Original New Work by Josie Seid, Samson Syharath, Yasmin Ruvalcaba, Heather Raffo, Bonnie Ratner, Roberta Hunte and Dmae Roberts. Directed by Catherine Ming T’ien Duffly.

Here On This Bridge: The –Ism Project premiered at the Fertile Ground Festival at Portland State University’s Boiler Room Theatre, Lincoln Hall (1620 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97201). There were eight performances in Portland at PSU in January and February, 2019. Performances are sliding scale donations which will make it possible to tour this production around 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 –Ism Project 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.

More info about the project and touring opportunities at: https://mediarites.org/the-ism-project/