OUR MISSION IS TO USE THE POWER OF NARRATIVE ART TO BRIDGE DIVIDES.
At the Red Door Project, we create experiences that can change people — not by telling them what to think or feel, but by expanding perspectives and opening up new ways of seeing.
Founded in 2011, The Red Door Project is an award-winning nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon, dedicated to exploring the complexities of social issues fostering dialogue that leads to meaningful change. Our work is rooted in what we call The Evolve Mindset™: a way of engaging the world that embraces complexity, seeks contact over agreement, and welcomes discomfort as a gateway to transformation. We design performances, conversations, and trainings that invite people to step into tension, not to resolve it, but to learn how to stay present inside it.
In 2016, we brought Hands Up: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments to Portland. This collection of autobiographical monologues, written in response to police shootings of unarmed Black men, was expected to run for just six performances. Instead, community and funder support turned it into a multi-year project, with nearly 70 performances across the Pacific Northwest. To expand the conversation, we developed Cop Out: Beyond Black, White & Blue, based on interviews with police officers from diverse backgrounds. These monologues depict officers navigating the realities of their profession, their identities, and the communities they serve.
This foundation led us to The Evolve Experience, our key theatrical offering from 2019-2024 that presented filmed first-person narratives from police officers, judges, and community members, providing a platform for deep reflection and meaningful discourse.
Now, we're taking what we've learned to the big screen: a feature film designed to illustrate the dramatic tension comes from the clash of ideas and the unraveling of deeply held beliefs. This project is years in the making, and we cannot wait to share it with you. RSVP to our online event, Reel Talk with Co-Founders Kevin Jones and Lesli Mones, on November 5th at 12PM PST to learn more.
Mindy Lehrman Cameron, FAIA (2009). Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
The August Wilson Way Portal, installed behind The Rep theater on the Seattle Center campus, was the pivotal piece of what was planned to be a 4-block, pedestrian passage in honor of the American playwright, August Wilson, who wrote ten plays for each decade of 20th Century African American experience.
Through Mindy’s reading of Wilson’s plays, one theme emerged, which is that we must understand our past to go healthfully into our future. The letterbox is replaced with a “stories” box so that people may virtually leave their stories and pass healthfully into their futures along August Wilson Way.
You’re Invited!: Exclusive Online Event – November 5 at Noon (PST)
Join us for a special lunchtime conversation with Red Door Project Co-Founders Kevin Jones and Lesli Mones. Get an insider’s perspective on the creation of our upcoming film and connect with fellow community members who believe in the power of storytelling.
TESTIMONIALS
The Evolve Experience is endorsed by the California District Attorney's Association.
MAJOR FUNDING FOR THE RED DOOR PROJECT COMES FROM THE FOLLOWING SUPPORTERS:
Ronni Lacroute | Priscilla Bernard Wieden | Robert & Alice Frost
Robert A. Lowe & Michelle Berlin-Lowe | Dave & Sarah Schrott | Bonnie Reagan
Jennifer Schuberth & John Urang | Linda Forrest & Warren Holmes
