LMAGENTA THEATRE proudly presents GUMBO… a steel magnolia in the Rose City, written and performed by Louisiana native Shelley Tate (and lovely guest actresses Anita Clark and Rae Findley!), directed by Sharon Gordon. This playful, interactive, and thought-provoking theatrical experience about Louisiana history and culture - the people, the music, and of course, the food – will run at MAGENTA THEATRE On November 6th, 7th, 8th and 13th, 14th, and 15th.

What if you love the people and place you come from but don’t belong there anymore? Cajun girl turned Portlander Shelley Tate stirs the pot of culture, race, politics, and all of our assumptions about the “rest of the country” in GUMBO...a steel magnolia in the Rose City. Tate creates a delicious Gumbo of characters, blending one northwest Cajun with the tales of her Louisiana ancestors. She tosses in a brash cooking show hostess, an overly enthusiastic dance teacher, an Acadian grandmother, a Creole mistress, and even a Cajun schoolgirl. Then, she folds in some stand-up comedy, a dash of TED Talk, and dusts it with poetry, history, and geography, before finally garnishing it all with multimedia and just a hint of books, boobs, and beads.   

Audiences will interact with educational stations about such diverse topics as Mardi Gras and Voodoo, learn to dance a Cajun waltz or two-step, and of course, sample some gumbo. Tate leads them through an engaging adventure of the history and culture of Louisiana, while addressing social justice issues pertinent to Oregonians, including discrimination, politics, and poverty, among others. With many moments of direct comparisons between the two states, and even the two cities (Portland and New Orleans), GUMBO addresses the universal need for home and belonging, and the fact that many Portlanders are transplants, who will innately identify with Tate’s inspiring tale.