Andee joyce

In 2007, Andee was officially diagnosed as autistic; eight years later, she was self-diagnosed as needing to sing for as many strangers as possible. In summer 2021, during a backyard concert, she discovered how much she loved integrating spoken word and comedy into her act, and then began creating a multi-disciplinary theater piece. That piece, RHYTHM AND AUTISM, had its first preview at the La Strada dei Pastelli Chalk Art Festival in Hillsboro in July 2022, and she is now in the process of compressing it into a one-act. She is extremely grateful for the opportunity to make a whole new series of creative mistakes.

RHYTHM AND AUTISM

RHYTHM AND AUTISM, Andee Joyce’s one-woman original musical comedy, leads us through an interactive, funny and touching WONDER YEARS-style narrative about growing up autistic in the 1960s and 1970s. Andee tells the story of how her lifelong autistic obsession with rhythm, shaped by the pop culture cheese of her childhood, ultimately became a way to connect with others on the deepest level. But first, she had to reckon with her internal “Clappy Monster,” which showed up during the pandemic and changed her relationship with music (and other people) forever. Andee intends RHYTHM AND AUTISM to be a thunderously joyous celebration of difference, and an open invitation for people to be everything they are.

To learn more about RHYTHM AND AUTISM CLICK HERE

To watch Andee in action CLICK HERE

sophina flores

Sophina is the founder of local dance theatre company Roots and All Theatre Ensemble, centering marginalized identities and breaking the boundaries of realism, who you may know from productions she directed such as Liminal and The Between Spaces with Ritual Treatment coming this summer. Other directing credits include Little Women, A Slight Ache, Romeo and Juliet, and Noises Off! As a theatre maker, playwright, deviser, and choreographer, her work centers the intersectionality of identities as a bisexual Puerto Rican woman, and prominently features themes of mental illness and trauma, with surrealist or magical realist motifs.

RITUAL TREATMENT

An abridged reading of "Ritual Treatment" is making its fledgling debut with the cohort that raised it at From the Ground Up, before going into full production with Roots and All Theatre Ensemble later this summer. It is a surreal, dance theater memory play that examines nontraditional types of abusive relationships, particularly among adolescents, as they struggle to come out from under the influence of their home lives. Even when we become aware of the cycle, that isn't always enough to break it. Developed to talk about abuse in queer relationships among non-white teens, "Ritual Treatment" will go on to be workshopped at public highschools throughout the Portland Metro Area after this performance.

To learn more about Sophina CLICK HERE

anna bell

Anna finds the joy in little and big things. She loves performing and directing. In her free time you will find her at the beach or playing with her cat at home.

THE OXYMORON OF IT ALL

In this debut, Anna finds herself in a sleepless night. Escape in the twilight, only to find yourself haunted by every action. Come contemplate your 'whys' as you rest for work tomorrow.

rachael himsel

Rachael Himsel began directing and producing shows while pursuing her BA in music from DePauw University, then moved to Chicago where she worked as a museum educator. After returning to southern Indiana, she earned a masters in art education from Indiana University, worked and volunteered in the nonprofit community, and started her own company, Women with Guts Productions, to share and celebrate women’s voices, visions, and triumphs. Rachael is also a mental health advocate and co-founded Project STAY, a suicide prevention organization that focuses on peer-to-peer intervention and using the arts for connection. She is the youngest of eleven, and now has dozens of nephews and nieces whom she adores. She is thrilled to be in the Pacific Northwest, thanks to her amazing partner Vahan!

THE SOFTNESS WE KEEP

"The Softness We Keep” is really an homage to my parents, to my family. It's an homage to all families, anyone who has been a soft shoulder or knitted or crocheted anything, ever. While growing up in a doomsday church (cult), I was forced to examine my relationships with my parents, family and friends: would I choose being a heathen and going out past sundown on Friday? Would I throw away God's Kingdom just for the allure of... uncertainty? Of being... agnostic? The Softness We Keep is my attempt to explore the softness we keep physically and metaphorically, and all that we must release to move on."

To learn more about Rachael Himsel CLICK HERE

kate perri

Kate/KP is a strange and lovable goof. She found From The Ground UP in 2019 and never left. In 2019 and 2021 she was an artist in residence as well as the Artistic Development Intern in 2020. KP is so thankful to have a creative container after graduating college that creates invaluable storytelling and performance opportunities with minimal barriers of entry, a revolutionary and rare practice. KP uses a variety of styles of comedy, poetry, song, movement, the body, and whatever else she can find, with the intention of creating work that inspires connection and liberation. She wants to thank Katherine and everyone who makes From the Ground UP possible; the transformative effects on the artists that emerge from this organization can not be overstated. She wants to thank her awe-inspiring mom, her brother Andy and her beloved community of roommates, friends, artists, comrades, and all those who have given and still give so much to creating a safer and freer world.

FOREVER HOME

Forever Home is an experiment and exploration into the interconnectedness of it all. Kate's show is about the body. Kate's body, all bodies, and home. The link between our physical body home, our structural home in the space that we live and call home (if we have one), and this earthen-ancestral-ancient home. It's about expanding. Expanding into love, into grief, into remembrance. It is an unfurling reclamation. Forever Home is a prayer and a promise. 

maggie maccloskey

 Maggie McCloskey (They/She) is a multi-disciplinary artist and magic maker born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Their work aspires to be of service as a vehicle for healing and transformation, exploring themes of belonging, self-discovery and personal empowerment.

EVEN WHEN THE MOON IS DARK

Even when the Moon is dark is a new experimental  multi-media work exploring themes of healing, belonging and self empowerment. Poetry, sculpture, and music weave together to create a piece steeped in ritual and potent magic. This work invites you to get curious about what it means to step into your power and live as  co-creator of your own experience. The development of this piece is made possible with funding  by Regional Arts and Culture Council Arts 3C grant.

Kaia Maarja Hillier

Kaia is thrilled to be a part of this wonderful FTGU Residency. Acting experiences and shows include: the beloved Theatre Vertigo as a former company member, co-creating JK Squared; a two woman sketch comedy with her bff Jacquelle Cherise Davis, improvising it up with No Filter Improv, and many other theatrical delights around town. Currently in her third year with Astrology University, Kaia is planning on opening up a professional Astrological Practice in a few years. Astrology and theater? What's not to love! :)

 "COSMIC WINK" 

Kaia's piece takes a deep dive into the psycho-pomp of our soul-minds with a pinch of Taco-Bell hot sauce packets, chats with the Cosmos, and an obsession with stickers. Traversing between the liminal and tangible, we track the Astrological underpinnings of this bubbly gal searching for her words, thoughts, and revelations via her awesome fucking car, Lilith.

jennifer lynn

 Jennifer is a poet, painter, and a dancer in kitchens. She believes in the magic of music, art and storytelling. She believes that sharing our stories and listening to the stories around us are the keys to understanding what connects us. She believes in leaning in. She believes in love. She believes in herself. Dancing Alone is her debut a playwright and is honored to share a portion of this work with all of you. She would like to thank FTGU and all the amazing people performing tonight.

DANCING ALONE

Dancing Alone  is an emerging new work that simultaneously explores the deep desire to run away and the courage it takes to show up anyway. It’s the ebb and flow of destruction and love. It’s the difference between what we are handed and what we choose. Dancing Alone is a glimpse into a journey of healing in our own way and embracing the messiness of it all.

suzanne lagrande 

Suzanne LaGrande is a writer, painter, shamanic sleuth, stand-up philosopher, torch song singer, and cat caterer.

The Magician's Assistants is a story of the amazing disappearing women and other tricks of misdirection, mirrors and magic.