Actors: Shareen Jacobs, Shelley B. Shelley, Larry Toda, Samson Syharath, Jane Vogel, Dre Slaman, and Sofia Molina workshopping moments for Here on This Bridge: The -Ism Project.
Here On This Bridge: The –Ism Project will premiere at the Fertile Ground Festival at Portland State University’s Boiler Room Theatre, Lincoln Hall (1620 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97201). There will be eight performances in Portland at PSU for the following show dates: Jan. 24-26 and February 7-9 are 7:30pm and Jan, 27 & Feb. 10 are 2pm, 2019. Performances are sliding scale donations which will make it possible to tour this production around the Oregon. The show is suitable for audiences age 14+. This original project is made possible with funding from The Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC), Ronni Lacroute, and The Collins Foundation.
The monologues cover topical subjects such as tolerance, understanding and bridging divides. Examples include:
“Being Me In The Current America” by Josie Seid. A Black middle-class woman experiences racial profiling in Oregon.
“Lockdown Drills” by Heather Raffo. An Iraqi refugee woman reacts to news of shootings and child safety
“See Her Strength” by Samson Syharath. A gay Laotian man honors his refugee mother’s strength.
“Carmelita” by Yasmin Ruvalcaba. A Latina recalls the harrowing story of her mother escaping hardship and violence to cross the Rio Grande River to America.
“That Diversity Thing” by Bonnie Ratner & Roberta Hunte. A Black tradeswoman negotiates the complicated terrain of diversity training.
“Harvest” by Dmae Roberts. An Asian American reflects on tragic family history with Oregon’s exclusion laws.