SPEAKER_04 0:00

I was just calling her that I said I I did a tape and I was like, that's it. And then the file got damaged. And so I just retaped. That's why I came in a little like, ugh, because I just retaped something that you know, like when you get the tape, yeah, and then you try and recreate it and you're like Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 0:21

I yeah, also I love that both of you are matching backgrounds.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

I know. I thought that too, actually.

SPEAKER_04 0:32

Yeah, black and white. Yeah. It's just opposite. Well, and it's funny, she's wearing more my hairstyle, and I'm wearing more her hairstyle.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Yeah, she's wearing my hairstyle right now.

SPEAKER_04 0:41

Yeah, with the gloves.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

And so we've it's that's this is really funny, actually. I feel like we're like switched the vibes.

SPEAKER_04 0:48

And I would wear that outfit. I would very much wear that outfit.

SPEAKER_03 0:51

So some people act, some people direct, some people choreograph, some people build puppets, some people literally decide whose voice gets heard. And today's guest said, yeah, I'll take all of that. Welcome back to Ilse Will Say, the place where niches are suggestions, and I'm personally interested in anyone who refuses to do just one thing. Welcome to my brain. I'm Ilse, your host, your resident overcommitter, and your wait, so what exactly do you do? Follow-up questioner. And today's guests. They don't just tell stories, they build them from every possible angle. One is an actor, director, choreographer, and educator working across some of Chicago's most iconic stages. And the other is a multidisciplinary artist, producer, puppeteer, and voiceover agent helping shape stories both behind the scenes and in front of the mic. Together, they're giving us movement, voice, community, and a masterclass in doing more than one thing really, really well. Please welcome Sonia and Wendy Madrigas.

SPEAKER_04 2:09

I was like, oh my god, that's so cool. Who are they? Wow.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

I know.

SPEAKER_03 2:17

So I wanted to ask my first question. Um, did y'all cry when you saw Encanto? Because of the Madrigal, Madrigal.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

Oh my god, yeah, yeah, so much. I mean, I cried already a lot in Coco, which I know a lot of people like Coco is controversial for them. But like Encanto was oh, Encanto is sometimes controversial to some people too. I don't understand the controversy. Literally cried.

SPEAKER_04 2:44

Yes. We also we grew up with like animation in our household was really big. Like my mom loves cartoon movies, like everything. So like animation's really big in our household. Um, and so yeah, when we saw Coco, like I ugly, like it's not even pretty how ugly I cried. Like it was like moco everywhere, nobody's gonna look at me. It was not okay, it was bad. And so then when Encanto came out, everybody like finally understood how to just also pronounce our last name. So that was cool because growing up it was always like madrigal, madrigal, and all the things. So everybody was like, Oh, la familia madrigal. So like it was just really cute, and also we used to like the madrigal sisters anyway, so it just was really sweet, very much on our brand. But we would always say, I'm like, hey, before Lynn did it, we'd been the madrigal family for a while. Then Disney got around. So so we love it, we love it.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

I love it, yeah. When uh I saw Coco and the Zapateria, the shoemaking um store was called Da Rivera, like the Rivera Zapateria.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

I was like, Yeah, it was it was heartwarming. Also, that movie, I feel like we were able to kind of like get to know each other a little bit more of like our internal side, because then my sister, like, you know, Latino families don't really talk about stuff sometimes. It's a lot about you know throwing things under the rug. But like movies like that sometimes like spark up like that, those type of conversations. And so and my big sister, I remember she was like, she's like, Yeah, I very much identify with that song, like you know, that pressure and like holding on to like certain secrets or stories, and so it yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:29

My hope sucks to say, right? Yeah, but how lovely that you could talk about it after seeing it.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

Oh my god, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 4:38

Uh the coolest part about getting two like Latino films like that so close to each other, because growing up we didn't have animation that um like ever. Um, and that's why I remember with Coco, like we Wendy and I grew up dancing folklore or basically. I met my husband dancing there, and so like the first time all of us in the theater watching it and seeing folklore, like Mexican folklore specifically, on the big screen was what what is folklore?

SPEAKER_03 5:07

Is it different from folclorico?

SPEAKER_04 5:09

No, same thing, like folklore, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:12

Yeah, it's basically like the big skirts, and then it's it's like a almost like a polka too, right? Because they there's like a it's like I did it very briefly in high school, but I did it very poorly.

SPEAKER_04 5:24

Well, I think that was like the cool part about that movie that a lot of people that like either lived in Texas or in California were like in high schools they would do it. In Chicago, it's a little different, I think, that you're not really seeing like a folklorical group in the school itself, like we did it outside of school, so like that's how we had to do it, and that's how we were so involved. So we learned so much about our like our culture, our country, and it was the best gift our mom could have ever given us.

SPEAKER_03 5:53

And then did y'all go to school when you said UIC?

SPEAKER_00 5:57

Yeah, yeah. So I did um my two years of community college in Elgin. Um, I'm always gonna be an advocate for community college because it is very, very beneficial. Um, but and then I transferred over to UIC um because because of Sonia. She was all like, you're coming over here. And I'm like, okay.

SPEAKER_04 6:18

We are like our story is so funny because they're so similar yet so different when it comes to education. But Wendy and I literally did everything together growing up. Like we literally had twin bags.

SPEAKER_03 6:29

How many years are you apart?

SPEAKER_04 6:30

Five.

SPEAKER_03 6:31

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04 6:32

So it's I know it's crazy. Like it because normally, like everyone's like, wait, what? Five? You guys are so and I'm like, but it's because we did everything. We used to dance together. Um, I was Wendy's dance teacher, dance teacher at one point, um, briefly, a few years. Um, but then with school, I also did community college. That's where I started theater, and then I transferred to UIC. And Wendy then I was gonna go like maybe to like NIU.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

NIU. I was gonna go to the count.

SPEAKER_04 7:03

I was gonna I was like, I didn't want to like, you know, um shade for shade. Yeah, yeah. What are you gonna do in the cornfields? I'm like, no, you're doing theater, you're coming to the city, but like selfishly, like I also like loved creating art with my sister, so I I felt like it was such a privilege to get to do because college took me so long. Um, and when I transferred over, I started over because I went right. I know it was crazy. So I did college for like about six years or so almost seven. About six, almost seven. Um, so I got to do my final year at UIC with Wendy's first year transferring in. Oh super special. Wendy's first show was my last show. So like that, no one ever gets to say that to say like I And it was a Latino show. It was like even more special of like the first like big Latino show at UIC, too. So it was a it was a big deal. So yeah, everybody then started like associating like the Mother God sisters of like, oh, this is what you guys do. And then Wendy was my stage manager for the last show I directed there. So like it was like all like little golden nuggets that I was just like this is really cool. Like, no one could say that. I mean, I'm sure there's some people, yeah, but in the arts, it's super rare to get to do it with like your ride or die being like your literal ride or die.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

Yeah, yeah. And Sonia, I kind of get that like you were the middle child and you've always wanted to be like an actor, like performer. Is that is that true? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like I picture you like putting on little plays when you were a baby and all that good stuff. Wendy, how did you how did you go to puppeteering and then like voiceover agent and all all what encompasses you?

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Oh homegirl, man. None of this was planned. Literally, I could I would have never imagined like where I'm at today, like as a kid, literally. And so, like I knew I knew I always wanted to be an artist in some type of way. And I just like I'm I'm I've always been very open to like everything. And when I started college, I remember um there was something where I was just kind of like I kept going with like just say yes. Like just say yes to things because right now is your opportunity to just try things out and like just say yes. And like I had already done um, like I grew up dancing, like Sonia said, and then um I started doing theater in middle school. Um, and so I joined like a program where like you get to create, like it's a it was like an after school program where kids that are in middle school get to literally create an opera show like from scratch. And we would write it, we wrote like we um designed it. Middle schoolers doing opera, like well, it wasn't really like opera in that way, it was kind of like a musical, but but they like they they kind of like explained like how like how that was all gonna be. But yeah, like we very much like the kids are the ones that create everything, and so there I was like that was like my first taste of like theater when I was like 12 or 13, and I was like, oh my god, I was like, this is really, really like fun. And I was like an orchestra around that time because I was that kid that I honestly said yes to a lot of things even as a kid, like if it was like around like music theater, because seven years old, I just knew I wanted to be an artist. I didn't know what medium, I was just kind of like, I want to be an artist. Um and I do theater throughout like high school and musical theater too, because like I did dance and so I would do like the specialty dancing areas, but then I just saw how like I did not like my high school like because they were just a lot of favoritism, and I was I just saw how the system was. Yeah, and I said, fuck that, peace out. Um, and I started doing stuff with my community college because I was like, I know I'm gonna go there anyway after I graduate high school. Um and when I started college, like officially there at community college, I was just kind of like, just say yes to like a lot of things. And I got I was asked if I wanted to be like my theater teacher's assistant. And I was like, sure. And then she was all like, hey, we actually need help backstage for a show. Um, do you like would you be interested? And I was just like, Yeah. Uh because again, I'm saying yes to everything. And I then from there they were kind of like, hey, do you want to like also like assistant stage manage like our next musical? It's gonna be um Avenue Q. And I was all like, that was so and so like that was like my first, my oh my god, I'm just making that connection that my first like assistant stage management job was for a puppet show. Yeah, oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 12:02

I did make this connection a little bit ago that I was like, that was Yeah, oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

So my yeah, my first assistant stage managing gig was Avenue Q, and our community college was like they snapped, they put on good musicals, like very beautifully well produced.

SPEAKER_04 12:18

And people say that, but we genuinely mean that. Like I went back to the now, I'm like, holy shit, I can't believe that that's what they were doing.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

Like the puppets were like full on, and so I got to learn how to like take care of them and like how to like spray them down every night so that they don't stink. Um and because it's very important, it's very important, yeah. Like sometimes they don't stink. Yeah. Um, but so I that's so crazy. I did not realize that that was how my first ASM stuff. But yeah, so from there, I genuinely just kind of was just like vibing, and I was like, I really like the production side and like this is really cool. And I still acted when I was in community college, but that was kind of like my confirmation of like I really like doing the backstage and like the storytelling on like the acting part is like a little bit more harder for me because I feel like I I'm I'm like very like empathetic, and I feel like I I would just hold on and take the characters a lot with me, and I'm kind of like that's not gonna be good for my mental health, yeah. And also like the whole auditioning process, I'm like, that's also not gonna be good for my mental health, and then you became an agent.

SPEAKER_04 13:35

I know, because she give power though, she likes that.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

Yeah, no, and so like I like being able to have some type of sense of control. Um, that's the Virgo in me. Um, but like even then, like voiceover and puppet, I promise I'm getting there. Um journey, okay. It's a j that's why I'm like, I really did not picture this life for me. Um and so I like I graduate from UIC. I go to school to UIC for theater design, production, and technology. And I'm like, okay, stage management is like something really cool. And that's really what they needed also at UIC at that time. But I wanted to learn as much as I could like lighting, scenic, costumes, and just all of the sorts. Um, unfortunately, then I graduated into the pandemic, like in the middle of the pandemic. Oh I I was that class that my senior year was all Zoom year. Oh. Um but it was kind of like, all right, whatever. Again, I'm gonna make the best out of everything because I I try to always go with that mentality and stuff. And so immediately I just start doing like an internship through Zoom um with Steppenwolf. And then I started uh being uh a stage manager for the parks tour for Goodman. Um and then from there they were like, hey, like we needed a production assistant for American Mariachi. Um, like, would you be interested? And I was just like, Yes. Um and so again with my yes, like that's like I've I've been going like that for like a good chunk of years. And I was at Goodman for nine months, and then um someone had thrown in my name like over at Stuart of like a recommendation, and they reached out to me and was like, they were like, hey, we're looking for someone young, Latina, um, and like that we can help mold in general to become like an agent um and grow with us. And I was like, Yes. I'm like, yes, like I'll I'll okay, fuck it. I didn't think I to be honest, my I genuinely thought that like and my goal was kind of like just stage managing and like working on freelancing life for a good chunk of years and then finding like a stable job. Um, but then the stable job kind of came and I was just kind of like, you know, this is a different opportunity and experience that's very much gonna be so completely out of my element. Yeah. And but I get to just like learn and have fun. And also I get to learn while I have a salary. Um, so that's even better. Um and once I started here four years ago, this month I turned four here. Um, so I'm a toddler agent. Um but I turned four years here and voiceover, and I kind of was like the reason I said yes to this job too was mainly because I wanted to somewhat be a bridge to the Latino voices. And that was my main thing. Uh I and I love the stage management world, I love the theater world and everything, but then I had to go back to like my list of like manifestations in general of like, what is it that like I have been saying that I want to do? And I'm like, oh, it's literally to be a bridge for like the Latino voices. And I'm like, so then this is probably you know it. And I very much talked to like other people too, and they were like, dude, go for it. And my boss, too, that's here, he was very much like, you know, you're not gonna be able to stage manage as much anymore, and like you won't have as much time because like it's you're like, watch me. Yeah, literally. I kind of was just thought like, oh, oh, we're still.

SPEAKER_03 17:34

I'm Lathina. I can do anything.

SPEAKER_00 17:38

I'm not gonna like say no to theater. And I waited a year, but not really a year. Um, I waited, I think, maybe probably another nine months.

SPEAKER_04 17:48

I think you might have been another pregnancy, Wendy. Yeah, you had a baby. Like nine months that you did then, and then you broke it. I remember.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

I yes. I was like, I was like, Sonia, I'm not gonna do theater for a whole year. And like so that like my new agency world can just like, I can they can understand and I can understand that like that's where my hat is, and I am gonna be representing people, and like I want I want to take it very seriously. Um and then like eight, nine months later, my friend is uh like, hey, I'm doing like this um, I'm in this program called Puppet Lab, and like I don't have a background in theater or anything. My background's in fine arts, and like I need you to help me essentially, and I know your backgrounds in theater. And I was like, Oh my god. I was like, I have been eyeing to take, and I've been like dying to take puppetry courses or like workshops. So yes, like I will gladly help you, like basically help how to produce a show in general. Yeah, um, and so I brought my boyfriend on too because he like um is a sculptor, and so we were like we just started building puppets with her, and it was a giant dinosaur puppet, and then from there I was kind of like Sony. I think I'm gonna write my puppet show and I'm gonna submit it to this program and I'm just gonna like fucking do it. And everyone was just kind of like, okay, but I was just kind of like, yes. I'm like, this is the yes I need to say to right now because it's like my creative outlet, and it would it just kind of like sparked like that life back in me because I'm like, there's no way, like the fact that I could not last that long without theater was depressing.

SPEAKER_03 19:31

Well the reality's about to sink in, ladies, because we're gonna do hotcakes, alrighty? It's like hotcakes, hotcakes. Uh we gotta go fast, alright? So we're gonna put 60 seconds on the clock and try and do one word if you can. Um it's gonna be fun. All right, breathe. It's and then just say it as quickly as possible. All right. 60 seconds on the clock and more powerful, disappearing from a party or making an entrance. Disappearing from a party. Bye. Best taco spot in Chicago. What was that? Best taco spot in Chicago. Le Patron. Best movie ever made. Rocky!

SPEAKER_00 20:19

Mulan Rose.

SPEAKER_03 20:20

Oh, wait, does it vitamin C actually help you avoid getting a cold or is it a myth? Myth. I think it's a myth. What's the best subway in Chicago?

SPEAKER_04 20:30

Fontano chicken sandwich.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

Creativity starts with one word.

SPEAKER_04 20:48

I'm still on the Wait, what?

SPEAKER_02 20:50

Creativity starts with one word. Go.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

Inspiration. Intention. Biggest pet peeve. Being like nasty stinky breath.

SPEAKER_03 21:00

Sarsa, the dance or the sauce? Sauce. What what paranormal or mythical creature could you get behind?

SPEAKER_04 21:09

Okay, I like her.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

Chuka Chuka Chu Chupa Kabu.

SPEAKER_02 21:13

I couldn't even say it. Oh my god. Thank you so much for playing. Oh, the subway one just got me though. That is incredible. That is incredible.

SPEAKER_03 21:28

Chicago's best kept secret? It's not deep dish. It's Joel, my sonette photography. He's legitimately the best. And it's about time everybody knew. Actors, execs, LinkedIn Lurkers, book at mysanetphotography.com. And thank me later. That's great. And in this podcast, we get a little weird. Um, and I love that the word manifestation already. came in because that was how I was gonna like I was like I'm not gonna ask them like how they kind of manifested their lives or like what they do to like manifest because that's what I'm I'm kind of doing right now. I'm like what do I want to bring in? I kinda I've kind of done all the things you know like I've kind of done all the things that little me set out to do and like now I have to like think bigger um and I'm like how do I how do y'all because I I feel like there's like evolution in your journeys over and over again. How do you find that what is that manifestation for you? And also do you have do you believe in ghosts Bigfoot or anything like that? Like I would also if you have a any paranormal adjacent story.

SPEAKER_04 22:41

I was I yes let's start with the manifestation one because I feel like Wendy is in like her super hippie spiritual era that I personally am very inspired by.

SPEAKER_03 22:50

Are we doing crystals are we doing what are we doing?

SPEAKER_04 22:53

Wendy what are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 22:54

Because she's like so I feel like I don't really do like crystals and like astrology and everything I feel like I don't it's too much info. And so I like learning and like listening and I'm like ooh yes but then in my head I'm like I can't memorize all those rocks or I can't memorize all those like literally like auditioning you're like I don't audition I'm sorry yes um but also like yeah so no I may honestly right now I started in college during the pandemic um once I was like in Zoom University land I was very much like alone like in my apartment that I was sharing with my my roommate and I don't know I just I I felt like there were just energy shifts that were happening around the pandemic time which they very much were. We were going all through it and so I'm like okay this is my time to kind of start getting to know myself internally a little bit more because I felt like when I started we're talking meditation what are we talking about yes and so I started doing guided meditations like on YouTube. I literally would look up like guided meditations and then I started learning more about like just different like journaling and different like manifestation techniques. My roommate also was like across the hallway doing the same exact stuff. So like that's really cool. I started doing like the manifestations of like journaling and like writing things like multiple times almost like you're memorizing lines to be honest. Because just that repetitiveness like does get re just it does get programmed in your head. Talking to yourself like positively too like it's those are things that like our brains just need like those programming um but I was very much into like I want to start like basically getting things together for me. So I joked to my boyfriend that I manifested him and I genuinely like I genuinely did though because like I go back to that journal and like it was like everything like the check check check yeah yes and I was like my goodness must be able to create a dinosaur right and check um knock Godzilla sucks. But yeah so I kind of just started doing it there just like really getting into it and in my small little bedroom. And but then I got I then paused um because sometimes like when you're doing it's it's just gonna sound so hippie. Sometimes when you're doing the work there's moments where you get exhausted and so then you just have to like also take breaks from it. Because it's also normal you have to live like also like a normal life and you can't be everyday like I'm now grounded in like everything.

SPEAKER_03 25:55

Sonia do you have anything that you want to add?

SPEAKER_04 25:58

I don't have a paranormal activity thank God oh no no I mean with manifestation for me it's interesting because like I feel like growing up we we did have very supportive parents like when it came to like oh like you know like really like you have to believe it like you have to say it you have to really believe it. Like so I felt like that wasn't introduced to me like as an adult like it was very a part of our upbringing of like yeah just you know if you work hard and you think about it it's gonna happen kind of a thing. And so I feel like and like especially because I started in dance like I was I and I still am such a workaholic that I've always been very much like I'm gonna get that solo. I'm gonna work harder than everyone and I'm gonna get that solo. Right? Like that's the area that I'm like I'm not gonna wait for someone to hand it to me. Like I'm gonna go do it. So like naturally I feel like I live my life very like uh go get it. Just go get it. Go get it. And so like I don't know if that's necessarily manifestation of like writing it down but it's like I'm still living it in my brain. I'm such a physical person that that's why I would like I used to hate running. I like I powerfully hated it and my husband made me like love it because he was like you're just not breathing right that's why you hate it.

SPEAKER_03 27:24

And but it was because I was at it with so much tension because I was like I'm gonna get so I was easy does it right like I that's what I'm trying to learn and like oh I can ease into things I don't have to attack uh immediately I've had a I'm doing the artist way and the the only way I can do my artist pages which is like writing journaling three pages is standing up. Oh it sounds crazy but like standing up and doing it on a counter it's because it feels like I'm still doing something.

SPEAKER_04 27:57

When you're an acting major all you do for four years is like journals journals journals talk about your body talk about your feel and it's so great like the amount I'm done social journal so good like it I I feel like I should have a master's in that because like my teacher be like wow that was so intellectual and I was like no I know what you need here and I know what the assignment is so like now I wish I could love personal journaling but it's always associated to work for me. Like my oh yeah I think if I hadn't been an acting major maybe that wouldn't be the case but because it literally it was and I'm such a like I need to get an A that I was like I have to have the perfect journal and then that depends like no one is joining your journal like literally like nobody but when I attempted grad school journal journaling was ruined for me. So I was like no more journaling for me.

SPEAKER_00 28:53

W Wendy you also said uh uh like one of those words that I'm like um you said uh conspiracies um what is a conspiracy that you're currently going going uh maybe doing some googling about oh I was just listening to a podcast um two days ago about um the Stargate like files that they just released apparently what's that so the Stargate files apparently I'm gonna butcher this so much it's fine this is not where you come for hard hitting news yeah but no apparently it was like those one of those uh like the trials that they were like studying like the telekinesis and like the whole like reading minds and like it was like during the Cold War like this was like all like you know the things that happened during the Cold War. But yeah no I was seeing an interview of to be honest the guy was not that good of doing the interview because I feel like he was trying to sound very intellectual. And you're like dude you're talking about telekinesis let's just get like yeah well no he was interviewing like one of like the I guess original like scientists um and so or like that worked on that project and so I don't know to be honest I don't don't have much info on this was a new seriously for like this one's still new to me.

SPEAKER_04 30:27

Yeah yeah well thank you all so much for being on the podcast this was a great conversation um before we go I wanted to talk real quick uh about goodnight moon yes goodnight moon is a musical happening at Chicago Children's Theater yes we love the Chicago Children's Theater um it was directed by Michael Burke um who is incredible um it has a fantastic cast um if you love the book which a lot of people do and it's actually I found out the most printed children's book did not know that it is a very famous book but this is a musical and there's something for everyone I keep telling my friends I'm like if you don't have kids it doesn't matter because there's truly something for everyone and I did the choreography and I was associate director for it.

SPEAKER_03 31:20

So you had two millennials with a lot of things like that were very much um we were like this is for us right like these little nuggets that were there like for adults um but the parents love it and the kids love it so come see it it oh it goes until June June something June something thank you so much I think June 10th awesome well thank you thank you thank you for being here it was so much fun yeah thanks for having us that was so much fun I'm not gonna lie we stayed on the call for another like hour uh just chatting and planning our world domination uh no um but if you like this please like subscribe uh send me your favorite encanto song um and go check out good night moon at the Chicago Children's Theater uh until June 7th and uh follow Wendy at it Wendy Madrigal and Sonia at Sonia Madrigal encanto you have an encantador day yeah yeah that's that's what I'm gonna go with. Alright by Encanto Encanto Ilse Will Say is an Intrepid entertainment podcast produced and edited by Jacob Cagle music by Eric Bacchus and photography by Joel Mysenet and I am your host Ilse Sachary Rivera. The views and opinions expressed on Ilse Will say are entirely those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any employers, sponsors or innocent bystanders. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only nothing said here should be taken as professional advice, expert opinion, legal guidance or a reason to DMSU conspiracy theories. We're here for the laps y'all carry on