Meet the Director, Designers and Crew of "Boleros for the Disenchanted"

Artwork by Suzanne Tellez

Earlier this week, we introduced you to the cast of Boleros for the Disenchanted. Now, here are the folks you won't see onstage, but whose work will not go unnoticed. 

ANTONIO SONERA (Director) has been working professionally in the Portland theatre community for 26 years. Boleros for the Disenchanted is the 15th production he has directed for Miracle. His other directing credits include: How the García Girls Lost their Accents, El Grito del Bronx, Un Christmas Cuento, Cuentos, Voces de Christmas, Cafe con Leche, Burning Patience, El Paso Blue, The American Sueño, Life is a Dream, References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, The True History of Coca-Cola in Mexico and Mariela in the Desert for Miracle, Sticks and Bones for Paula Productions, Death and the Maiden for Theatre Vertigo, Concrete Symphony and Northbound Train for 24 Hour Plays, Handler for Portland Actors Conservatory, the world premiere of Jingle Spree (winner of a Drammy Award for Outstanding Original Script), and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune for CoHo Productions, the world premiere of Goa for Tabuki Theatre, Topdog/Underdog for Artists Repertory Theatre and the world premiere of Rocket Man for BaseRoots Theatre Co. He is the Creative Director of La Luna Nueva and an Artistic Associate at Miracle Theatre Group and the Founding Artistic Director of Badass Theatre Company.

VERÓNIKA NUÑEZ (Assistant Director) is a graduate of Portland Actors Conservatory (class of 2009.) She was born in Texas and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Last fall she directed the stage reading La casa de los espíritus in La Luna Nueva Festival and during the spring of 2011 also wrote and directed a short play for the International Women’s Day Festival, both for Miracle Theatre Group. Among her favorite acting roles are: Carla (How the García Girls Lost their Accents); Estela (La barca sin pescador), Rita (Rosalba y los Llaveros), Consuelo (Canta y no llores) all at Miracle; and Ana (Living Out), The Girl (The Blue Room) both at PAC. Verónika is also a Senior Bilingual Exhibit Developer at OMSI. ¡Muchas gracias Tony for this opportunity!

PETER WEST (Lighting Designer) is Miracle’s Resident Lighting Designer. He designed seven seasons of lighting for the groundbreaking modern dance companies Cirque/Portland Dance Theatre and The Company We Keep/PSU Dance. He designed eight seasons for The Jefferson Dancers. For Oregon Ballet Theatre, he lit Equinoxe, Crayola, Rodeo, Mysterious Mountain, Gloria, Schéhérazade and Frauenliebe und Leben. Portland Opera credits include Carmen, Martha, Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, Der Rosenkavalier, Andrea Chénier and Don Pasquale. In the past eight years he lit nearly a dozen productions for Miracle, winning Drammy awards for Barrio Hollywood, Lorca in a Green Dress, Men on the Verge and El Grito del Bronx. He is an adjunct instructor in the theatre departments of PCC and Lewis & Clark College.

MARK HAACK (Scenic Designer) returns to Miracle for his eighth show. Previous work here includes his Drammy award-winning set for El Quijote, ¡Viva Don Juan!, Mariela in the Desert and Rosalba y los Llaveros, among others. He designed Oregon Children’s Theatre world premiere of The Giver, which also won him a Drammy award for set design. Before moving to Portland in 1992, Mark lived in New York where he designed and assisted on dozens of Broadway and Off Broadway productions. He has also been art director or production designer on numerous studio, independent and made-for-TV films.

CECIL AVERETT (Sound Designer/Composer) has worked in regional theater on productions at the Goodman, Arena Stage, Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, and Northlight. Recent designs off-Broadway include Beyond Glory at Roundabout, and Cap21’s premiere of Waiting for My Man. Cecil received an AfterDark Award for his work on Eclipse Theatre’s production of Frame 312 as well as a Jeff nomination for Into the Woods and Passion Play.

MARYCHRIS MASS (Costume Designer) says she has been a slave to costumes (and promises to one day learn about hair and make-up) for longer than most of this cast’s existence (and that includes the director, who was about 18 when they first encountered each other in the theatre scene). Last year, she won a Portland Area Musical Theatre award for STAGED!’s production of Big River.  She is really glad that Boleros for the Disenchanted has given her the opportunity to work with old friends, Ted Schulz and Luisa Sermol and once again be exposed to great new works.

SARAH LYDECKER (Prop Master) recently graduated from Willamette University where she received a degree in theatre and art history. Recent credits include scenic design for Sardine Seller’s Net of Love (Willamette U.) and 99 Ways to F*** a Swan (Theatre Vertigo). At Miracle, she was Prop Master and Assistant Scenic Designer for Ana en el trópico among other productions. Outside of theatre, Sarah works as a painter and furniture re-finisher.

IAN GOODRICH (Dramaturg) is very pleased to be working for Milagro again. He most recently performed for the Working Theater Collective in Houstatlantavegas/Peekaboo. Some previous credits include (Quick & Dirty Art Project, 2010, Dramaturg/Husband), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (PSU/TASO, 2011, Dramaturg/El-Fayoumi), and Mariela in the Desert (Miracle Theatre Group, 2007, Dramaturg).

ELIZABETH BROWN (Stage Manager) studied stage management and technical theater at Wayne State University before moving to Portland in 2002.  She has worked with Staged! as Production Manager and Sojourn Theater Co. as Production Stage Manager.  Favorite shows as stage manager include Crazy for You, Peter Pan and Footloose with Northwest Children’s Theater.  Lizz has also been on the run crew and behind the scenes at Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Tygres Heart Shakespeare and The Really BIG Dance Company.

AMANDA PICHEL (Production Assistant) is thrilled to be working on Boleros for the Disenchanted, her third production at the Milagro.  She has previously been involved in the Posada Milagro and La Luna Nueva Festival.  She is currently a student at Reed College, and would like to thank her housemates for their support.

DUG MARTELL (Master Electrician) is a lighting designer, sound designer and technician. He lives and works in the Portland area and is available for your next production!


CAITLIN NOLAN (Production Assistant) has been an actor and theatrical technician since 2002. She is a relative newcomer to the Portland theater community and is pleased to be involved in her first production with Miracle Theater Group. She would like to thank Olga Sanchez for the opportunity to participate and Lisa-Ann Mitchell for putting in a good word on her behalf.