2026 CoHo residency
COHO RESIDENCY PROJECT
Produced by CoHo Productions
June 18- July 5th, 2026
The CoHo Residency Project is a semester-long opportunity for artists to develop an idea or revive an old project and take it to the next level. Over the course of the semester, each artist will be guided and supported by CoHo to help them cultivate an organic creative process that they can take with them wherever they produce in the future. Back for our third year, CoHo Residency performances will be both live and in person. Learn more about individual shows below, and book your pay-what-you-can tickets today!
2026 CoHo Residency shows!
DOTTER
Written and Performed by Monel Chang
June 18-20th Show at 7:30pm
June 21st Show at 5pm
The production seamlessly shifts between a surreal memoryscape of childhood swimming pools and a chaotic, high-stakes Hollywood casting room. Straddling these worlds is the Casting Director, a manic, boundary-crossing persona who aggressively auditions audience members for the ultimate syndicated role: The Rest of My Life.
At its core, however, DOTTER is an act of spiritual reclamation. As the frantic comedy of the audition room collapses under the weight of core childhood memories, the performance transitions into a sacred, liminal space.
Meet the Artist
Monel Chang is a Corean-born, PWN-based multidisciplinary artist, movement educator, and licensed naturopathic physician. Using the occasional clown moniker Moldy Melon, Chang creates comedic works that blur the lines between ritual, satire, and spiritual cabaret. Monel began as a durational performance artist (a single sustained activity) in 2010, and has since brought contact improvisation, butoh dance, and theatrical clown into their performance and teaching repertoire.
Monel has presented work at Portland Center Stage, Finnish Hall, Sh’bang Arts Festival, Freakdown Festival, Earthdance Creative Living, Secret Seed Improv Salon, 18th Street Arts Center, and the Electric Lodge. Monel performed, directed, and produced her first solo show at Shaking the Tree Theatre and is the 2026 CoHo Lab Residency Program artist, presenting her second solo show.
You Got it Girl!
Written and Performed by
Kayla Kelly
June 26-27th Show at 7:30pm & June 27-28th Show at 2pm
YOU GOT IT, GIRL! GIRL, YOU GOT IT? IT GOT YOU, GIRL …
This play explores the obstacle of working with yourself. What happens if you lean into “YES” even when your mind says “HECK NO”? Rather than slying self doubt like a dragon that causes havoc, this piece is about having a conversation with the beast of self-doubt / working together.
This show is dedicated to all the women in my life. I would make a list, but I’m afraid it would be longer than the show bio. Thank you for believing in me. Your sacrifices DO NOT go unnoticed. You are amazing and influential. YOU ARE THAT WOMAN, NEVER FORGET!
Meet the Artist
Kayla Kelly is from Houston, Texas, and holds a Bachelor of Arts. Maybe you have seen her on stage at your local theatre, doing secret comedy shows around town, or in her most recurring role, working as a Front of House Manager at Portland Playhouse. Finding creation in everyday life is what keeps her life vibrant: she enjoys acting, teaching, dabbling in stand-up comedy, improv and writing. Thank you to everyone who has made this production possible. Thanks, Phil Johnson, for the positive peer pressure! Representation truly matters! Always be the light, you shine. Shout out to my mom, aka MAR MAR!
Lobotomommy
Written and Performed by
by Julia Bray
July 2-4th Show at 7:30pm
July 5th Show at 5pm
Meet the Artist
A graduate of NYU Tisch, Julia’s professional credits as an actress span Off Broadway plays & musicals, television (Law and Order SVU, HBO’s How to Make it In America, Netflix’s Trinkets), and film—including stealing a pig from Nicolas Cage in Michael Sarnoski’s Pig (2021) and a featured role in the upcoming indie Via Negativa (2026, dir. Hannah Peterson). Julia’s own plays and solo shows have been seen at Dixon Place, Fresh Ground Pepper, Theater in Asylum, The Habitat Theater Company, and CoHo Theater Lab.
Julia is the co-creator and producer of All Boats, an multi-medium nomination based performance series that began in NYC in 2016 and has since become an seasonal offering with iterations in Los Angeles, Berlin, Mexico City, and Portland, OR. Since 2022, she has co-produced the Portland-based CoHo All Boats, as well as All Boats All Clowns at the CoHo Clown Festival where she’s known for her stand-up comedy goblin alter-ego “Renman.” As a director and producer, she has led music videos, multi-artist showcases, and commercial shoots, bringing bold visions to life across performance, film, and immersive spaces.
@thejaybray
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