Page 6
August 28, 2019
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
Lauren Steele of Portland portrays 13 different characters in the West Coast premiere of ‘Queens Girl in the World,” a coming-of-age story about a young
black girl in the 1960s.
Coming of Age in the Tumultuous 1960s
Portland native stars in
one woman show
The West Coast premiere of a charming and funny
one-woman show featuring Portland native Lauren
Steele is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age sto-
ry about a young black girl in the 1960s.
“Queens Girl in the World” follows Jacqueline
Marie Butler as she moves from the safety of her
sheltered Queens neighborhood in New York to
a new school across town in Greenwich Village,
where she is one of only four black students and race
suddenly matters.
Steele plays 13 characters, including her Caribbe-
an father, imperious mother, boyfriends and bulllies.
Running Thursday, Sept. 5 through Sept. 29 at Clack-
amas Community College in Oregon City, the Clacka-
mas Repertory Theater production will be directed by
Damaris Webb, co-founder and director of The Vanport
Mosaic, a community-driven, artist-led non-profit ded-
icated to presenting, celebrating and preserving the si-
lenced histories of the Pacific Northwest.
To enhance the audience’s experience and provide
insight into the black experience in 1960s Portland,
Clackamas Rep will offer pre- and post-show lec-
tures by Percy Hampton, a founding member of the
Portland Chapter of the Black Panthers; Dr. Maude
Hines, professor of English and Black Studies at
Portland State University; and Dr. Pancho Savery,
professor of English and
Tickets may be purchased at clackamasrep.org or
by calling 503-594-6047.