Milagro Artistic Director Olga Sanchez to Exit

Olga Sanchez, Artistic Director since 2003, will be leaving Milagro next season to begin a new chapter in her artistic life at the University of Oregon, where she will pursue a Doctorate in Theatre Arts. "I'm delighted to join the academic program at University of Oregon, led by Prof. John Schmor", who penned the award-winning theatrical adaptation of Ursula K. LeGuin's "The Left Hand of Darkness" for the Hand2Mouth-Portland Playhouse collaboration. "Their commitment to artistic practice, as well as scholarly rigor, and to illuminating and actively nurturing the growing cultural diversity of American theatre is immensely appealing. I'm looking forward to this new phase of critical learning and practice."

Sanchez departs Milagro after 12 years of fruitful service, during which time she flourished as an artist, directing, acting and writing her best work to date. In addition to directing new works and classics in English and Spanish, including the multiple award-winning Lorca in a Green Dress by Nilo Cruz, Sanchez created memorable original shows for Milagro's signature El Día de los Muertos Festival, including her recent ¡O Romeo! in which William Shakespeare encounters ancient Aztec culture and the Day of the Dead. Her direction for the company included challenging world premieres such as Boomcracklefly by Charise Castro Smith, Guapa by Caridad Svich and two new works by Quiara Alegría Hudes who went on to write the book for the Tony Award-winning musical, In the Heights, and won the Pulitzer Prize for her Water by the Spoonful. As an actor, Sanchez appeared in powerful roles including Jocasta in Oedipus el Rey, and Mary in Learn to be Latina.

Her notable contributions include strengthening the Spanish-language theatre program, expanding the company's scope of work to nurture and empower artists of all disciplines, and raising the visibility of the company through her participation on various national projects including on the board of Theatre Communications Group and the Latina/o Theatre Commons, a project of HowlRound at Emerson College.

"Milagro has been a tremendous artistic home," says Sanchez. "I've grown immensely through the work and it will be hard to step away." Her move will be a gradual one; before heading off to school, she will assist the new Artistic Director to transition into Milagro. Additionally, Sanchez is committed to maintaining her artistic connection to the company through a few new projects in the coming season. She is currently developing Broken Promises, a new play for the Teatro Milagro national touring company, which sheds light on the horrific sex-trafficking of immigrant women along the I-5 corridor. She will also return later in the season to direct the world premier of Into the Beautiful North by Karen Zacarías, based on the novel by Luis Alberto Urrea. "It's a joyful project I've been working on for a couple of years, a great story about a young heroine that I'd love to be part of telling through the stage."

Sanchez' departure heralds a new age for Milagro, which will be launching its 32nd season this summer. "One of the strengths of Milagro is that it embraces change, an attitude that has enabled it to weather many storms over the past 30 years, seeking and finding that silver lining of hope and opportunity in the dark clouds of adversity. Olga has brought brains, breadth, and beauty to Milagro and the communities that it serves, and her many contributions will be impossible to replace. And while I will personally miss her, as a friend and colleague, I know that her future will be bright and that she will continue her creative life on a new stage, one that will be graced by her presence. " - Jose Gonzalez, Executive Director & Founder.

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