Broadway Rose And Bag&Baggage to Present IS YOU IS Jazz-Inspired Musical Workshop

Broadway Rose Theatre Company, partnering with Bag&Baggage Productions will present a concert workshop production of the new musical IS YOU IS, by Chicago-based playwright and lyricist L.C. Bernadine, Seattle-based jazz musician Erik Olsen, and producing artistic director of B&B, Nik Whitcomb. Performances will be presented on October 19, 20, 26, and 27, with Saturday's performances at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. This concert workshop production will be presented at the Broadway Rose New Stage located at 12850 SW Grant Avenue in Tigard.

IS YOU IS centers around the infamous Races of Mankind exhibit, which was on display in the Chicago Field Museum for decades, spreading false racial science to millions. Featuring a jazz-meets-musical theatre score, the play follows two sets of characters in two different eras whose stories connect through their relationship to the exhibit, and through it, to each other as they struggle to triumph over ideas they've inherited and to reshape the institutions that shape their lives. L.C. Bernadine and Erik Olsen have collaborated on musical projects for years. Nik Whitcomb joined the project as director in 2020 when it was presented as a part of the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival and has collaborated with the writing duo ever since.

"I am delighted to partner with Nik and Bag&Baggage on IS YOU IS," said Sharon Maroney, producing artistic director of Broadway Rose Theatre Company. "I love history, I love jazz, and I love musical theatre. This is going to be a blast and it's a great opportunity for a new creative partnership in Washington County."

Tickets are $15. For a full listing of show performances or to order tickets visit www.broadwayrose.org, call 503.620.5262, or visit the box office at 12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard.

The 1930s jazz-inspired musical has been in development since 2017, and comes to the West Coast fresh off of a sold-out reading presentation at the Chicago Cultural Center as a part of the winter 2023 Studio Theater Residency Program pilot sponsored by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events (DCASE).

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