Portland October ‘23
October 2023 Black Anthology Project brought a weekend of learning to Portland, Oregon. Over two days, B.A.P. delivered workshops, and performed, and captured stories from Black improvisers. This page serves as an archive of that weekend. To the right is the trailer produced from our time in Portland.
Black Improv History: A Weekend of Learning
A series of events featuring an all-Black woman producer team sharing their process of creating a docuseries,
The Black Anthology Project (B.A.P.). B.A.P. blends live performance, story sharing, and documentary filmmaking
to uplift Black artists, improvisers, and comedians. Black Improv History: A Weekend of Learning
is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council.
Meet B.A.P. in in Portland, Oregon October 14th and 15th
October 14 | 5:30 P.M.
Fuse Theatre Ensemble at
The Back Door Theatre
4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97215
Are you interested in trying improv for the first time? Or maybe you’ve taken a few classes but aren’t sure if you are ready to perform on stage?
Inspired by Do The Right Scene, the United Kingdom’s first all-Black improv team, students will learn some improv basics—from techniques to games—and then have the opportunity to apply those basics on the Kickstand Mainstage later that evening alongside B.A.P.!
This workshop will only be offered to those who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and we are excited to provide the space for fellow BIPOC artists to build camaraderie and create comedy together.
**ASL can be available as requested for this workshop
No one is turned away for lack of funds, please contact blackimprovhistory@gmail.com to apply for pay-what-you-can registration.
BIPOC From Workshop to Stage & B.A.P. Show
October 14 | 8 P.M.
Echo Theater
1515 SE 37th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
This show highlights some of Portland's newest talent. Fresh out of the From Workshop to Stage many of the performers will be on stage for the first time alongside veteran improvisers Blue Cavell-Allette, Tashika Campbell, and Mary C. Parker.
Advance tix $20, $25 at the door.
ASL Interpreted
**Kickstand Comedy and B.A.P. strive to eliminate barriers from comedy - a portion of seats at every Kickstand show are pay-what-you-want at the door.
Q&A with B.A.P. Team
October 14 | 1 P.M.
Fuse Theatre Ensemble at
The Back Door Theatre
4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97215
Black Improv History: A Weekend of Learning is a series of events featuring an all-Black woman producer team sharing their process of creating a docuseries, B.A.P. blends live performance, story sharing, and documentary filmmaking to uplift Black artists, improvisers, and comedians.
During this free Q&A, the The Black Anthology Project (B.A.P.). team will be introduced to the Portland community, answering questions and sharing about their work in Portland. The Q&A will also have a Portland debut of the trailer for the project.
The B.A.P. team includes Mary C. Parker (Kickstand, B.A.P. Executive Producer), Blue Cavelle-Allette (Casually Dope, Cakewalk, F.A.M. Fest co-founder, B.A.P. Producer), Tashika Campbell (Cakewalk, F.A.M. Fest co-founder, B.A.P. Producer). Joining B.A.P. for the Q&A is Consultant Tavish Forsyth (Bird City Improv).
Relationship Goals w/ Blue Cavell-Allette
October 14 | 2:30 P.M.
Fuse Theatre Ensemble at
The Back Door Theatre
4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97215
There are many elements to creating a successful improv scene, but the true unsung hero is relationships. Let's have some fun exploring different types of relationships and learning how to create rich, textured connections that will have everyone leaning into your scenes excited to discover what comes next.
No one is turned away for lack of funds, please contact blackimprovhistory@gmail.com to apply for pay-what-you-can registration.
From Workshop to Stage w/ Mary C. Parker
October 15 | 1:30 P.M.
Fuse Theatre Ensemble at
The Back Door Theatre
4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97215
Silent object work is essential to a mime artist and the elements used in this genre are important to improvisers as well. Object work allows the performer to slow down scenes or if a performer is stuck on where to take the scene, silent work allows a performer to focus on the direction of the scene. Silence is a relatively new tool, as performers are encouraged to respond as a way of supporting what is introduced on the stage. But a facial expression or an exaggerated body movement can be supportive as well. This workshop will explore these tools and provide ways to infuse them into scenes. All levels are welcome.
No one is turned away for lack of funds, please contact blackimprovhistory@gmail.com to apply for pay-what-you-can registration.
Improv Jam Hosted by B.A.P.
October 15 | 4:30 P.M.
Fuse Theatre Ensemble at
The Back Door Theatre
4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97215
An improv jam to close out a weekend of learning with the Black Anthology Project (B.A.P.). This jam is pay-what-you-can to support the artistry of Black women.
This jam is part of the Black Improv History: A Weekend of Learning which is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council. Part of the workshop will have video and sound recordings for the purpose of the grant and future B.A.P. legacy work.
B.A.P. & Broke Gravy Improv Show
October 14 | 9:30 P.M.
Echo Theater
1515 SE 37th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Mary C. Parker, Blue Cavell-Allette, and Tashika Campbell, connected through their shared experiences of being a Black woman performing Improv in predominately white-led theater spaces. With a combined twenty-one years of performing experience, this multi-faceted group of movement builders has performed in over 500 in-person shows, in 20+ cities, spanning 6 countries, with several independently produced shows with over 50k online streams. Mary, Blue, and Tashika are currently working on the first documentary, which captures the history and contributions of Black artists across the globe.
In this one-night-only show, Black Anthology Project (B.A.P.) producers Mary, Blue, and Tashika and B.A.P. Consultant Tavish Forsyth will join Portland's local veteran group Broke Gravy for an improv mash-up of the two groups.
Show starts at 9:30 p.m. Advance tix $20, $25 at the door. This show is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council
ASL Interpretation
**Kickstand Comedy and B.A.P. strives to eliminate barriers from comedy - a portion of seats at every Kickstand show are pay-what-you-want at the door.
Improvising Power w/ Tavish Forsyth
October 15 | 10:30 A.M.
Fuse Theatre Ensemble at
The Back Door Theatre
4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97215
This is a two-part workshop series. It's ok to sign up for just the first workshop and to sign up for the second, you need to take the first.
Workshop 1: Power in Story
In this workshop, we will explore our relationships to power within improv scenes and our day-to-day experiences. We will seek to understand where “whiteness” lives in improvisation, how to support Black liberation, and how to honor Black and multi-racial spaces. Participants will be offered functional definitions for power and privilege, exercises to illuminate the power that surrounds us, and given space to reflect on the nuances of racial anxiety and solidarity through community dialogue and improv exercises.
Special attention will be placed on biases and symptoms of white supremacy, including defensiveness, internalized superiority, and stereotypes. Using non-violent communication, adaptive listening, and a values-based approach to change, we will imagine what a more inclusive and pro-Black improv community might look like, feel like, and be like.
Workshop 2: Power in Comedy
Comedy can be used as a weapon—to oppress or to liberate. In this workshop, we will explore the ways that unchecked comedy can perpetuate anti-blackness and white supremacy culture, while discovering how you can use your comedy to challenge white supremacy, support Black liberation, and dismantle systemic oppression. This course will offer participants strategies for punching up and how to differentiate problematic humor from socially conscious humor—all while illuminating the cultural contexts of American comedy. Through examining privilege and power, we will craft comedic moments that critique an unjust status quo.
ADDITIONAL WORKSHOP INFO:
The trauma-informed pedagogy for this training is collaged from and inspired by Keisha Zollar’s Social Justice Improv, Augusto Boal’s Forum Theater, and Keith Johnstone’s Impro, in addition to the activism and healing work of Randall Leonard and Shawna Murray-Brown of The Therapy that Liberates Collective, and innumerable hours of peer dialogue, introspection, and personal research conducted by Tavish Forsyth, Artistic Director of Bird City Improv.
This training will address material that may be triggering. As such, we will begin with mindfulness exercises, harm prevention practices, and compassionate dialogue. Please know that all student boundaries will be honored and participants are welcome to simply observe if they ever feel severe discomfort, distress, or simply prefer to watch. For a full list of the anti-oppressive practices and values that we intend to hold in the space visit: www.birdcityimprov.com/anti-oppression.
No one is turned away for lack of funds, please contact blackimprovhistory@gmail.com to apply for pay-what-you-can registration.
The Mime w/ Tashika Campbell
Meet the B.A.P. Team
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Tashika Campbell
PRODUCER
Tashika is a veteran Improviser from North Carolina living in Baltimore, Maryland. Her Improv career started at the Baltimore Improv Group in 2017, where she was a member of the conservatory teams. Tashika is a sought-after facilitator, having worked with Bird City Improv, Improv MKE, Queen City Improv, Highwire Improv, and Improv Utopia(East). She has performed in festivals across the north-east region and globally. She currently serves as the festival coordinator of the "From Another Mother Festival" (F.A.M Fest) and is a co-founder of the award-winning troupe, Cake Walk.
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Blue Cavell-Allette
PRODUCER
Based out of Charm City, Blue Cavell-Allette is a founding member of two critically acclaimed teams Casually Dope and Cakewalk and one of the founders of From Another Mother Festival (F.A.M.) festival, a celebration of black improv. Winner of the 2021 Globehead (Bad Dog Theater, Toronto CA), Blue has been invited to perform all over the world and has taught at many institutions including The Improv College (Montreal), Bird City Improv (Baltimore) and Camp Utopia East. Blue, who has provided corporate training for companies including Youtube and S.C. Johnson is passionate about advocating and adapting teaching techniques to empower people such as herself, who are neurodivergent. Blue is currently a professor of improv at her beloved HBCU Morgan State University and a co-facilitator for the Social Justice Fellowship with Wooly Mammoth Theater and Strathmore out of Washington, D.C.
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Mary C. Parker
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Mary C. Parker (she/her) is an international performer and has played with Pittsburgh, London, and Portland improv teams. As a published scholar, Mary has been on the Faculty at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama and Point Park Conservatory of Performing Arts. In 2022, she was awarded a Frank-Ratchye Fund For Art @ the Frontier Grant to document and research the history of Black improv. In 2023, Mary was awarded the Regional Arts and Culture Council Arts3c grant to continue working on capturing Black Improv stories in Portland, OR. She is based in Seattle, WA on the stolen land of the Coast Salish and Duwamish peoples, and teaches with Kickstand Comedy. More at www.marycparker.com.
Our Portland Collaborators
This work is impossible without the support and partnership with Portland local businesses and a Consultant workshop partner.
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ConsultantTavish Forsyth (he/they) is the director of Bird City Improv and a practitioner of theater for social change. He is a queer artist and educator with Celtic roots. He was born on Penacook Land in Lowell, Massachusetts under a Virgo sun and moon with Pisces rising. Since 2011 he has lived in Baltimore, which is the ancestral land of the Piscataway people, where he became the founder of Bird City Improv, a teaching artist with the Maryland Center for Creative Classrooms, and a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University. Tavish is an experienced artist with two degrees in theatre. He is versed in multiple styles of improvisation, embodied practice, and comedic theory. Centering healing, queerness, and connection in his work, Tavish empowers individuals to listen, adapt, and respond. His hope is to co-create in ways that are joyful, patient, and honest.
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FunderBlack Improv History: A Weekend of Learning is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council.
We connect artists and creatives to opportunity and access. An independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Regional Arts & Culture Council supports the creative economy in greater Portland by providing equitable funding and services to artists, creatives, and art organizations; managing and growing a diverse, nationally–acclaimed public art program; and developing enduring public and private partnerships. Through advocacy and engagement, we are building community support for artists, creatives, arts-serving organizations, and arts educators, ensuring a thriving region for arts and culture.We activate and engage, connecting artists and creatives to opportunity and access.
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Cinematographer
Marcie is an assistant camera and cinematographer based in the Pacific Northwest who specializes in documentary and narrative. Driven by their belief that creativity begins with meaningful collaboration and care towards crew, they love crafting compelling visuals to draw audiences into stories.
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PERFORMER | 9:30 P.M. Show
As three Black Americans, they utilize our unique voices to spark thoughtful conversations on and off comedy stages. Through a candid dialogue, we exchange our experiences with those of our audience—exploring deeper perspectives on comedy, relationships, and humanity.
Also, they’re funny AF.
WEBSITE: brokegravy.com
SOCIAL MEDIA: @brokegravy
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Fiscal SponsorKickstand’s mission is to transform and enrich the lives of performers and audiences through comedy. We work to eliminate the historic barriers that have kept folx from seeing and doing comedy, addressing the ongoing needs of our community and its diverse perspectives through dynamic shows, and community outreach events—creating equity across our organization and beyond while providing opportunities for performance, education, and laughter.
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ASL Interpreter
Trani Rae is a Black Queer ASL interpreter from Southern California. She mainly works in Performance and Community settings in the Portland area, as she is a social butterfly and loves to meet new people. She's the youngest of a large family so does she really have her own personality or is it a mix of her sisters thrown into one? Trani loves to see her friends and read when she's not working however you can often find her at community events or drag shows cheering everyone on or working.
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