Tillamook Bay Community College (TBCC), is proud to present the play Bi-, produced by Milagro, a premier Latino arts and culture center of the Pacific Northwest. Milagro has been providing extraordinary Latino theatre, culture, and arts education for the enrichment of all communities since 1985. Teatro Milagro, Milagro’s touring & arts education program, will be performing Friday, May 25 at 6:30 PM at TBCC. The production is an opportunity to bring awareness to issues surrounding diversity, and is part of the college’s commitment to promoting equity and inclusion across the campus and within the community. “We believe that TBCC is enriched with a diverse student body and staff. We want to ensure that we promote an environment in which they all feel welcomed, respected, and valued,” states Jean Garcia-Chitwood, chair of the TBCC Equity and Inclusion Committee. “We were very pleased to have the Regional Food Bank of Tillamook County and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) partner with us to bring this production to our community so we can broaden the discussion of diversity and equity in a fun and creative way.”
Bi- (pronounced be), is about embracing the complexity of the greatest bipedal organism: the human. Inspired by Edwin Abbott’s novel Flatland, Bi– will break open the boxes of selective classification and raise the question: “What is your ‘bi-dentity?”
Set in the year 2089, the characters of the fictitious Tierra Plana inhabit a place where everything is determined by a pre-recognition of their individual categories. Four friends, Fig, Noir, Isa and Hex, are preparing for the day they receive their identity bracelets. Nervous about not fitting in, they escape to the desert and discover the mystery of the past hidden in boxes from the U.S. census’ bureau; boxes filled with the stories of people from across the binary. With the help of a two-spirit guide, they realize that it is possible to break down the boxes of classification, so that they can just be.
The 2018 world premiere of Bi– is devised and directed by Georgina Escobar, and developed with Dañel Malán and Ajai Terrazas Tripathi through a collection of personal interviews, and choreographed by Gabriela Portuguez. Teatro Milagro’s new touring actors, Justin Charles, Kenyon Acton, and Sierra Brambila round out the creative ensemble.
Seating is limited and will be on a first come first serve basis. To learn more, contact Jean Garcia-Chitwood at 503-842-8222 ext. 1040
The 2018 National tour of BI– is funded in part with support from the Juan Young Trust,
EC Brown Foundation, Bloomfield Family Foundation, Oregon Arts Commission, Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, Templeton Foundation, Autzen Foundation,
Carpenter Foundation and The Ventura Group Inc.