What if dyslexia were seen as creativity, not a deficit?
In a world that often standardizes students, The Words Will Come honors neurodivergence as imagination, complexity, and strength, and asks audiences to experience learning from the inside rather than judging it from the outside.
This isn’t just a play. It is an act of visibility for dyslexic and neurodivergent learners, their families, and their educators.
We aim to create a space where young people feel seen, caregivers feel supported, and audiences leave reconsidering what “smart” looks like, not just on paper, but in bodies, relationships, and creativity. HB Studio Residency 2024
About The Words Will Come
Every child deserves to be understood on their own terms. The Words Will Come is a movement-driven memory play that follows Sheila, a young person navigating a school system that misunderstands how she thinks, feels, and learns.
Rather than explaining dyslexia, the piece lets you experience it through sound, projection, movement, and design. Letters jump. Words hide. The world fractures and reassembles.
The show asks:
What does a child lose when they are told they are wrong?
What do they discover instead?
And who might we — as families, educators, and communities — become when we finally feel understood?
Developed through residencies at HB Studio (NYC) and Performance Works Northwest through the Alembic Residency (Portland), the piece was shaped in collaboration with neurodivergent artists, educators, and students.
Alongside the production, we will offer Creative Access Workshops for local youth, parents, and teachers using movement, storytelling, and sensory-based practices so participants can communicate beyond written language and feel seen in their own ways of learning.
Upcoming Show: June 4-28, 2026 Thursday-Saturday at 7.30pm Sunday at 2:00pm
Shaking the Tree Theatre 823 SE Grant St, Portland, OR 97214 What We Need
This project is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
We are $3,000 away from fully producing The Words Will Come in June 2026. We have already raised $41,000 — and we are almost there.
These funds will cover:
Artist and designer stipends
Set, props, and materials
Theatre rental
Primary Goal — $3,000: Close the production gap and bring the show to the stage.
Stretch Goal — $4,000: Accessibility & Community If we reach $4,000, we will expand access and deepen impact through:
Pay-what-you-can tickets for students and families
Community talkbacks with educators, parents, and artists
Reaching $2,000 toward this stretch will underwrite a full Saturday Creative Access Workshop for neurodivergent students, families, and educators.
About Lower East Side Shakespeare Company
Our mission: shake up Shakespeare, create like Shakespeare, and reach beyond the stage into classrooms, neighborhoods, and conversations that matter.
Lower East Side Shakespeare Company is a socially engaged theatre company committed to centering marginalized voices and building community through formally adventurous, emotionally direct work.
We believe accessibility means both who gets to tell stories and how audiences experience them. Our work blends movement, language, design, and community engagement to create theatre that feels participatory rather than distant.
“This company grew out of my belief that theatre can be a place of belonging for people who are rarely centered onstage.” Melody Erfani
HB Studio Residency 2024
You Are Part of the Ensemble
The last member of our team is you.
This project was built through collaboration with artists, educators, students, and community members. Your support makes you part of that circle.
Every donation helps this story reach the stage and the classroom.
Donate if you can. Share if you can't. Either way, your voice matters.
Help us carry these words into the world.
Rewards
The First Word
Donate $10.00 or more
Amount is fully tax-deductible.
You receive:
Public thank-you on social media
Name listed on campaign page
Gratitude for helping the first words reach the stage
Found Words Fellowship (Pay-It-Forward Ticket)
Donate $30.00 or more
Amount is fully tax-deductible.
Your gift underwrites a ticket for a student, neurodivergent learner, or family who might not otherwise be able to attend.
You receive:
Program acknowledgment as a “Found Words Fellow” (you may remain anonymous)
The knowledge that you helped expand access to this story
Words Take Flight (VIP Seating)
Donate $40.00 or more
Amount over $30.00 is tax-deductible.
You receive:
One reserved ticket to The Words Will Come
VIP Seating
Public thank-you on social media & our gratitude
Find Your Voice (A prepared theatre goer)
Donate $60.00 or more
Amount over $40.00 is tax-deductible.
You receive:
One VIP ticket
One beverage of your choice (wine or non-alcoholic option) and one concession snack
VIP Reserved seating
All previous rewards
Creative Minds Circle
Donate $500.00 or more
Amount over $100.00 is tax-deductible.
You receive:
2 VIP tickets
Two beverages of your choice (wine or non-alcoholic option) and two concession snacks
Invitation to a rehearsal or dress rehearsal
30-minute Zoom with Melody about the making of the piece
Signed poster by the cast and creative team
All prior acknowledgments
Beyond Words Benefactor
Donate $1,000.00 or more
Amount over $180.00 is tax-deductible.
You receive:
4 VIP tickets
Signed poster
Special thank-you in program
4 beverages of your choice (wine or non-alcoholic option) and 4 concession snacks
