Sowelu Theater
Portland, OR
503.730.9066
About Sowelu
Our Mission
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| The Treatment Lorraine Bahr & Michael Williamson |
Sowelu is a critically acclaimed ensemble company, working toward new forms of sustainability for artists and small or emerging arts groups that enhance and promote culture and economic growth in our neighborhoods. Sowelu was officially founded in 1998 when the core artists had established a five-year history together on Portland stages.
The mission of the Sowelu Ensemble is to:
- create vibrant original works for our time and to contribute our unique voice to the local and national library of performance;
- create an awareness of the capacity for creativity in the lives of individuals in all walks of life: in our families, in our workplace, in our lives;
- create a respect for regionally located theaters as an integral part of our national artistic topography;
- create a new artistic order by financially sustaining a company of performing artists in America.
The artists came together out of a common belief that an ensemble approach by actors, directors, writers and designers will create the most compelling experience for the audience.
Core programs include:
- Sowelu Main Stage: producing a season of performances;
- Creative Enterprise: hosting and developing a consortium of arts and education groups to share resources and collaborate on community building projects;
- Sowelu Video Education and Outreach: a program for developing orginal works in media among young artists;
- Summer at Sowelu: summer camps for teens and adults that focus on all aspects of artistic expression;
- Sowelu New Works in Process: an in-depth program for developing writers and original works for the audience.
We continue to create and present affordable, viscerally engaging live performances that perpetuate the primal, spiritual roots of theater.