SHE PERSISTED: THE MUSICAL

April 28–May 26, 2024
Newmark Theatre

“…remember these women. They persisted and so should you.”

Fourth-grader Naomi's field trip to a Women's History Museum turns into a time travel adventure where she encounters inspirational women who have overcome barriers and made waves throughout U.S. history. From activists to athletes, artists and more, this musical features the stories of female trailblazers such as Harriet Tubman, Virginia Apgar, Ruby Bridges, Sally Ride, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Sonia Sotomayor.

  • She Persisted the Musical
    Script & Lyrics by Adam Tobin
    Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma
    Adapted from the book written by Chelsea Clinton and Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger
    Published by Philomel Books

    Recommended for ages 6 and up
    Runtime: approximate 75 minutes

    She Persisted: the Musical is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

    This play was commissioned and first produced by Bay Area Children’s Theatre during the 2018/2019 season.

  • April 28–May 26, 2024
    Saturdays and Sundays
    11 am & 2 pm

  • Ticket prices range from $26–$49.

    $5 tickets available through the RACC Arts for All Program.

  • Newmark Theatre
    1111 SW Broadway
    Portland, Oregon 97205
    view map

  • ASL Interpreted Performance
    Saturday, May 6, 2:00 pm
    buy tickets

    Patrons requiring ASL interpretation may choose to sit anywhere in the theatre; seats closest to the interpreter are indicated in purple.

    The Newmark Theatre is located on the second, third, and fourth floors of Hatfield Hall and is accessible via elevator. The theatre has handicapped seating available; these seats are located in the Orchestra level of the Newmark and are labeled with a wheelchair symbol on the seating chart.

    Portland’5 Centers for the Arts has partnered with KultureCity to make their venues sensory inclusive. Free sensory bags are available at the coat check located on the main floor of the venue. Booster seats are also available at coat check and can be rented for $1 (cash only).

    Learn more about accessibility at Newmark Theatre on Portland’5 website. If you require additional sensory accommodations please contact our Patron Services team directly.

  • April 30–May 17, 2024
    Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
    9:45 am and 11:45 am
    Recommended for grades 1–5

    book a field trip
    view current seating availability

Special Events in May!

Saturday, May 11, 12:30–1:30 pm: Book sale & signing with She Persisted illustrator Alexandra Boiger!

Saturday, May 11, 3:30–5:00 pm: Want to learn more about the creative process, and meet the women who brought She Persisted to life on stage? Join OCT for an inspiring discussion on Women in Creative Leadership! (learn more)

Sunday, May 12, 1:00–2:00 pm: Make tissue paper flowers and heartfelt cards for Mother’s Day

Women in Creative Leadership Panel

BIOS

  • A composer, music director and orchestrator, Deborah Wicks La Puma is one of the most produced Theatre for Young Audiences artists working today. Some of her most popular musicals include ELLA ENCHANTED (based on the book by Gail Carson Levine), OLIVERIO: A BRAZILIAN TWIST, and EINSTEIN IS A DUMMY with playwright Karen Zacarías, and the off-broadway hit SHE PERSISTED (based on the book by Chelsea Clinton) with playwright Adam Tobin.

    Deborah has created three musicals with bestselling children's author Mo Willems: ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE'S WE ARE IN A PLAY; NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED: THE ROCK EXPERIENCE and DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS: THE MUSICAL. On the small screen, she has worked with Willems on the adaptation of NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED: THE UNDERGROUND ROCK EXPERIENCE (released 2022 on HBOmax), and the upcoming animated series UNLIMITED SQUIRRELS.

    As a music director and orchestrator she has worked with major regional theatre companies across the country, including the Guthrie, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

    She received her MFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and her bachelor's degree from Stanford University. Her honors include the Harold Oaks Award for Sustained Excellence in TYA, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Musical, the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, an NEA New American Works Grant, two Parents' Choice Awards, and a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical Adaptation.

    A proud Mexican-American and "Navy brat" who grew up in Brazil, Portugal and California, La Puma is a member of TYA/USA, ASCAP and The Dramatists Guild. Mother to three daughters and Mimi the Cat, La Puma lives in Southern California with her PR agent and loving husband, Chris.

  • Alexandra Boiger is a New York Times bestselling children's book illustrator. She grew up in Munich, Germany, and studied graphic design at the Fachhochschule Augsburg. A career in feature animation at Warner Brothers and Dreamworks first brought her to the UK and finally to the US. Visual storytelling, exploring emotions, psychology, and history have always been at the core of Alexandra's work. Many of the books she worked on focus on social justice and the breaking down of stereotypes, including the She Persisted books by Chelsea Clinton. Several of her titles have been translated into different languages. She Persisted, The Musical was the first to be translated to stage. Alexandra's work has participated at various exhibitions in the US and Japan. Her latest book, Lola's Heart, which she also wrote, is a wordless picture book about the power of love and offers an opportunity to discuss difficult emotions such as grief, loss, and fear of failure. Alexandra lives in Northern California with her husband and daughter.

    instagram.com/alexandra_boiger
    alexandraboiger.com

  • Andrea White has been an actor, director, and teaching artist for 25 years. She has been seen on Portland Stages in such shows as; The Ripple, The Wave, That Carried Me Home (Portland Center Stage), Barbecue (Portland Playhouse), The Secretaries (Profile Theater), Pericles Wet (Portland Shakespeare Company). Andrea’s directing Credits include; Last Stop on Market Street (Oregon Children’s Theatre), The Mad Ones (Oregon Children’s Theatre), and Beirut.

    Andrea has also been seen in television and film including; Family Matters, NYPD Blue, Grimm, Living Single, and Leverage. Andrea is a two-time Drammy Award Winner for Two Sisters and a Piano (Artist Repertory Theater) and Hell Cab (Theater Vertigo).

  • Alex’s recent credits include with Third Rail Repertory, Shaking The Tree Theatre, The Theatre Company, Bag&Baggage, Portland Shakespeare Project, PassinArt, Broadway Rose, Crave Theatre, Salt and Sage Productions, Fuse Theatre Ensemble, Imago Theatre, Enlightened Theatrics, and Roots and All Theatre Ensemble. Her oil paintings have been most recently shown at Lunaria Gallery and The Remains Gallery. More at www.designbyalexmeyer.com.

  • Lucy is a Portland-based theatrical costume designer. Lucy is from Jackson, Mississippi and holds a B.F.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi. Lucy has spent 10 years of her career working as a costume designer/artisan at such theaters as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Berkshire Theatre Group in Massachusetts, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, The Rev Theatre in upstate New York, and Shakespeare & Company in Massachusetts. Some titles include HAIR, tick, tick...BOOM!, I'm Black When I'm Singing, I'm Blue When I Ain't, and Dark Sisters. Lucy is currently the costume shop supervisor/resident costume designer at Portland Center Stage. lucywellscostumes.com

  • Annalise Albright Woods has worked for a number of local companies, including Shaking the Tree, Artists Repertory Theatre, Playwrights West, Coho Productions, Theatre Vertigo, and Many Hats Collaboration. Annalise studied sound design at the California Institute of the Arts and Educational Leadership at Portland State University. In addition to theatre she does consulting work with Dialogues in Action, but her favorite role is being a mom to her eight year old, Oliver.

  • Jenn is thrilled to be the new Producing Artistic Director of Oregon Children’s Theatre. She is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist, educator, director, producer, songwriter/composer, and arts leader who has been working in the Arts Education and Theatre for Young Audiences space for 25 years. As Director of Partnerships and Programming for Education at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Jenn presented full seasons of live arts programming for young audiences and built an Education Department that served over 22,000 students per year. She holds a BA in Theatre from Arizona State University and an MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas. Prior to her time in Austin, she was part of P.L.A.Y (Performing for Los Angeles Youth); the award-winning Education Department at Center Theatre Group. As a creator of new musical theatre, Jenn is the composer and co-lyricist of Gretel! and The Battlefields of Clara Barton, both with award-winning playwright Suzan Zeder. Her new musical, Lyric & the Keys, with playwright Roxanne Schroder-Arce, will have its world premiere at Magik Theatre in San Antonio, fall of 2024. OCT’s thrilling production of The Lightning Thief: the Percy Jackson Musical was her Portland directorial debut. She loves her new home in the Pacific Northwest which she shares with her husband and two children, Lucy and Wyatt.

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