BareBones of 21ten

Good actors, good stories, told simply.

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Our mission is to bring more professional theater to those with limited or no access to live theater. We have five spheres of folks that we are specifically aiming to serve at this time: elders, houseless, detained, community spaces, and spreading our reach throughout the state of Oregon.

BareBones began when Ted Rooney, Artistic Director, realized that 21ten Theatre had produced several plays that would be easy to tour in a simple, scaled down tech production, and as he knew that more people in our community ought to have access to professional theater. It began small, by bringing one show to two correctional facilities and a housing development for those experiencing housing crisis. In 2025, with the generous support of a few grants, 21ten was able to hire a part time BareBones Manager, Angela Van Epps. In 2025, we were able to tour 4 plays to a total of 21 venues, sharing the joy of live theater with 500 audience members, including 26 who had never seen a play before. We added acting and improv workshops, which are especially popular in alternative high schools and juvenile detention. In 2025 we offered 8 workshops for a total of 71 students. With the generous support of additional grants and individual donors, we hope to continue our work by reaching new audiences in the greater Portland metro area as well as throughout the state, with the goal to revisit the places we have already made connections, to deepen our ties, as well as to reach out to new organizations, groups, and venues.

Types of places we visit: Libraries, senior living communities, juvenile detention, correctional facilities, alternative high schools, and beyond.

Are you a non-profit interested in bringing a BareBones Production to your community organization? Contact evangel@21ten.org for more information!

Donate to BareBones Theatre!

BareBones of 21ten Available Plays:

Adopt a Sailor

By Charles Evered

When a sophisticated New York City couple adopt a young sailor from Arkansas for a day during fleet week, their heartfelt values collide and reveal just how much we truly have in common.

Starring Jeb Berrier, Rocco Weyer, and Brook Hogan

“I can’t get over the chemistry! The players were all so fluid! The dialogue was so revealing of each character’s motives, their reactions, timing, was undeniably professional. I haven’t been so invested in 3 strangers in ages. This play was a real treat. It reminded me of why I ever…did anything. The passion and authenticity. Thank you.” - An audience member at the Roseway Shelter

Apple Season

By E.M. Lewis

Lissie and her brother, Roger, fled their family farm when they were both still in high school. They've come back for their father's funeral. When Billy -- who they both knew when they were kids -- offers to buy the farm, it sets all three of them tumbling down a rabbit hole of memory and grief, as they try to let go of a tangled past that refuses to let go of them.

Starring Paulina Jaeger-Rosete, Michael Heidingsfelder, and Jonathan Hernandez

Athena

By Gracie Gardner

A fierce comedy about ambition, success, friendship, and owning your superiority. Mary Wallace and Athena are brave, and seventeen, and fencers, and training for the Junior Olympics. They practice together, they compete against each other, they spend their lives together. They wish they were friends.

Starring Isabel McTighe, Alannah Walker, and Cora Beeman

Dorothy's Dictionary

By E.M. Lewis

Sparks fly when Zan, an angry high school student, is forced to work off his community service assignment helping Dorothy, an ailing librarian. But each of them might just have what the other needs... if they can only find the words.

Starring Am Blank and Katie Prentiss

“Please come back.” “I almost cried.” “Hearbreaking.” “Very cool.” - Students at the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center after seeing Dorothy's Dictionary

Here We Are Again Still

By Christian O’Reilly

A lonely Irish widower spends all his nights sitting by himself on a bench outside his housing complex. As his stubborn neighbor repeatedly urges him to get inside for a change, and a down-on-his-luck young newcomer decides to start frequenting the very same bench, the three lost souls find themselves forging an unexpected connection. Here We Are Again Still is a funny, heartfelt ode to community, finding your purpose, and the beauty of the unknown.

Starring Ted Rooney, Carla Grant, and Ben Lawrence

“I have never seen a play before. I loved it! It was so authentic. It reminded me a lot of what I’ve been through. Your heart and soul was there. And I felt that. I spent 16 years homeless, and this is bringing up a lot of memories for me. Please come back. You are all so authentic. And how do the actors speak like they are Irish? Wow. I haven't heard that since I was a child.” - A veteran at the Knauls Building after seeing Here We Are Again Still