Miracle Theatre Group is known for bringing you work unlike
anything else you can find in Portland. But how do we choose a season? That
enormous responsibility falls on the shoulders of our two artistic directors,
Dañel Malán and Olga Sanchez.
anything else you can find in Portland. But how do we choose a season? That
enormous responsibility falls on the shoulders of our two artistic directors,
Dañel Malán and Olga Sanchez.
For Teatro Milagro, Dañel chooses — and frequently writes —
the play that tours to schools and colleges around the country throughout
the year. She consults with educators and students around the country about relevant
important social issues and current events that often influence her selection
of work. Ultimately, she picks a play that does double-duty: entertaining the public while providing food-for-thought to her educational audiences.
the play that tours to schools and colleges around the country throughout
the year. She consults with educators and students around the country about relevant
important social issues and current events that often influence her selection
of work. Ultimately, she picks a play that does double-duty: entertaining the public while providing food-for-thought to her educational audiences.
For the Miracle MainStage, Olga not only collects feedback
from patrons and staff, but also works closely with a volunteer play reading committee
consisting of Andrew Golla, Karin Magaldi and Francesca Sanders.
from patrons and staff, but also works closely with a volunteer play reading committee
consisting of Andrew Golla, Karin Magaldi and Francesca Sanders.
Francesca has been on Miracle’s play reading committee for four or five years now, so we asked her to fill us in a little on what’s hot. From the current pile of scripts, one story that stands out is Caridad Svich’s play Guapa. “The journey of this brave little girl is compelling. And while it may be difficult, it’s also uplifting,” says Francesca. Will this be on Miracle’s slate for next season? That you’ll have to wait to find out.
Meanwhile, we asked Francesca if there were any particular trends she’s noticed in reading the dozens of plays that are submitted to Miracle. She says, “We seem to be out of the ‘shock’ play era. Simply having nudity or blood just for the sake of saying you did seems to have lost its potency. Instead we’re seeing plays about very flawed people. One can argue that Hamlet is about a flawed person (and of course, it is) but we’re seeing a focus of the whole character not just one aspect. You need only look at the last winner of the Tony Award for Best Actor (Mark Rylance for Jerusalem) to see that we’re looking for more complex characters on the stage.”
But does reading so many plays ever take its toll? “I would say that the reading committee is a wonderful place to be,” says Francesca. “Listening to smart people discuss thematic relevance, a protagonist’s journey or structural relevance is a great way to spend your time.”
Watch for the announcement of Miracle Theatre Group’s 29th season in April! Until then, here’s a little more background on each of our committee volunteers:
A full-time faculty at the University of Portland, Andrew Golla is
also the Artistic Director of Portland Theatre Works, as well as a freelance
director, new play dramaturg, and actor. He received an M.F.A. in Directing
from the University of Iowa and a B.A. in Political Philosophy from Carleton
College. He has directed over 30 productions of classical and contemporary
plays and musicals in over 15 years of directing, many of them world premieres.
also the Artistic Director of Portland Theatre Works, as well as a freelance
director, new play dramaturg, and actor. He received an M.F.A. in Directing
from the University of Iowa and a B.A. in Political Philosophy from Carleton
College. He has directed over 30 productions of classical and contemporary
plays and musicals in over 15 years of directing, many of them world premieres.
Karin Magaldi is the department chair and
head of the theatre program at Portland State University. Karin became the
Department’s coordinator of dramatic writing and analysis in 1999, after
teaching previously at UC Santa Cruz. Since joining the PSU faculty, she has
directed several mainstage productions. She has many writing credits to her
name and is deeply involved in the city’s theatre community, having served on
the Drammy committee and acted as a panelist for Artist Trust, and the Regional
Arts and Cultural Council. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from UCLA and an MA
from UC Berkeley.
head of the theatre program at Portland State University. Karin became the
Department’s coordinator of dramatic writing and analysis in 1999, after
teaching previously at UC Santa Cruz. Since joining the PSU faculty, she has
directed several mainstage productions. She has many writing credits to her
name and is deeply involved in the city’s theatre community, having served on
the Drammy committee and acted as a panelist for Artist Trust, and the Regional
Arts and Cultural Council. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from UCLA and an MA
from UC Berkeley.
Francesca Sanders is an award winning
playwright who hails from Portland, Oregon. Since she began writing in 2000,
she’s been the recipient of The Oregon Literary Fellowship for Drama, Portland
Civic Theatre Guild Fellowship for Theatrical Excellence, Ludwig Vogelstein
Foundation- Playwriting Grant, Women’s Work Residency- New Perspectives
Theatre, New York; been commissioned by- Portland Center Stage, Integrity
Productions and Fuse Ensemble Theatre. She’s also been selected to participate
in the Seven Devil’s Playwriting Conference and The
Kennedy Center Summer Playwriting Intensive. She was named a Finalist for the
2008 Oregon Book Award for Drama. She’s also been a
Finalist for the Rosenthal New Play Prize, Seattle Rep’s New Work Festival,
Ojai Playwriting Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Festival, JAW, New Harmony
Project, Play Labs and has been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Washington
DC and Minneapolis (and many others.)
playwright who hails from Portland, Oregon. Since she began writing in 2000,
she’s been the recipient of The Oregon Literary Fellowship for Drama, Portland
Civic Theatre Guild Fellowship for Theatrical Excellence, Ludwig Vogelstein
Foundation- Playwriting Grant, Women’s Work Residency- New Perspectives
Theatre, New York; been commissioned by- Portland Center Stage, Integrity
Productions and Fuse Ensemble Theatre. She’s also been selected to participate
in the Seven Devil’s Playwriting Conference and The
Kennedy Center Summer Playwriting Intensive. She was named a Finalist for the
2008 Oregon Book Award for Drama. She’s also been a
Finalist for the Rosenthal New Play Prize, Seattle Rep’s New Work Festival,
Ojai Playwriting Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Festival, JAW, New Harmony
Project, Play Labs and has been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Washington
DC and Minneapolis (and many others.)