Dmae Lo Roberts sat down with two longtime theater artists who are exploring their own cultural diasporas. Jane Vogel Mantiri (Indo-American writer/actor and founder of Advance Gender Equity in the Arts) and Samson Syharath (Laotian-American theater artist and co-founder of Theatre Diaspora) talk about their separate journeys into their heritage and their pasts.

Both are performing personal solo plays dramatizing their explorations into family secrets and the effects of war and myth on their own identities. They premiere their separate shows at the 2025 Fertile Ground Festival, a citywide festival runing April 4-19 featuring local theater works.

Subscribe and listen to Stage & Studio on: Apple, Google, Spotify, Android and Sticher and hear past shows on the official Stage & Studio website. Theme music: Clark Salisbury. Additional music: “Satokhan” from the Phralak Phralam and recordingsby Oliver Gamblin & Lavinya Scholl.

In this podcast you’ll hear…

Samson Syharath talk about traveling to Laos and learning about his heritage: “I studied at the Royal Ballet of Laos. One of the actors who toured the show was my mentor and instructor. And I studied with him for about three weeks while I was there every day. And he created two masks for me … and I’ll be using one of the masks in Hanuman’s Shadow. Hanuman, who is a magical white monkey, has magical powers, and my play delves into some of the myth and folk tales of how he was born, got these powers. The powers were taken away by the gods, and how he regains the powers and how he, his loyalty and bravery are what brings him to his role as a hero.”

Jane Vogel Mantiri recalls the evolution of her cultural identity: “I  have spent probably all of my adult life perfecting my ability to be Jane the American, which was my parents’ dream, and it really wasn’t a conscious thing for me until I would have to say 2016 that I needed to really question my role as Jane the American. It was with the crescendo of anti-Asian hate, anti-immigration sentiment in this country … when I started actively pursuing my origin story.

“My parents and their generation, they fled Indonesia after World War II. There was a big revolution. We lost a lot of family and it was very important to them that we not speak about that. There were elements of shame. They also didn’t have the resources to be able to cope with their trauma. And so they took all of their energy and focus onto their children, wanting them to be safe. And their goal was to get us to America. And it took my family six years to get to America.”

Sponsor

See Jane Run: An Indo Story by Jane Vogel Mantiri

April 9th – Wednesday | 7:30 p.m to 9 p.m.
The Chapel Theatre, 4107 S.E. Harrison St., Milwaukie
More info: https://fertileground.tix.page

See Jane Run: An Indo Story is a solo memoir play written and performed by Jane Vogel Mantiri. It confronts grief, inspires hope, and is a universal story steeped in love. The play is an exhale after decades of silence. Indo refugee immigrants fleeing Indonesia after World War II suppressed their Indo identity because it was a source of danger and shame. They wanted their children to be spared the pain, and encouraged, cajoled, and forced them to assimilate to a new culture. Now Indos around the world are calling out to each other to tell their stories, and reclaim their identity before the culture vanishes. For the ancestors and for future generations, the rich legacy of Indo culture lives on in storytelling. This play is one Indo’s story about love, loss, generational trauma, racism, forced displacement, resilience, and being happy.

Hanuman’s Shadow: Echoes of Laos and America by Samson Syharath

Apr 12 – Saturday | 3 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.
Apr 13- Sunday | 5 p.m. to 5:40 p.m.
Both shows at CoHo Theatre, 2257 N.W. Raleigh St., Portland
More Info: https://fertileground.tix.page

This solo performance explores the intersection of myth, identity, and hidden histories, weaving together the story of Hanuman, his journey in the Ramayana/Pralak Pralam, with the Secret War in Laos and lesser-known events in U.S. history. The performance delves into the secrets and shadows of history that have shaped the identities of marginalized peoples globally, including the impact of U.S. intervention in other countries and territories. If ticket prices are a barrier, please email samsonsyharath@gmail.com and we will work with you to ensure access to the performance.

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To see the full schedule all the offerings at Fertile Ground, visit: https://fertileground.tix.page.