May Newsletter

A dozen people doing dance moves in a large room with wood floors and a large bank of windows. — Students attending a Guest Artist Workshop with dancer Michael Galen.

How Do We Build a Bridge?

A message from Executive Director Jenny Stadler

Smiling white woman with short curly hair and glasses leans against a white bank of windows. She wears a blue casual blazer and crosses her arms. — Executive Director Jenny Stadler.

This year is PHAME’s 40th year, and we’re celebrating 40 years of community, education, performance, and making art—together. We’re so excited about what the next chapter will bring!

We’ve been taking some time to look back on our successes: classic shows, innovative classes, meaningful changes. And we’ve been asking, how do we build a bridge that both honors our past and connects it to where we’re going, to where the world is going? The world is so much more inclusive than it was 40 years ago, and our work will continue to change to reflect this evolving landscape.

In 2018, we launched our Partnerships Program as a way of deliberately inviting arts organizations into our community. Early partnerships were as simple as having the Circus Project host a single class, and as complex as putting on a Rock Opera with Portland Opera (The Poet’s Shadow). But we didn’t just invite these partners into PHAME, we also asked them to invite us into their programs, their theaters, their communities. Because inclusion goes both ways.

Then came 2020. We thought the pandemic would table our Partnerships Program. Instead, it took off. Everyone in town was getting creative about offering art to isolated people, and while the physical doors of organizations and theaters were closed, online the doors were flying open. That year and the next, we formed or grew our partnerships with Oregon Ballet Theatre, Oregon Symphony, Portland Center Stage and the Portland Arts Museum, among others. Our Partnerships Program grew so much that last year we welcomed a new Director to our team to manage partner opportunities.

It's taken a long time to get here, but now in 2024, disability isn’t in the shadows anymore. We’re seeing local organizations center inclusivity in their work, asking themselves how they can explore the stories of people who experience disability—specifically intellectual and developmental disabilities. Artist’s Repertory Theatre is currently working on their upcoming production of Sapience, a story about a family that experiences neurodivergence. They’ve partnered with PHAME, and last fall they asked our students to workshop the show. The workshop was such a success that we’re now working with them on the full production. We’re helping with casting actors who experience I/DD, and PHAME students will get to shadow behind the scenes and support front of house. Stay tuned for more details about this exciting show.

Our Partnership Program is also putting students in the writers’ room: this spring, our Playwrighting students are writing the next Spring Revels for the Portland Revels. Once the show goes into production, our students will be involved in the production and performance. Spring Revels is an annual production where Revels tells a story from a less often heard-from community in Portland, but this is the first time that disability will be at the core of the story. We can’t wait to read what students write, and then see it on the stage. (Bonus points for this partnership because the Playwrighting class is being taught by a writer from another great partner, Linestorm Playwrights.)

The list goes on: we’re also working actively with Write Around Portland, PDX Jazz, MetroEast, and many more. Our partnerships are bringing new arts professionals into PHAME, introducing students to new modes of artistic expression. But these partnerships are also doing their part to change the arts landscape. Every time a person with I/DD appears on a stage, shares a poem publicly, or displays their art on a public wall, our world gets a little closer to the one we envision: a world that champions opportunities for all.

Thanks to each and every one of you for being a part of PHAME. All of this work happens because of you.

With gratitude,

Jenny Stadler
Executive Director

Spotlight on Guest Artists Workshops

A message from Director of Performance & Partnerships RaChelle Schmidt

Smiling Black woman with short curly hair stands in front of a large tree in an outdoor space. She wears an open sweater over a deep blue top. — Director of Performance & Partnerships RaChelle Schmidt

It’s hard to believe that we’re nearing the end of the school year—it has all gone by so fast! In looking back over this year there have been a lot of highlights, but I’m especially excited about the introduction of our Guest Arts Workshops, which began in the fall. Guest Artist Workshops are 90-minute weekly drop-in workshops that we offer for free to current PHAME students. The purpose of these workshops is to enrich the student experience by providing an introduction or deeper dive into a variety of arts experiences. Every week, we’ve invited a different artist or arts organization from our community to share their work and knowledge with our students. In addition to having a great time while exploring different art forms, some of our workshops have also led to additional opportunities for our students outside of PHAME.

Our Write Around Portland workshop is a great example of a workshop that has had ripples beyond PHAME. Write Around Portland is a local organization that is dedicated to the “transformative power of writing.” Since October, students have gathered with Write Around Portland facilitators monthly to put their thoughts, feelings, and imagination down on paper. After we wrap up the year next week, ten of the students who have participated with this workshop will have their writings published in an anthology which will be sold at Powell’s. Even better, these students will have the opportunity to read their work publicly at a Write Around Portland anthology release party.

Another workshop this year that has stuck with me is the one hosted by Artist Repertory Theatre (ART). In Winter Term we were joined by Melory Mirashrafi, Artistic & Producing Associate at ART, who led a workshop on directing for the stage. Many of our students were unfamiliar with the world of directing and were amazed at the power and creativity of putting a story on the stage. This newfound knowledge will come in handy as PHAME embarks on a partnership with ART in 2025.

We’ve welcomed so many great organizations into PHAME to share their artistry with students: Metro East taught photography using smart phones, PDX Jazz shared a short history of Jazz, Echo Theater led a workshop on Danceability. Other guests have included Desert Island Studio and Chamber Music Northwest. These workshops allow PHAME to introduce students to topics and genres they might not know about, and they also serve as steppingstones towards future partnerships. They’re also a great opportunity for new students to get to know PHAME—prospective students can try a workshop before signing up for classes. We’re excited to keep offering these workshops into next school year. There are so many amazing arts organizations and artists in our community, and so many new connections to be made.

Warmly,

RaChelle Schmidt

Upcoming Events

Get PHAMEous, PHAME’s Annual Open House

Friday, June 7, 6:00 PM 8:00 PM at Grace Church

Our Get PHAMEous open house is a great way to see what students have been working on in a selection of classes, and to connect with PHAME students, staff, and supporters. No tickets required—Get PHAMEous is free, all ages, and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

Disability Pride Celebration

Saturday, July 20, noon - 3 PM at Community Vision

Join PHAME for our annual Disability Pride Celebration, presented by PHAME’s student-led Cultural Diversity Awareness Committee (CDAC). This festive afternoon event will include music by DJ Lamar, performances by PHAME artists, art projects, food, and more. Our Disability Pride Celebration is free and open to PHAME students and the public.

PHAME drummers explore Latin rhythms.