Steenie Mayfield is working as a school bath attendant in a 1930s “social hygiene” program providing weekly school baths for students with no plumbing at home. She is desperate to move up the ranks and fulfill her dream of teaching, despite the obstacles for Black teachers and the challenges of the Depression. An offer to visit the famous Field Museum and possibly model for the sculptor working on the newly opened but still-expanding “The Races of Mankind” exhibit seems to present an opportunity, but any thoughts Steenie had of being seen differently are crushed by a disastrous visit to the Museum with a handful of students.
What became of Steenie and whether or not she was one of the unidentified models for “racial types” featured in the exhibit becomes the obsession of two modern day museum interns nearly 90 years later, when they are pulled into a project to restore some of the statues from the exhibit. Their assignment to “restore” becomes a fight to re-story as they are drawn into the legacy of the exhibit which fed false notions of race to millions for decades.
This show is presented in a concert production that will feature a cast of local Oregon artists, an expanded jazz band, and marks the first collaboration between Washington County’s two resident professional theatres.
Recommended for ages 14+. Includes strong language.
At the Broadway Rose New Stage
12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard, OR
Cast
Hailee G Foster as Briahna
Hailee G Foster is a Portland-based stage manager, production manager, actress, and lighting designer. She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Linfield University and has worked with Theatre in the Grove, H.A.R.T, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Foundation, Third Rail Repertory, Lakewood Theatre Company, and Artist Repertory Theatre. Recent credits include WILD/CAUGHT at ART (2024) and Fertile Ground Festival (2024). Hailee is passionate about contributing to Oregon’s vibrant theatre scene.
Nik Whitcomb as Adji
Nik Whitcomb, a theatre artist and community advocate from Omaha, NE, is excited to make his Pacific Northwest onstage debut at Broadway Rose Theatre. He is the Producing Artistic Director at Bag&Baggage Productions and a board member at Oregon Children’s Theatre. Favorite roles include Donkey in Shrek the Musical and Patrick Star in The SpongeBob Musical. Nik is an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and was named a “theatre worker you should know” by American Theatre Magazine.
Jessica Peterson as Steenie Mayfield
Jessica Peterson returns to Bag&Baggage for her second production, having previously performed in Empty Spaces. Her credits include Gary Coleman in Avenue Q and Green Girl in Shout! The Mod Musical with Enlightened Theatrics, and Ronette in Little Shop of Horrors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from WOU and is completing an M.B.A. in Business Analytics. Jessica recently served as Company Manager at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and works with local high school theatre programs.
Paulina Jaeger-Rosete as Adela
Paulina Jaeger-Rosete has been part of Portland’s theatre scene for over four years. Recent roles include Caitlyn in Birds of North America at Bag&Baggage, with other credits like Ritual Treatment and The Play You Want. A poet, visual artist, and musician, she frequently performs at Stomping Grounds Arthouse. IS YOU IS marks her Broadway Rose debut, where she blends her love of jazz with theatre. Outside the stage, she enjoys reading, drawing, and spending time in nature.
Signe Larsen as Museum Supervisor/Museum Rep
Signe Larsen, Bag&Baggage Resident Artist, is excited to be part of B&B’s first musical collaboration with Broadway Rose! Audiences may recognize her from B&B productions like Tartuffe, The Game’s Afoot, and Rope. Signe also served as resident Fight Choreographer and appeared in Cinderella at Broadway Rose. She holds a B.F.A. from Cornish College of the Arts. Offstage, she’s a tailor, costumer, makeup artist, and musician. Favorite roles include Lenora (Crybaby) and Meredith (Batboy).
Tanya Bihari as Julia
Tanya Bihari is thrilled to make her Bag&Baggage and Broadway Rose debut in IS YOU IS! An OSU graduate, Tanya has been performing since childhood as a singer, actor, dancer, and model. Recent credits include Legally Blonde with Stumptown Stages and Pack Up Your Sins and Go to the Devil at the Fertile Ground Festival. She thanks her family, friends, and the IS YOU IS team for their love and support.
Monika M. Milani as Alma
Monika M. Milani is a first-gen Filipino-Persian American voice and theatre artist based in Portland. She apprenticed at Portland Playhouse and holds a B.A. in Theater Arts from UC Santa Cruz. Monika recently originated the role of Zazzie in Zazzie Sings! by Fiely Matias. Previously studying anthropology, she is fascinated by the connections between history, subconscious life, and pre-colonial practices. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, video games, and cuddling her pets, Ippo, Astro, and Gizmo.
Skylar Bastedo as Gregor
Skylar Bastedo recently moved to Portland from Olympia, WA, where he performed in Legally Blonde, The Rocky Horror Show, and Love and Information. In Portland, he’s appeared in Men on Boats (Gather Repertory) and Christmas in Christmasville (Twilight Theatre). Skylar also sings with the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus. Outside of theatre, he advocates for queer issues and collective liberation, and enjoys spending time with his cat, Nori. He thanks you for supporting IS YOU IS!
Carlos-Zenen Trujillo as Dmitri
Carlos-Zenen Trujillo, born in Bejucal, Cuba, and living in Oregon since 2006, is a playwright and actor whose works include The Island in Winter (Bag&Baggage) and WILD/CAUGHT (ART). Acting credits include A Man of No Importance and Spinning into Butter (Bag&Baggage). They are an ANPF New Voices 2021 Retreat participant and a recipient of several Kennedy Center awards. Carlos holds a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Southern Oregon University and is also a Certified Executive Chef.
Riley Parham as Principal O’Brien
Riley Parham holds a B.A. in Theatre: Dramaturgy, Directing, and Playwriting from Augsburg U in Minneapolis, MN. They are excited to work with Bag & Baggage for the first time! You may have seen some of his directing work with Blinking Eye Theatre. Previous on-stage credits include Young Frankenstein (Igor), Hamlet (Hamlet), Sondheim’s Follies (Young Buddy), The Drowsy Chaperone (Robert), Waiting for Lefty (Irv and Agate), Trouble in Mind (Manners), and Cymbeline (Iachimo).
Show Dates
Saturday, October 19, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 20, 2:00 p.m. – Post-show talkback
Saturday, October 26, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 27, 2:00 p.m.
Content Advisories
Recommended for ages 14+. Includes strong language.
