Milagro's 20th annual celebration of Día de los Muertos kicks off this week with the world premiere of ¡O Romeo!, and we are ecstatic about the outstanding cast director Olga Sanchez gathered. Read on to learn about this talented group who came together for our original Day of the Dead production, with the color, energy and authentic twists that only Milagro can bring you, and get your tickets today!
Enrique E. Andrade (
Richard III) originally from Mexico City, is a graduate of the University of Oregon. Enrique has performed in numerous Milagro productions since 2008, including in 2012 Oedipus el Rey, and Ardiente Paciencia in 2014. Enrique is also expanding his classical Shakespearean repertoire with Portland Actors Ensemble in Merchant of Venice in 2013 and Antony & Cleopatra in 2014. He performed in Astor Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires at the Aspen Festival of Music in 2005 and 2007 as well as with 3rd Angle Music Ensemble, and in 2013 with the Lexington Philharmonic in Kentucky. Enrique’s Television credits include TNT’s Leverage season 4 as Professor Humberto Garcia as well as NBC’s GRIMM. Enrique is well known for being the Spanish voice of the MAX, as well as various TV/radio/internet commercials in both English and Spanish and also as a story teller at Portland Story Theater, and most recently as Judge Hathorne in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible for Bag & Baggage in Hillsboro. Enrique thanks Milagro for being his artistic home, and the audiences that support Latino Arts.
Arlena Barnes (
Polonius) is performing in her first production with Milagro. She has performed in Romeo and Juliet, You Can’t Take It with You, and Big Love (Portland Actors Conservatory) and For the Time Being (Claire Willett). She has been the Narrator for readings at Profile Theatre – Buena Vista (Desdemona Chiang) and Hungry (Adriana Baer). Arlena has been an Assistant Director to Philip Cuomo for Dog Sees God (Portland Actors Conservatory). She has also directed La Bonne Fille - a video/multimedia short and Normal - a short film at the Gulf Island Film and Television School. Arlena is a graduate of the Portland Community College Multimedia Program and the Portland Actors Conservatory. She is a participant in the Yale University Directing 1 Summer Intensive. Arlena also has a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a M.P.P. from Harvard Kennedy School.
Danielle Chaves (
Lady M) Raised in the Northwest, Danielle spent many years studying voice and then decided to pursue her passion for theatre. After receiving a Bachelor in Fine Arts at Southern Oregon University, Danielle was asked to joined the acting company at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for two seasons where she performed in shows such as Ghost Light and Romeo and Juliet. Danielle has now relocated to her beloved Northwest to pursue her career and create moving theatrical experiences with the immense talent that Portland has to offer. She is thrilled for ¡O, Romeo! to be her first show at Milagro. Deepest love to Laura, Elizabeth, Sofi, Marty, Sadie, and Finn.
Anthony Green (
Shakespeare) holds a BFA in Theatre Arts and a Master of Theatre Studies in Production and Design from Southern Oregon University. Tony always looks forward to returning to Milagro. He was previously seen at Milagro in How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent, BoomCrackleFly and the Drammy Award winning Oedipus El Rey. Recent credits include his critically acclaimed role as Enobarbus in Anthony and Cleopatra with Portland Actors Ensemble and Albany in King Lear at NWCTC. Other Portland credits include Cardinal Pandolph in King John Borachio and Friar Francis in Much Ado About Nothing, the Duke in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Persuasion. He wants to dedicate this performace to the memory of his abuelitos Armando and Amalia.
Otniel Henig (
Hamnet) is super excited to be making his Milagro debut. He graduated from Portland Actors Conservatory this spring where he played Van in Dog Sees God directed by Philip Cuomo and The Student in Opus 3: After Strindberg, a devised work with Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble. This summer he played Menas in Portland Actors Ensemble’s Antony and Cleopatra directed by Elizabeth Huffman. He’d like to dedicate this performance to his late grandmother “Savta Dotti”.
Tara Hershberger (
Titania) has performed locally with Portland Actor’s Ensemble, Original Practice Shakespeare, Fuse Theatre Ensemble, Masque Alfresco, and Broken Toy Piano. She teaches at the Northwest Children’s Theater, plays in a local band, Scarlet Straits, and is studying playwriting in pursuit of a M.S. in Theatre Arts at PSU. She loves to make new discoveries on stage and believes that theatre is a powerful force for community-building, creative expression, and social change.
Heath Hyun Houghton (
Hamlet) He is pleased to be making his first appearance at Milagro. Recent Portland stage credits include Hamlet with Anon It Moves; Enjoy, Maple and Vine at CoHo Productions; Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, Broadway Rose Theatre and Breaking the Silence, Diaspora.
Sofía May-Cuxim (
Rifke) A veteran of the stage since 1974, Sofía has sung, acted, danced and written plays in many languages. She comes from Mexico City, where she studied a BA in Dramatic Literature at UNAM. She has received awards in Mexico and Los Angeles for acting, producing, and singing. She started learning English at 18, then Russian. At Milagro, she has participated in ¡Viva Don Juan!, Ana en el trópico, Guapa, Ardiente Paciencia, the 2012 and 2013 La Luna Nueva Festival, and LAX (Latino Artist Exchange). She also wrote 2012’s Jardín de Sueños. Thank you, dearest Olga. To the expelled Jews who endlessly hoped in “The New World”.
Rebecca Ridenour (
Ophelia) Is proud to be in her first show at Milagro. She was last seen as Susan Brady in Playboy of the Western World at Artists Repertory Theatre. Before that she played Goneril in Bag and Baggage’s production of Lear and Brutus in their all-female production of Julius Caesar. In Portland Rebecca has acted with Quintessence Theatre Company, Northwest Classical Theatre Company, Sowelu and Post 5. California credits include Mairead in The Lieutenant of Inishmore with Genesis West and Woman in Bill W. and Doctor Bob with Happy Destiny Productions. Rebecca is a graduate of Portland Actors Conservatory class of 2012, University California Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara City College. Next up: Miss Foxhill in Suddenly Last Summer with Shaking the Tree.
Jake Wiest (
Yorick) As a longtime Shakespeare fan, Jake is delighted to make his debut at Milagro in ¡O Romeo!. He’s played Puck, Romeo, and Samson. Jake inicio su educación en la actuación de Shakespeare en Idaho Theater For Youth cuando era aún un adolescente, Jake también se ha entrenado en la Universidad de Idaho y Voice One en San Francisco. He is also a musical performer, and is currently active with his “Sci-Firish” rock band Garden Goat.
¡O Romeo! runs Oct. 16-Nov 9.
Get your tickets today!
