CAST

LAURA DI MARE (Ensemble)
Laura has a Bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts from the University of Costa Rica. She started her professional career with Punto Cero, with whom she won the national award Best Ensemble for the play Un viejo con Alas. Along with two colleagues, she formed a theater group that presented original material in order to address local social issues. Upon moving to Portland, Laura is thrilled to have joined the Milagro family. You last saw her in La Segua in February 2019.

YESENIA LOPEZ (Ensemble)
Yesenia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from California State University of Sacramento. This is Yesenia’s second performance at Milagro. You may have seen Mrs. Lopez in last years’ Day of the Dead show, ¡Alebrijes! Another company that Yesenia has worked for is Bag&Baggage, where she performed The Island in the Winter Or Isla en el Invierno. Yesenia’s favorite past roles include Zoot Suit (Lupe); Water by the Spoonful (Odessa/Haikumom); Women of Juarez (Maritza); and Electricidad (Electricidad). Yesenia is lucky to have such a supportive group of friends and family.

CARLOS MANZANO (Ensemble)
Carlos feels extremely excited returning to the Milagro theater stage for his second Día de Muertos production! This year the show comes in a very vulnerable moment for him, as he is grieving and celebrating the life of his pet, Katya. This show is dedicated to the many immigrants like him, who couldn’t see and say goodbye to family members in their country of origin before passing. The Day of the Death tradition is a way of honoring and remembering the laughter and joy we shared together. He was last seen in La Segua as ensemble (Milagro), Sister Act as Ernie (Lakewood Theater), Astucias por Heredar un sobrino a un tio as Crispin (Milagro), The Caucasian Chalk Circle as Arsen Kazbeki/others (Shaking the Tree Theater) and Tomas & The Library Lady as Florencio/Papa Grande (Oregon Children’s Theater). Abuela Antonia and Abuelo Antonio I hope you enjoy this show from heaven and play and cuddle Katya a lot for me. I love you!

YOLANDA PORTER (Rosalita Cuesta Ramirez)
Yolanda is a Hispanic actress, and a graduate of Portland Actors Conservatory. She’s been a part of productions including The Taming of the Shrew, All My Sons, Marisol, and Opción Multiple. Yolanda is the mom of an 8-year-old girl, adventure seeker, avid reader, and an excellent baker. This would be her first Day of the Dead play, and she is grateful and proud to be back on stage at Milagro, sharing this incredible love story.

JOHNNIE TORRES (Ensemble)
Johnnie is a native of Los Angeles who has called Portland home since 2014. He has been acting since childhood and studied at Santa Monica College, The Strasberg Institute, and UCLA. Since moving to Portland, he has been nominated twice for Twilight Theater’s Best Supporting Actor Award. He was Robert in Magenta Theater’s Best Play of 2018, Boeing Boeing. Amor Añejo is Johnnie’s tenth Portland production and his first with Milagro. He would like to thank Elizabeth Huffman and the entire cast and crew for a wonderful experience.

RICARDO VÁZQUEZ (Hector Ramirez)
Ricardo is a graduate of Portland State University with a B.S. in Theatre Arts. He is excited to be returning to Milagro for Amor Añejo. A couple of his more recent performances include The Island in the Winter Or Isla en el Invierno by Carlos Zenen-Trujillo at Bag&Baggage, and Street Scenes’ production of Vampire Tapestry. Ricardo is also an Associate Artist for the Original Practice Shakespeare Festival, and a member of their grants and fundraising teams. He would also like to thank Elizabeth Huffman for the opportunity, his castmates for being wonderful people to work with, and you the audience, for your support of local artists.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Elizabeth Huffman (Director)
Elizabeth is delighted to return to direct her fourth show here at Milagro theatre and her first time writing and creating a Diá de Los Muertos show. Other shows at Milagro include: Watsonville, Some Place Not Here, American Night, Oedipus El Rey. Elizabeth’s play, Bon temp Roulez at the Shakespeare Café, now a musical currently in development in Pittsburgh, was commissioned and translated into German and she directed it’s second international production last season for Bremer Shakespeare Company. Her other play, the solo show Not My Revolution has been performed in Portland, Albuquerque, New York, Hanau and Bremen Germany. She is currently writing and developing an Asylum project: The Sphere of Human Follies with her production company Chain Reaction Theatre. Other Portland directing projects include: King John, Lion in Winter, Mary Stuart (NWCTC), Antony and Cleopatra (PAE), November (JANE, a theatre company), Ladies Man (Clackamas Rep), Oedipus the King, Trojan Women (CGTO). Elizabeth is also an actress and will be traveling to Albuquerque in January to perform in the first regional production of the Broadway show: Gary, A Sequel to Titus Andronicus by Taylor Mack. She hopes you enjoy today’s show and that you will return to see the other great shows in Milagro’s 36th season: Con Todo Corazón.

Olga Sanchez (Dramaturg)
Olga served as the Artistic Director of Milagro from 2003-2015, for which she directed over 25 works including: El Quijote by Santiago García; García Lorca’s Bodas De Sangre; and Nilo Cruz’s Lorca In A Green Dress (Drammy Award, Excellence in Direction). Her devised work includes five Día de muertos shows, including ¡O Romeo! (Drammy Award, Outstanding Achievement in Devised Work). Internationally, her directorial work has been seen in Honduras, Peru, Venezuela, and Cuba. She is a founding member of Los Porteños writers’ group; and edited the book, Teatro de los Muertos, a collection of photographs by Russell J. Young. Sanchez served for many years as a community arts organizer and art educator, including as director of Milagro’s Latino Artists eXchange/Intercambio de artistas Latinos (LAX/IdeAL). She has served numerous youth groups and cultural organizations and is the creator of Posada Milagro. From 2007-2013, Sanchez served on the board of Theatre Communications Group (TCG); currently she serves on the Advisory Committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons. Fingers crossed, she will receive her PhD in Theatre Arts, from University of Oregon this fall. Olga will serve as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster PA, beginning January 2020.

PATRICIA ALVITEZ (Choreographer)
Patricia is originally from Peru where she studied ballet at the Escuela Nacional de Ballet en Lima and theatre at La Asociación de Artistas Aficionados and El Club de Teatro de Lima. She is a former Company member of The Peninsula Ballet Theatre in San Francisco. Patricia started dancing ballroom in 2008 and has competed in Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles. Currently she is studying flamenco dance at Espacio Flamenco. Local credits include Grand Hotel and Young Frankenstein at Lakewood Theatre, 5 Day of the Dead productions, Watsonville, La Segua and Wolf at the Door at Milagro Theatre. Patricia is thrilled to join Artist Rep and honored to be part of this heartfelt story. She thanks Damaso Rodriguez for this opportunity and she dedicates her work to her beloved husband David whose love and support inspire her creative journey. Patricia has collaborated with the choreographies for La Muerte baila, el Muerto Vagabundo and La Segua. She is very excited to collaborate with Elizabeth in putting dance and movement to this lovely story.

AMBER BLACK (Costume Designer)
Amber is a costume designer living in Portland, Oregon. Amber started her career working in post-production, moving from behind the studio to preferring to build and create with her hands. Her work ranges from theater and performance to couture exhibits and individual commissions. Being open to different art forms inspires Amber to mix mediums together to create new styles and open costuming as works of art and storytelling. Amber has recently worked on a number of productions with Stageworks Ink, Berk Theatre and Crave Theatre. She is a finalist in the Right Brain Initiative’s Shift: An Experiment in Fashion Design competition. Amber would like to thank her son, Alex, for his continual creative inspiration.

JARED JONAS (Sound Designer)
Jared is a sound designer from Boise, Idaho. Jared found his love for theatre arts while studying at the University of Idaho. He moved to Portland after receiving his BFA in Theatre Design and has been an active part of the theatre community here ever since. Jared also helps teach theatre to high school students during the day.

MAEVE KOLK (Board Operator)
Maeve is excited to be working on their first show with Milagro Theatre. Originally from Ohio, they are a recent grad of Reed College where they majored in biology. Though they spent a year studying cyanobacteria, Maeve also has a passion for theater as they have continued to work on productions both onstage and behind the scenes.

ABIGAIL MORGAN (Stage Manager)
Abigail is a graduate from Pacific University’s Theatre program, who fell in love with Portland’s fun theatre scene. She has worked with a variety of folks in the area, the most recent being the wonderful Original Practice Shakespeare Festival and the Oregon Children’s Theatre original production of The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Thrilled to now be a part of Milagro, she looks forward to having this special Día de los Muertos celebration with all of you! Even though Abby is often backstage or otherwise out-of-sight, every show is a thrilling experience that will not be forgotten. A big hello to all of her friends and family in the audience, and a a special thank you to all of them who have already moved onto their next adventure.

KYRA SANFORD (Scenic Designer, Props Master)
Kyra is a freelance scenic designer, props master, carpenter, and painter in the Portland area, working for theatres such as Corrib, Staged!, Vertigo, Defunkt, Profile, Portland State University, Clark College, Lincoln High School, Shaking the Tree, Third Rail, and various others. She received her BFA in scenic design from The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University.