Here are the people that make up our organization.
Tanya Mathivanan- Founder/ Artistic Director/managing Director [She/Her]
Tanya is a Singapore-born Canadian Director, Producer, Stage Manager, and Founder/Artistic Director of Aenigma Theatre. She graduated from UBC with a Double Honours BA in Theatre and English Literature. Past directing credits include The Turn of The Screw, The How and The Why, VIVA, Copenhagen, Dying City, RED, Blackbird, The Zoo Story, No Exit (Aenigma Theatre), The Frontliners (by Zahida Rahemtulla; Playwrights Theatre Company), Coriolanus (UBC Theatre), We Will Rock You (Assistant Director- Theatre Under The Stars), Cost of Living (Assistant Director- Arts Club Theatre Company), Approaching Lavendar (Bright Young Theatre), The Pillowman (UBC Players Club). Other favourite credits include A Charlie Brown Christmas (Carousel Theatre for Young People), Comfort Cottages, The Dining Room (Western Gold Theatre). She is amazed and grateful to have this many talented people on her team, without whom none of this would be possible. She is privileged to live on the traditional, unceded territory of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlim) Nation, and to create work on the unceded traditional territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She acknowledges the history and ongoing legacy of colonialism, and recognizes her responsibility in learning and engaging with decolonizing and anti-racist work.
Scott Zechner- sound/ lighting Design [he/him]
Scott is a Toronto-hailing, Vancouver-based sound and lighting designer and technical director. Scott has designed for multiple shows for Aenigma Theatre including The Turn of the Screw, COPENHAGEN, Dying City, Blackbird and The Zoo Story. Other select theatre credits include Late Company (Touchstone Theatre),The Post-Mistress and Bakersfield Mist (Arts Club), The Duchess AKA Wallis Simpson (Ruby Slippers), Foreign Radical (Theatre Conspiracy). Currently he works as the Technical Director at Mulgrave School, guiding students in grades 6-12 through all elements of technical theatre. Scott holds a BFA in Theatre Production from UBC and has received two Jessie nominations for sound design and an Ovation nomination for lighting design.
CHENGYAN BOON- LIGHTING DESIGN [He/him]
Chengyan is a Vancouver-based theatrical designer. One of his goals in life is to add to the collection of Aenigma Theatre shows he has worked on, which currently includes: Red, Viva, The How and the Why and Turn of the Screw. Other recent credits include: Instantaneous Blue, Snowflake and Lungs (Mitch and Murray Productions), Rebel Grace (Dumb Instrument Dance), Wakey Wakey, The Mountaintop and The Messiah (Pacific
Theatre) and Mad Forest (Douglas College). Chengyan has a BFA in Theatre Production and Design from UBC and is a member of IATSE ADC 659. Design portfolio at chengyanboon.com
MELICIA zaini - Costume Design [they/them]
Melicia (they/them) is a costume designer and textile artist. Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia to a family of Chinese ancestry, they are grateful to be living and creating on unceded Coast Salish Territories, colonially known as Vancouver, BC. They are very happy to work on another Aenigma Theatre production, after previously designing Turn of the Screw. Most recent theatre credits include costume design for My Little Tomato (vAct & ZeeZee), Courage Now (Firehall Arts Centre), and assistant costume design for Forgiveness (Arts Club & Theatre Calgary). Melicia’s passion lies in telling visually impactful stories through striking colours, and in uplifting the stories of marginalized voices through their art. meliciazaini.com
Vanka Salim - Set Design/Artistic Member [she/her]
Vanka Chaitra Salim (she/her) is a muslim Indonesian-Canadian set, lighting and projection designer based in Vancouver. She enjoys experimenting with different mediums of storytelling that connect people, culture, art and technology. Apart from her involvement in the Theatre community, Vanka also works as an acrylic paint-maker at Kroma Artist's Acrylics and loves gaming, game art & design, dance, videography, graphic design, illustration and dabbling on XR technologies. She is grateful and excited to have the opportunity to be part of such an amazing team and hopes to keep growing and creating impactful stories with Aenigma.
JAVIER SOTRES- PHOTOGRAPHY/ SOUND DESIGN
Javier is a Vancouver based multidisciplinary artist from Mexico City. He is an alumni from the BFA acting program at UBC and self taught photographer. He is also a stage manager and sound designer, so basically his life revolves around the theatre. In recent months Javier has begun his Voice Over training at On The Mic Training. When he is not inside of a theatre, Javier can be seen at Anime Conventions taking photos of cosplayers, making plans for photography projects or playing video games. He is proud to be part of this fantastic group or artist and wishes to keep on growing with them for many years to come! Big thank you to Tanya for always believing in him and for her constant support, as well as to his parents who are the most amazing and loving people in the world.
Erica Leduc- Former Stage Management/member at Large
Erica has been doing this theatre thing for many years now and has managed to acquired several credits to her name including Greece Does Grease (stage manager), Terror at Rock-Out Beach (stage manager), Location Location (director), Lonely Wine (actor) and The Duchess (assistant sound designer) to name a handful. She has also Stage Managed most of Aenigma Theatre’s Productions.
RO Miller- Former Costume Design/member at large
Ro Miller is an art educator to young (and sometimes old) creatives, with a focus on making sewing and fiber crafts approachable and accessible to all. Past credits with Aenigma include costume design for RED (2016), Viva and Copenhagen (2017) and both costume and set design for The How and the Why (2018). Ro currently lives and works in Seattle, WA, where he is a member of Dacha Theatre.
Sarah Melo- Former Set Design/ member at large
Sarah Melo is set designer, scenic artist, and graphics designer currently working in Seattle Washington since completing a scenic painting internship at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. After graduating with her BFA in Theatre Design & Production from UBC, she worked as the scenic charge artist for Bard on the Beach and Western Canada Theatre, Set coordinator/props master for Project Limelight, technical coordinator/designer/props master for the Gateway Theatre’s Academy for Preforming Arts, and of course has worked since the beginning with Aenigma Theatre in many ways shapes and forms. Her favorite design credits with Aenigma are far and away for Red and No Exit; as well as Comedy of Errors (Gateway Academy), The Illusionist (Trinity Western University), and Ubu Roi (Theatre@UBC). Sarah is so excited to keep growing with Aenigma and Tanya, who she cannot thank enough for being both an amazing friend and collaborator. For more about Sarah, please visit
