Do you see me?
Oct 23 - 25 | 2026
National Tour: Open Space (Portland, OR)
SHOW DATES | TIMES
FRIDAY | October 23 @ 7:30pm
SATURDAY | October 24 @ 2pm & 7:30pm
SUNDAY | October 25 @ 6pm
Westside Theater
BOX OFFICE
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Mondays | 12-5pm
Wednesdays | 12-5pm
Fridays | 12-4pm
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Box Office & Lobby open 30 minutes prior to show start time.
A portion of every individual ticket sold for this show is donated to support Arts Missoula’s new grant fund initiative for Native artists.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Inspired by his upbringing in a conservative rural/suburban town, Do You See Me? follows a young man navigating identity, belonging, and self-worth while learning to survive behind layers of camouflage. Masking both his queerness and learning disability to avoid rejection, the protagonist ultimately confronts his fear of being seen and discovers what it means to stand openly as himself. For choreographer Franco Nieto, who often felt “othered” as a queer, dyslexic artist, dance became both refuge and survival. That emotional landscape lives at the heart of the work.
Created in close collaboration with Open Space Company Artists, Resident Choreographer Noelle Kayser, costume designer Joshua Myrie, and vocalist and musician Onry, Do You See Me? is rooted in vulnerability, trust, and shared humanity. While deeply grounded in queer experience, the work speaks to something universal: the risk of discovering who you are and the courage it takes to stop hiding.
CAST & COLLABORATORS
CHOREOGRAPHY: Franco Nieto
DRAMATURGY: Noelle Kayser
PERFORMERS: Ariel Clarke, Ellie Thomas, Elise Gonsalves, CJ Hankins, Omar Vargas-Nino, Ellie Toop, Santiago Villarreal
COMPOSER & VOCALIST: Onry
COSTUME DESIGN: Joshua Myrie
ABOUT THE choreographer
Franco Nieto (Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Open Space)
Franco Nieto is a Princess Grace Award-winning dancer and the cofounder and Artistic Director of Open Space. He has choreographed over 20 original works, performed in more than 160 world premieres, and is a sought-after master teacher. He is known for fostering a culture free of judgment and creating a wave of positive change in the dance world. Franco Nieto was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. He made the unconventional switch from football to ballet in his teenage years and has now taught and danced in over 10 different countries and performed with the likes of Lady Gaga and Sir Elton John. He spent 10 years as a principal dancer with NW Dance Project in Portland, Oregon, where he toured the world and worked hand in hand with the leading minds in choreography to create and bring to life countless original works. His early training came from the Vancouver School of Arts & Academics and Columbia Dance, and his formative line of choreography was born from his mentorship with Tracey Durbin. He graduated with his BFA in Jazz from Point Park University. Franco brings his big heart (and his dog, Otis!) to the studio each and every day.
ABOUT THE company
In 2020, amid a world in flux, Franco Nieto, Charlene Hannibal, and Maeve Dougal came together to imagine a new kind of dance organization that was rooted in community, collaboration, and care. They called it Open Space.
Located in the heart of Portland’s Kenton neighborhood, Open Space is a nonprofit dance organization that nurtures dancers of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. What started as a dream between friends has become a thriving creative container where movement is used to connect, uplift, and transform.
Open Space contracts 6–8 professional dancers annually and presents four original productions each season.
The Company at Open Space is a collective of nationally acclaimed artists known for bold physicality, emotional sensitivity, and fearless curiosity. Through dynamic partnering and an intimate creative container, audiences are close enough to witness dancers making visceral, instinct-driven choices in the moment. In the charged beauty and chaos of performance, they remind us what it means to feel deeply and to be fully alive.
Do you see me? is presented as part of our 2026|2027 Season
Learn more about the full season and subscription options: CLICK HERE