Sacha Reich Oral History Interview, June 29, 2015

Partial Transcript: Good Morning
Good Morning

Segment Synopsis: Jager and Reich greet and introduce themselves to each other. Reich talks about her role at Milagro: She has her own theater company that has been in residency at Milagro for three years. She shows appreciation to have space with Milagro because affordability is tough in Portland. She also talks about her role as Director and Artistic Associate with Milagro.

Keywords: Jose; Portland; Residency; Theater Company; artistic associate; director; expensive; home; main stage; space; space prohibitive

Partial Transcript: It strikes me that the real strength here at Milagro is relationships-- can you talk about that?

Segment Synopsis: Reich talks about the advantage of strong relationships between artists at Milagro because it allows greater knowledge of each other's approach to work and creates space for deeper communication. She commends Milagro's sense of family and community for making these relationships possible.

Keywords: artistic community; community; curiosity; family; family endeavor; intimacy; quality of work; relationships

Partial Transcript: We talked earlier about the caliber and the quality of the performance and things that are produced here. Can you talk about that?

Segment Synopsis: Reich talks about how Milagro tackles challenging material that broadens the minds of audiences. She notes that Milagro attracts talent because there is a major emphasis on collaboration and listening to many distinct creative voices. This makes Milagro so good because it encourages artists to work at the widest extent of their creativity.

Keywords: Oh Romeo; Olga Sanchez; Shakespeare; artistic process; challenging material; collaborative approach; community; creativity; curiosity; imagination; inclusion; invitation to creativity; living room theater; subject matter; talent; theatrical

Partial Transcript: We talked about the inter-nationality of the theater. Can you speak to that?

Segment Synopsis: Reich notes that in other countries there is more interest in International Theater but in the U.S. there is a tendency to not inquire outside the U.S. realm. She emphasizes how Milagro challenges this and brings a deep, broad well of traditions and cultures to U.S. audiences.

Keywords: Americas; British Isles; Gift; Portland; Spain; United States; abroad; adventurous; broad tapestry; broad traditions; curiosity; ethnically specific; exposure; international; language

Partial Transcript: Bob spoke about the fact that there, once they committed to telling these stories, that there was a dearth of artists who could tell these stories.

Segment Synopsis: Sacha Reich speaks about how Milagro took an active role in training Latino artists to play their roles because when the company began there was a dearth of Latino artists. She goes on to say the ogiginal role of theater was to bring together the community and that Milagro follows this model when most modern theater companies do not. Finally, Sacha commends Jose Gonzalez's role in being a mentor to a new generation of aspiring artists and the entire artistic community.

Keywords: Artistic Directors in Portland; Bob Hicks; Jose Gonzalez; Latino; Latino community; building; capacity; civic role; community; community engagement; convener; dearth of artists; demographics; empowerment; entertainment; growth; leader; mentor; repertory structure; role of theater; training; transforming

Partial Transcript: So I have one more question, and then we'll take a little timeout

Segment Synopsis: Reich notes that the 30 year tenure of Milagro is a miracle because funding for the arts is difficult in Portland. She contributes the success in part to Milagro reaping the generosity and community engagement it has sown for so many years. She also says that theater is always a miracle because the creation of each production is mysterious and beautiful and an experiment all its own.

Keywords: 30 years; Portland; Shakespeare in Love; artistic expression; arts funding; challenges; community based; creation; funding; generous; healthy habitat; miracle; mystery; tech week

Partial Transcript: So let's take a second. Is there anything else you want to share?

Segment Synopsis: Reich expresses immense gratitude for Olga Sanchez's work as artistic director, whose tenure is coming to an end. Reich notes that it is not often that women are in artistic leadership roles and that so much has been gained from having female artistic vision lead Milagro for the past many years. She is hopeful that Milagro continues to center non-dominant cultures in it's leadership in the future. Reich closes by noting the color and vibrancy of the physical theater space and connects it to the nurturing and nourishing environment that Milagro creates.

Keywords: Olga Sanchez; balance; colorful; dominant culture; family business; female artistic director; hopeful; insular; non-dominant culture; nurturing; physical space; professionalism; vibrant; women in leadership