La Bici is an episodic video play that brings together ideas of bike safety and how it relates to the repurposing of art and community. All following the main character, La Bici- a repurposed city bike- through stories, songs, and skits to connect and educate our community. Presented in collaboration with the Central Eastside Industrial Council and Friends of Green Loop. Episodes will be created in part with community bike rides and bike safety seminars, allowing the community to engage and become a part of the project. This video play series will focus on different issues of bikes as they relate to safety, technology, community, infrastructure, advocacy, accessibility, environmentalism, repurposing, art, camping and road tripping, altars and ghost bikes.
The overall arc is that bikes bring people together and give a sense of freedom. Togetherness and freedom will link the individual episodes, along with one bike, La Bici. Each episode will act as a stand alone story, song, or poem, and all be connected through the central character of La Bici.
Community Partners
Several community partners have engaged with La Bici Project for episode development and community placemaking, which includes Central Eastside Industrial Council, The Street Trust, Friends of Green Loop, Coopers Hall, The Wayfinder, Sunday Parkways, Community Cycling Center and River City Bicycles.
Episode Descriptions
Episode 1: Hold My Heart by Cris Eli Blak
Julian comes upon an orange bike with a “FREE” sign on it. As he rides, he meets Ana Maria and together they develop a relationship through biking.
Episode 2: Joyride by Dañel Malan
Cruz, a skateboarder, finds La Bici under a tree and takes la Bici on a ride. They head to the Wayfinder, their usual hangout, after the joy ride and a gang of folks in PRIDE outfits arrives and begin to party.
Episode 3: Third Wheel by Louis DeVaughn Nelson
Andreas finds La Bici at the Wayfinder, and it becomes his regular bike. Julian from Episode 1 is an artist, who hangs out at the bar and asks Andreas if he would come pose for him, but Andreas is evasive and leaves.
Episode 4: Transitional Housing by Dañel Malan
Reina lives in a tent in an alley close to the bar, and sees the unattended bike sitting there. They grab it and ride around the neighborhood and out to the Esplanade.
Episode 5: La Bici meets La Patineta by Francisco Garcia
Reina hears La Bici talking to the skateboard, and they strike up a conversation. Reina and Cruz pedal and race and dare each other.
Episode 6: Una Comunidad Segura by Ajai Terrazas Tripathi
Super Santelices does a safety intervention with the crashed La Bici and shares with them why we need to observe safety rules in pedestrian walkways.
Episode 7: Going Outside by Ajai Terrazas Tripathi
Julian finds La Bici again and starts riding around. He finds Ana Maria, and they pick up where they left off, biking and having fun.
Episode 8: Observing Stop Signs by Ajai Terrazas Tripathi
Super Santelices engages the driver and the bikers in a safety dialog and a little couples counseling.
Episode 9: Sometimes I Wonder by Josie Parrelli
A montage of La Bici’s adventures and the building of a ghost bike altar to honor La Bici and those who have died while cycling.
La Bici Episode Writers
Cris Eli Blak, Episode 1, Hold My Heart Chris is an internationally produced writer for the page, stage and screen. His work has garnered him a Bronze Remi from the World Fest Houston International Film and Video Festival, the Christopher Hewitt Award in Fiction, a Pushcart Prize nomination and honors from Vectis Radio, Negro Ensemble Company, Clocktower Players and A is For. His work has been produced, performed and/or published around the world, from Off-Broadway, West Coast, Collegiate, London, Australia, and Ireland. He is developing new work with Derby City Playwrights, The Road Theatre, Imaginarium Theatre Company and Et Alia Theater. He continues to strive to create work that reflects the world that we live in, with all of its different and diverse colors, creeds and cultures. |
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Dañel Malán, Episode 2, Joy Ride & Episode 4, Transitional Housing  Dañel co-founded the Milagro Theatre with her husband, Jose Eduardo Gonzalez in 1985 and then in 1989 she created the bilingual touring program, Teatro Milagro, which tours nationally to schools, colleges and universities. Ms. Malán researches and develops script ideas and works with playwrights, directors, composers and choreographers for the creation of many of the productions. She has also written several bilingual scripts for Teatro Milagro, which include Duende de Lorca (2011) Cuéntame Coyote (2005, 2014) and FRIDA, un retablo (2006, 2013). Malán received her BA in Theatre Arts from the University of California, San Diego and her MS in Curriculum Instruction from Portland State University. Currently she serves as a Commissioner representing Multnomah County on the Metropolitan Exposition and Recreation Commission. |
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Louis DeVaughn Nelson, Episode 3, Third Wheel Louis is a Queer Black interdisciplinary artist and the founder Hokum Arts started in 2006. Nelson has worked for 20 years as a performer, choreographer, producer and director for film, theater, dance and more. His works have been shown in USA, Europe, Australia and South Korea. He has studied at DeSales University, Drexel University, The New School, The Jeanne Ruddy School of Dance, The Koresh School of Dance, and is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild of America. |
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Francisco Garcia, Episode 5, La Bici Meets La Patineta Francisco Garcia’s directing credits at Milagro include the world premieres of Emilio Rodriguez’s Swimming While Drowning and Olga Sanchez’s Broken Promises andthe INGENIO Readings of Nelson Diaz-Marcano’s World Classic and Andrew Siañez’s Borderline. He recently directed Jose Cruz Gonzalez’s Tomás & the Library Lady and Joan Cushing’s Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly for Oregon Children’s Theatre. As a director and actor, he has worked on workshops and world premieres for such playwrights as Luis Alfaro, Naomi Iizuka, Michael John Garces, Marisela Treviño Orta, Josefina Lopez and Eric Coble. He is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association and his recent acting credits include NBC’s Grimm, IFC’s Portlandia, A24 Film’s Lean on Pete, E.M. Lewis’ The Great Divide for Portland Shakespeare Project’s Proscenium Live Festival and JAW: A Playwrights Festival for Portland Center Stage. |
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Ajai Terrazas Tripathi, Episode 7, Going Outside, and Safety Episodes 6 & 8 Ajai is an actor, director, playwright and teaching artist from Corvallis, Oregon, where he graduated from Oregon State University with a BA in Theatre. Ajai has directed and produced Stories of Discrimination, two original plays based on real life stories in Corvallis, Street Theater, and Rhinoceros at OSU. He toured for ten seasons with Milagro, having worked in many touring productions including Duende de Lorca, Searching for Aztlán, and El Payaso. He led the teaching artists of Teatro Milagro’s bilingual programs across the country and champions bilingual arts education in schools. As a playwright, he has written Teatro Milagro’s touring shows ¡Corre Corre! Sueños de Fútbol and Mijita Fridita. |
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Josie Parrelli, Episode 9, Sometimes I Wonder Josie Parrelli is an Australian writer and artist based in Melbourne, Victoria. Her works have been performed & presented in Australia, New Zealand, New York, Canada, UK, Europe and has received numerous awards & nominations for her TV, theatre and writing works.Josie has an extensive background in TV, she created and Hosted her own hugely popular TV show “Chartbusting 80s” an 80s music-variety showed that aired in Australia and New Zealand from 2000 – 2007. She produced five Chartbusting 80s DVDs which all entered the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Top 50 charts and received an ARIA Gold Disc for sales of Chartbusting 80s DVD 1 in Australia and an Antenna Award for Outstanding Contribution to Community TV. |
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Mandana Khoshnevisan, Director Mandy has long been a multifaceted artist. She studied literature, theater, and history at Stanford University, earning a B.A. and M.A. in English. Most often an actor, improvisor, singer, and director, she’s also been a musician, costumer, lighting designer, choreographer, puppeteer and more. In San Francisco, she spent 10 years with The Un-Scripted Theater Company (SF) and seven years as Master Electrician for the SF Playhouse. In Portland, she teaches with NWCTS and performs and directs at the Funhouse Lounge; she’s also an Associate Artist at Bag&Baggage, recently appearing in Romeo & Juliet/Layla & Majnun (Lady Capulet) and Death and the Maiden(Paulina). |
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Lawrence Siulagi, Cinematographer Lawrence Siulagi is in his fifth season with Milagro Theatre as a sound designer. Notable shows include Wolf At The Door, Judge Torres, Astucias por Heredar Un Sobrino a Un Tio, Bi–, El Payaso, Mijita Fridita, and El Muerto Vagabundo as well as composing original music for ¡Corre! ¡Corre!, Super Ana! and El Tesoro. He is also a performer, director, playwright, and projection designer originally from San Diego where he pursued a Bachelors degree in the Dramatic Arts (directing emphasis) at San Diego State University; and film editing and marketing at the University of Southern California. When he’s not performing or designing he works as a web developer at Lewis & Clark College. |
