Each year, Miracle Theatre Group recognizes International Women’s Day with a multi-disciplinary presentation around issues of concern to Latina women. Join us this Saturday, March 6, when we recognize the 2010 International Women’s Day with a free afternoon filled with heartfelt stories, music, dance and dialogue focused on Latinas and mental wellness.

The afternoon begins with a 45-minute Spanish-language dramatization of original, real-life stories of Latina women who are striving to find balance between traditional and contemporary values. The cast includes Dañel Malán, Angela Bolaños-Osorio, Hilda Leyva and Yolanda Porter with special guest vocalist Melecia Torres and music by Joaquín López, under the direction of Gabriela Portuguez.

Following the theatre presentation, there will be a discussion among a panel of professionals including

• Eva Castellanoz, Portland's leading artist of ceremonial crowns and recently honored by the Hispanic Commission for her work as a folk artist and for her pro bono work of healing with indigenous Mexican remedies and practices
• Adriana Ortega, Senior Investigator, Attorney for the Civil Rights Division, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
• Glaucia Martin-Porath, MA, Counselor, Oregon Department of Human Services (onsite counselor)
• Representatives from Conexiones
• Alberto Moreno, Coordinator of Migrant Health Services, Oregon Department of Human Services
• Sandra Pérez; Univision Portland (moderator)

In the lobby, various service providers and social service organizations will offer a resource fair filled with bilingual information; private, onsite counseling; and childcare. Participating organizations include: Kaiser Permanente, Conexiones, MANA de Portland, KBOO, NTCARES, Bienestar de la Familia del Condado de Multnomah, Bustos Media, Laya Yoga Instruction and Therapy, Central City Concern, Puentes Program, MandosMundo Entertainment, LLC, ICS, A Non-Profit Immigration Law Firm, Planned Parenthood, Proyecto UNICA/El Programa Hispano, Latino Service Providers of Morrison Child and Family Services.

This original Mundo de las Mujeres program will be presented largely in Spanish. Doors open at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 6 at El Centro Milagro (525 SE Stark St., Portland). The resource fair will continue through 4:00 p.m.; the theatre presentation and panel discussion begins at 2:00 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public; no advance reservations necessary. Guests are encouraged bring used cell phones to donate in support of Portland’s Women’s Crisis Line.

Free staged reading of Oedipus el Rey Wednesday, March 3 at Milagro
The history between Miracle and Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon runs deeper than one might imagine! Eons ago, in 1986, when Miracle was a fledgling company, one of its first productions was Oedipus Rex at the Northwest Service Center, which launched the Ancient Greek Theatre Festival. For the next six seasons, even as it strengthened its Latino theatre offerings, Miracle continued to produce exciting Greek tragedies and comedies. In 1992, Miracle decided to focus entirely on Latino arts and culture. In 1997, the Ancient Greek Theatre Festival re-emerged as the Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon!

Miracle is delighted to revisit its roots to collaborate with Elizabeth Huffman, CGTO's new Artistic Director. Huffman launches a series of concert readings of works that exemplify the impact of ancient Greek theatre on contemporary playwrights, joining forces with Miracle and other Portland theatre companies to participate in this exploration!

On Wednesday evening, March 3, 2010 at 7 p.m., Miracle and CGTO will present a staged reading of Oedipus el Rey, an exciting new bilingual play by Luis Alfaro. In this gritty re-imagining of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, the modern kingdom is the barrio of East L.A. Oedipus, just out of prison, is determined to create a better life when an act of road rage changes his future and begins his destiny with death. The play has received tremendous reviews for its premiere at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Directed by Olga Sanchez, the cast will include Mario Alonzo, Enrique E. Andrade, Gilberto Martín del Campo, José E. González, Vicente Guzmán-Orozco and Olga Sanchez. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged, transforming this play reading into a fundraising event for Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon!

For more information, visit www.classicgreektheatre.org.

Meet the García Girls – Part one
Caribbean breezes, warm weather, tropical drinks and lots of merengue! But the García girls had to leave it all behind to come to New York, to the land of the free…. In an adaptation of Julia Alvarez’s best-selling novel How the García Girls Lost their Accents (picked by New York librarians as one of 21 classics for the 21st century), playwright Karen Zacarías takes us through the lives of four sisters — full of beauty and vitality but struggling to find out their place in a new society and longing for the home they left behind. Our Marketing Assistant Angela Bolaños-Osorio caught up with the four wonderful actresses at the center of this story, Verónika Nuñez (Carla), Lauren Bair (Yolanda), Lara Kobrin (Sandra) and Nicole Accuardi (Sofía). We couldn’t play favorites among this family, so here’s part one of a combined interview (watch for part two in the next issue of the Miracle Insider).

Can you give a brief description of your character?
Verónika: Carla is the eldest sister. She is responsible, bright and caring. She tries to do the right thing and is known for being the good girl.

Lauren: Yolanda is the poet and narrator of the story. The third oldest sister. Her colors are red and pink in the play, which are indicative of her passion and inner conflict.

Lara: Sandra is the second oldest of the four sisters. She is considered the "beautiful" one, a trait which has been pointed out to her many times throughout her life. She is the most introverted of the sisters

Nicole: Sofia, or Fifi, is the most Americanized of the family. She is three years younger than all the other sisters and for that reason was able to become more assimilated to the culture. She is wild and free, and certainly freedom is a notable trait of the United States, and I would say being wild in the 60s and 70s wasn't too uncommon either. She doesn’t have shadows of the past lurking over her; instead she reaches towards the future and rests peacefully living in the moment.

Can you relate to them in a personal level?
Verónika: Absolutely, moving from Venezuela has been one of the most wonderful and painful experiences I’ve had. I miss so many things from there: my friends, my family, the weather, the food. At the same time I have come to love Oregon. I have made new friends, and developed new interests and created a life with new shades. For a long time I felt in a limbo, when I really didn’t know where I belonged.

Lauren: I am an artist, so I definitely relate to the struggles of one. I also come from a family of sisters (no brothers!) and I just know how it feels to be one of the girls. Whatever your relationship with your sisters might be, you are always fiercely in love with them.

Lara: In some ways. Sandi is the "fixer" of the family. She wants to make sure everyone is happy and tries to diffuse tense situations. I feel like I have similar qualities.

Nicole: Being the youngest in my family, I certainly can. I have one older sister who I look up to. I feel like in both this show and in my life my older sisters are the more responsible ones, and perhaps I should have followed their lead, but it seems as though it all turns out okay in the end.

How are you developing the sisterly bond which is pivotal in this story?
Verónika: We share a sense of humor which is also essential in the story. They are creative, fearless actresses and so much fun to be around. We really enjoy the rehearsals, and of course, dancing merengue helps! It’s such a great ice-breaker. Since day one, we have been dancing and playing so the cast is close by now.

Lauren: The women in this show are gorgeous inside and out. We all have different backgrounds, but there are just some things about being women and having the convention of being sisters that brings out some pretty hilarious, silly, compelling moments within the scripted story and without. We tell stories, we go out for drinks, we chat, share food, tease each other.

Lara: We've been sharing a lot of life stories, getting to know each other on deeper, more personal levels. As actors, we know the sisterly bond has to be apparent and is integral for us to tell this story. We're all working very hard to create the colorful world of the Garcia family.

Nicole: I feel like it was there almost the moment we began. All of these women are incredible, beautiful, strong woman that I can look up to and respect greatly. Then again, they are also huge goof balls that will have me in stitches when we aren't necessarily supposed to be laughing.

While you wait for the second part of this interview in the next Miracle Insider, visit our YouTube channel to watch video chats with these four actresses or download our complimentary study guide . It’s also not too early to get your tickets to see How the García Girls Lost their Accents, either. Visit the Miracle’s online box office or call us at 503-236-7253 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to order over the phone with a credit card. This is sure to be a popular show that you won’t want to miss.

On the road with Milagro
The Teatro Milagro troupe (including Sylvia and Joaquín, pictured here) just returned from Southern Oregon, where they conducted a series of back-to-back workshops and performances in Roseburg, Grants Pass and Medford. The play American Sueño, was presented in tandem with “Journeys” workshops that share a diversity approach to tolerance teaching through a Latino lens. Participants in these workshops explored aspects of marginalization, such as homelessness, sexism, classism and changing gender roles. Participants ranged from middle school students to college students to community groups. People in Southern Oregon have a great deal to say about these issues and were very excited to have a platform to share their stories and discuss their feelings. The workshops also served as a vehicle for introducing the play, which resulted in a standing-room-only community performance in downtown Medford where nearly 50 people had to be turned away from the door. As one instructor in Roseburg stated, “This is a ground-breaking experience and people want to be a part of it.” Audience members in Grants Pass and Medford filled out surveys after the show and here are some of the overwhelmingly positive remarks:

• Muy buena obra, a good message for the people who live in the USA, especially immigrants.
• Thank you so much! The actors are great and this is a truth that people need to learn more about.
• So beautiful, such a real portrayal. It was well put together; I really enjoyed all of it.
• Awesome play, love transcends all things. Keep up the excellent work!
• This is fantastic – it should be on TV to educate the public.
• I need to find out when it is showing again so I can bring others to see it.

In March, the group will perform in Vancouver, Centralia and Seattle, Washington. For more information about bringing American Sueño performances or “Journeys” workshops to your community, contact Teatro Milagro Artistic Director Dañel Malán at 503-236-7253 or malan@milagro.org.

Meet Rocío Zavala
We would like to take a moment to introduce to you the newest member of our Milagro family, Rocío Zavala, who is handling a variety of administrative projects at the Miracle as part of a work-study program at Portland State University. Rocío is originally from Southern California and moved to Oregon in 2006, where she graduated from Gresham High School in 2009. She is currently a freshman majoring in Urban Studies and Community Development at Portland State University. Her artistic background includes visual art and video production. She has designed brochures for The Center for Advanced Learning as a senior capstone project and, while there, she helped to create a number of short films and sample commercials. She has received a number of awards and recognitions, especially on her paintings and backdrop designs. Rocío chose to connect with Miracle in order to gain knowledge about working in a community-oriented environment, and we couldn’t be more happy to have her with us. ¡Bienvenida, Rocío!

Memoirs of a Mentee
by Antonio Sonera

This last four months of my fellowship just seem to be filled with things to do. I am working on strategies to improve the theatre and our corner space. We have improved our second-level offices for rental space. In a little over three weeks How the García Girls Lost Their Accents will open, and then I am off to Spain for 17 days. When I return, I must document my work here at the Miracle over the past two years. I will take this documentation to the Theatre Communications Group National Theatre Conference in Chicago this June where I will be a “Spotlight” fellow. This simply means that I will have opportunity to meet with leaders from around the country and tell them about my time here at the Miracle.

It is hard to believe that it is all coming to an end. Last week I took down my clippings, posters and drawings and put them in a file for documentation. It was interesting to go back and look at things and remember how they were realized. The plans for the exterior and lobby remodel were once just pieces of paper, as well as our Miracle marquee, which now is a landmark of the lower Southeast neighborhood. La Luna Nueva was an idea that began as a staged reading series and now is a full three-weekend festival. One phone call to Portland Development Commission and the sympathetic ear of Becki Marsh led to a $30,000 grant to have our leaky roof repaired. If that weren’t enough add in El Grito del Bronx and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, the National Conference last year in Baltimore, hundreds of meetings with staff, funders, SMAC, architects, marketing firms, community meetings, phone conferences with my fellow mentees from around the country, Friday afternoon music in the office when Olga and I laugh and listen to oldies…usually starts with the theme from Chico and the Man.

There have been countless days of learning on the job here, for which I am grateful. I have been fortunate to work here at the Miracle and have José as my mentor, and work with a pretty terrific staff. We have spent many days laughing, brainstorming, planning, scheduling, partying, and creating the magic that is the Miracle.

I still struggle with what it all means, and what the future holds. I now work on an exit strategy, not to leave the Miracle behind but to use what I have learned here and use it to lead others, be of service in my community or a community that needs a leader. I like the title “servant leader” and will strive to remember to be that in my career.

Mentee Out!

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