Q&A with our new T.D.

Miracle Theatre Group is pleased to welcome Andrew Phoenix into the Milagro family. Not only has Andrew worked behind the scenes on a number of shows with the us, but Miracle audiences might also recognize him from his work as a performer in Lazarillo. A transplant to the Pacific Northwest originally from North East Texas, Andrew has been hard at work on the set of Viva la Revolución. Catching him between building scenery and production design meetings, our Miracle Insider Susy was able to pry Andrew from his table saw long enough to bring you this exclusive.

Susy: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Andrew: I grew up in a small town in North East Texas where I learned carpentry from my grandfather, father and brother while working for my family’s home construction business.  I then went on to study acting in undergrad in Texas and then graduate studies in physical theatre at Dell’Arte International in Northern California.  Throughout my professional theatrical career I’ve always worked in all aspects of the theatre driven by a desire to understand every craft involved in putting up a play. I’ve always enjoyed blending my personal passion, theatre, with my family trade, carpentry.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love seeing an idea bandied about in meetings, how it is shaped and molded by a group concept, then becomes a more concrete design and eventually find itself in physical form as the final constructed set on-stage.  I’ve always loved building things and helping create plays because the result is a concrete thing right in front of you.

What are the first steps you take before you begin to prepare for a show?
As Technical Director, some of the first steps are just organizing and planning out a schedule for all of the designers, making sure that we do all of the work well ahead of the crunch time as the first performance rolls around, so that we are able to keep our sanity intact.

What do you look most forward to when working on a new project? 
I look forward to figuring out the puzzles. When a challenge comes my way and I have to come up with a unique way to fix it.  This makes things interesting and reminds you that things never go as expected, that there is more than one way to solve a problem, and every situation is unique from the one that came before and the one that will come after.

Can you tell us a little about what you have been working on for the upcoming Miracle show?
I’ve mostly been working on building the set for Viva La Revolución as well as helping make sure we have all aspects of the final set and design installations ready for the first public performance.

Is there anything that stands out to you about this particular job you have been working on for the Miracle?
I am always pleased and amazed by the community that makes a Miracle production happen.  From volunteer, to staff, to designers, everyone works together to fill in gaps and assist one another to make sure the goal of putting on a fantastic play is always successful.