ABOUT VIKA IVANOVA AND A WOMAN’S CALLING

Maria Ogneva (Playwright) Maria was born in 1988 in the small Russian town Chita, near lake Baikal.  At the age of 19, she moved with her family to Yaroslavl, and then to Saint Petersburg where she studied theater and playwriting.  Maria is a playwright, screenwriter, tutor, translator, and a member of the Lubimovka Young Playwrights Festival Collective.  She is the curator of the modern drama contest Little Direction and the story editor of the Film Studio of Children’s and Youth Films. Maria has won multiple international drama prizes, including The Climax, First Reading, and the Russian literature contest Debut, among others.  Her plays have been produced throughout Russia and Serbia.  Maria participated in the laboratory of young composers and playwrights Co-Operation and the Russia/United States Translation Exchange Program Lark+Lubimovka in 2016 and 2019.

Lisa Portes (Director) is a Chicago-based director, educator, leader, and advocate whose aim is to promote a new American theatre that is driven aesthetically and politically by the world we are becoming rather than the world we’ve been. She is a co-founder of the Latinx Theatre Commons, and serves on the board of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and the executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). She heads the MFA Directing Program at The Theatre School at DePaul University. Lisa’s work has been seen regionally at Cal Shakes, Cincinnati Playhouse, Denver Center, Guthrie Theatre, McCarter Theatre, San Diego Rep, and Olney Theatre. In Chicago, she has directed for Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, American Blues Theatre, Rivendell Ensemble, Silk Road Rising, and Teatro Vista. And in New York she has directed work for Playwrights Horizons and Soho Rep. In 2016 she was honored with the Zelda Fichandler Award for Directors. Her most recent online project The Model Play by Madie Dopelt can be seen at ttsthemodelplay.com and upcoming projects include Tiger Style by Mike Lew at South Coast Rep and Quixote Nuevo by Octavio Solis at Round House Theatre. Lisa lives in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago with her husband, playwright Carlos Murillo, and their two teenagers, Eva Rose and Carlos Alejandro. lisaportes.com

Thallis Santesteban (Vika Ivanova) Theater credits include: Ten Thousand Things: The Sins of Sor Juana; Charlie’s Aunt, Pride and Prejudice, Lion in Winter, Golden Age (Guthrie Theatre); Mermaid Hour: Remixed, DJ Latinidad’s Latino Dance Party, In the Time of the Butterflies, Minnecanos, Theory of Mind, Hijab Tube (Mixed Blood Theatre); Lone Star Spirits; Tiger Lion Arts: Nature (Jungle Theater); Quitamitos (Teatro del Pueblo); Clandestino (Wilhelm Bros. & Co.); Breaking Ice (Pillsbury House Theatre); Our Town, Antigone (Miami New Drama); Su Nombre Será Su Sombra Para Siempre, El Amor en los Tiempos del Cólera, En el Tiempo de las Mariposas, La Gringa (Repertorio Español, NYC); La Alondra (UNAM, Mexico City). Education: University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theatre BFA Actor Training Program.

Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel (Zhanna) is an award-winning actor based in Chicago. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Cruz received her degree in acting from the Universidad del Salvador. She is an ensemble member at Teatro Vista where she was seen in Hope: Part II of a Mexican Trilogy, The Abuelas, La Havana Madrid and i put the fear of mexico in 'em. Selected Chicago credits include: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Lookingglass Theatre), the critically acclaimed Lela & Co. (Steep Theatre) in which she earned a Jeff Award for Performance in a Principal Role–Play, Electra (Court Theatre), You on the Moors Now (The Hypocrites), and The Compass (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). TV/Film credits include: Fargo (FX), Chicago Med (NBC), The Chi (Showtime), Empire (Fox), and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She is represented by Stewart Talent.

Cameron Roberts (Valerik) is an actor-playwright, fresh out of school from The Theatre School at DePaul. While at DePaul, Cameron co-founded the Prototypes Student Written Work Festival, where he produced a full workshop of his play, Clementine. Some of his favorite roles at DePaul included Tuzenbach (Three Sisters), Joshua (Falling), and Constantine (Big Love). Cameron worked with the Backroom Shakespeare project playing the Witches in Macbeth. He is the associate producer of Playwrights Aloud! Chicago Dramatists’ bi-monthly 10 minute-play festival. Film & TV credits: Ben is Back, The Last Shift, and Relative (Upcoming). Cameron is stoked to have a recurring role on the upcoming Quibi series Don’t Look Deeper directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Premiering April 6th). He is represented by Gray Talent Group.

Matt Wade (Misha) (he/him/his) was reared in the beautiful Wasatch mountains of Utah. He received his BA in Cinema Production and spent seven years behind the camera before pursuing his passion of acting full time. He received his MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul. He would like to find a better way to make the worlds of theater and film more eco-friendly, starting with the spaces he is lucky enough to perform in. Black Lives Matter. IG @mattwadefilms m-wade.com

Victoria DeIorio (Original Music & Sound Design) Designs and composition off-Broadway include: Nine Circles, A Christmas Carol, Two Point Oh, Arnie the Doughnut, Cassie’s Chimera, The Bluest Eye, and Ophelia. Regionally, she’s worked at Oregon Shakespeare, The Goodman, Steppenwolf Theatre, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Seattle Repertory, Centerstage Baltimore, Syracuse Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse, and others. Film credits include Thump, The Interview, and One Sunday Afternoon. Victoria has won seven Jeff Awards, two After Dark Awards, and a SALT Award. She is the Chair of the Design/Tech Department and Head of Sound Design at DePaul University. For more information visit www.victoria-sound-design.com.