Dmae Roberts presents a ‘Making Change’ feature story  of the women behindStories: From Survivors of the Sex Trade, a performance produced by Lunacy Stageworks. And in the second part of the show, we’ll hear about The Tripping Point, an exhibition of fairytale installations at Shaking The Tree Theatre.

As part of this year's Fertile Ground Festival of New Works, Lunacy Stageworks produces another important story providing a hard-to-come by connection; this time to the reality of what women endure through their stories from the front lines of Portland's sex trade.

The biggest misconception about prostitution is that it is a choice, acknowledges Jeri Sundvall-Williams, Neighborhood Program coordinator at City of Portland. In reality most of these girls are forced into it, sometimes even sold into it by a parent. Ms. Williams and Rachel Indigo Cerise Baum tell their stories of exploitation as young girls, survival, and growth as women.

As their stories unfold, audiences' perceptions of prostitution are forever changed, bringing about awareness and a call to action. Last year, Lunacy Stageworks also participated in Fertile Ground with Stories: from the Streets, a collection of readings written and performed by people who had experienced homelessness.

Show Times:
Directed by: Ann Singer
Venue: Sellwood Masonic Temple  | 7126 SE Milwaukie Ave.
Festival Dates: Jan. 27th, 28th 8:00-9:oo PM
Reception following performance on 28th by Artemis Foods
Tickets $7 advance; $10 door | 503.205.0715

Jeri Sundvall-Williams
Jeri Williams is a Neighborhood Program Coordinator for the Office of Neighborhood Involvement for the City of Portland. She manages the Diversity and Civic Leadership program which funds Communities of Color and Immigrant Refugee communities to train their constituencies on Civic Engagement with the City of Portland.

She is a survivor of prostitution, gangs and drugs endured for over 20 years, and she has been a community activist in Portland for the last 15 years. Jeri organizes and conducts public presentations on issues of environmental justice (EJ), poverty, peace, domestic violence and many other topics of social justice.  Throughout her career, she has trained hundreds of community leaders and advocates, and she serves on several boards, task forces and grant making committees.

Sundvall-Williams dedicates her free time to work with victims of human trafficking, sustainability, community organizing and environmental justice. She also devotes time to public speaking at colleges and conferences on many issues as well as organizing events. She believes that the right kind of investment makes change for anyone, as it did for her.

Rachel Indigo Cerise Baum
An out, proud, LGBTQI senior advocate, writer, artist, Rachel is currently a Resident Property Manager at the Housing Authority of Clackamas County. As a former volunteer and subsequent senior program coordinator for Elder Resource Alliance(ERA), of Portland Oregon, Cerise Baum worked directly with and for hundreds of LGBTQI seniors for 7 years.

Cerise Baum seeded the concept and launched Portland Oregon's "Gay and Gray," wellness + resource fair. She also worked with interns and volunteers to launch Portland Oregon's first and only culturally specific "Loaves and Fishes" mealsite, and a "Volunteers in Emotional Well Being of Seniors," support group for LGBTQI elders. Cerise Baum provided diversity training about unique needs and concerns of LGBTQI seniors for in excess of 1500 students and professionals. 

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