See Jane Run is a triumph of personal storytelling, delivered with breathtaking honesty and theatrical finesse. Jane, a seasoned and deeply skilled performer, commanded the space with an authenticity that held the audience spellbound from start to finish. The intimacy of the theatre added a visceral layer to the experience, drawing us into Jane’s world and making her journey feel personal to everyone in the room. It’s a rare and powerful thing to witness such vulnerability transformed into art. 

If See Jane Run comes to a theatre near you, do not hesitate– go see it. Jane doesn’t just perform; she kills it. This is theatre at its most personal and potent, and it’s not to be missed. 

-Sankar Raman, Founder of The Immigrant Story

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We are friends of Andy Alcala and were lucky enough to be invited to see your play “See Jane Run” on Friday evening. 

You may not have been an actress all your life as you had dreamed of, but we wouldn’t have known that if you hadn’t told us.  You were so open, showing emotions so raw, with nothing held back, moving from young child to young woman to now seamlessly, letting us see how you were and felt at each stage of your life.  Your graceful use of your scarf helped us move from each stage.  You are the actress you dreamed of being.  

I don’t know how to tell you how moved we both were.  Your story resonates on so many levels:  wanting to please parents; being “different” from the majority and not quite fitting in; struggling to find a new life, love, and success.  I hope that you will find many more audiences for your play.  We will never forget it.  Thank you so much for sharing your life with us. We think everyone should see this play. 

-Brenda Braden

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“Congratulations on a truly magnificent performance. The piece contains all of you and truly, all of us. Your story is harrowing and heart-breaking, but because you are you, it has wonderful humor, ferocity, rebellion, and so much love. And so many kinds of love.

 

The emotional scope of your memoir is so vast and also! Such masterful work with the dialects, physicality, and myriad details of the characters who inhabit your story. I have met them all this afternoon and I want to thank you bringing your wonderful work to us.”

-Sarah Lucht

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I saw a very personal and emotional one woman play by Jane Vogel Mantiri on Monday in Scottsdale. A journey of a young girl born in Indonesia, the family’s plight to move to the Netherlands and finally immigrating to America. Words cannot explain the emotion I felt.

-Grace Van Ommeren

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My wife and I saw your performance Friday evening.  I think that I said ‘bless you’… I was too gobsmacked to say anything else!  There was no flaw in this Diamond that she or I could discover, not that we were trying.  I was so reminded of watching a river, a river of life glide by…  truly, I was so captivated!  The universality was so apparent in your life, in so many lives.  

My heartfelt congratulations on this play, this life story.  I shall never forget.

Thank you! 

-Buck Braden

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Last night I had a profound experience. As part of the Board of The Bridge Initiative, I had the privilege of seeing See Jane Run: An Indo Story - the play

I didn’t know what to expect, but what unfolded was powerful, emotional, and absolutely unforgettable. This phenomenal one-person show was beautifully written and performed — a true work of art.

See Jane Run: An Indo Story - the play is touring across the U.S. and abroad, and if you have the opportunity, don’t miss it. It’s an evening that will stay with you ina profound and meaningful way. 

www.theindoproject.org/see-jane-run

 

The President of our Board, Brenda Jean Foley is making a documentary of this story. I cannot wait to see it!

www.facebook.com/seejanerun.film

www.instagram.com/seejanerun_film

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Portland Center Stage is presenting it in November! Check it out!

 

www.pcs.org/events/see-jane-run-an-indo-story-by-jane-vogel-mantiri 

-MJ Okawa​​

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I’ve had the privilege of following the development of Jane’s play since the beginning. I’d read her superbly written book followed by three versions of her play as it developed. Next I had the privilege of attending her first performance which was impressive. Yet none of previous experience and knowledge of her story could have prepared me for her recent performance. It was highly professional and electrifying. Tears flowed and gasps were heard around the room. Jane’s story informs many of us. But even more importantly, it allows those who’ve also experienced trauma as an outsider to understand it is their story, too. 

-Julie Vigeland, philanthropic leader 

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You absolutely overwhelmed me! Watching and listening as you drew us into the secret places you had locked away in your mind and heart these many years was transformative. During your reading there were moments I couldn’t breathe, and other moments I couldn’t move. And by the end, I couldn’t speak. I was so overcome by all that I had seen and heard! Thank you for sharing yourself with us in this very personal and profound way! And we are all the better for having seen and heard you. Thank you!

-Leroy Bynum Jr., Dean of Portland State University School of Arts

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“See Jane Run” is a play unlike any other. Put it on your MUST SEE list.

The writer and actress, Jane Mantiri ‘s personal story and memoir brings audiences to their feet with loud standing ovations. Her excellent acting and relatable story shines a light on a family fleeing from Indonesia and ending up in America.This is much more than a story with a happy ending. It is honest, moving, and passionate. The writing, acting, directing and visuals, merge to create great theater. It will make you laugh and maybe even make you cry. 

Go see it, you’ll be glad you did .

-Phyllis Yes, emeritus Dean of Arts and Humanities, Lewis and Clark College

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The performance was glorious and the play was magical. Thank you for sharing such a generous, artful, moving story.

-Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, playwright and author of Lin-Manuel Miranda:The Education of an Artist

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See Jane Run, an Indo Story written and performed by the inimitable Jane Vogel Mantiri, is a deeply personal and powerful journey, beautifully crafted and performed. It is also a story with universal relevance, an immigrant story, an American story, and one that has added an urgent relevance right now in 2025. It is also Jane’s contribution to keeping her Indo culture alive through the power of story, and the power of live theatre.

-Gemma Whelan, founder of Corrib Irish Theatre, Portland OR

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I found both the play, and Jane’s performance, remarkable in every meaningful metric:  poignant, powerful, important, and brilliantly composed, written, and staged. Rarely is a play both so educational and so riveting. Crucial to it all was Jane’s stage presence. Her quiet charisma carried the audience on the gentle rhythms of her impeccably paced and delivered storytelling. When she spoke the words of her auntie and her mother, they were palpably there in the room with us. Only Jane could tell this Indo Story right.

 

As I said during the talkback (which itself was so moving as audience member after member spoke with great emotion about how your play spoke so powerfully to their own experiences) her performance was just out this world —brilliant, powerful, inspiring, heartbreaking, poignant, and badass all at once - it could not possibly be more timely. 

-Arnie Perlstein 

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It was a deeply moving story. We left with a profound sense of gratitude and admiration. Your story is a gift- a living history lesson that will forever resonate in our hearts. Thank you so much!

-S. Mam

 

I’m so thankful to have been present for the debut of such a personal, powerful piece of work. I was so moved by the stories you told, by the courage and tenderness with which you rendered so many vivid portraits of your family, and how you balanced candor with empathy in your account of generational trauma. I felt for every person you  brought back to life in memory tonight.

 

What a gift to get to see you transmute so much pain and hardship– but also so much love and endurance– into art. I know I’ll be thinking about it for days to come.

-Caitlin Nolan, theatre artist

 

Wow!!! What an amazing story and play, and how resilient you have been through all this turmoil. I read your book, but seeing you perform your story made it so much more real. 

 

Thank you for your courage to share these memories and remind all of us what immigrants experience on a day-to-day basis for a country that professes to be so welcoming. With all that is going on right now in this country, it was such a timely reminder of what is truly important and how we should all respond.

-Cathy Waterman, arts patron

 

Your play was wonderful. I was very moved by the honesty and intimacy of your words. Even though there was a terrible tragedy in your story, there was also humor and family connections and lots of love. It brought to light a period of history I (and probably many of us) know very little about and now am going to research.

 

Your performance was touching and captivating as well which was especially poignant as it embodied your dream of becoming an actress. It was very meaningful to have you perform your own words. 

–Karen Weliky, arts patron

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 I was so moved by your performance in Eugene last week. I had read your book and knew your story about your immigration here and your parents death, but seeing it in this form struck me in a completely different way. I heard it so differently than I did before....

Maybe getting more context, maybe seeing the emotions from you behind the facts.....

So powerful!  Thank you for sharing your story and for making it so real.  I'm still soaking it in.

 

Keep on speaking out!! You are a powerful force for good. 

-Valerie Close 

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Healing Power of Art

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My mom and I went to see "See Jane Run" last Sunday at the OCT in Eugene. There is so much I can say about how impactful this play is. 

 

As a coach I was brought to tears many times experiencing you living your dreams come true. It was so beautiful to celebrate that with you and consider ALL of the work and effort you put into making this show happen. As an artist myself, I understand that process and am deeply touched and inspired by you. In a world that feels a little devoid of true role models, it is soooo nourishing to see older women create beauty and contribute something truly extraordinary. It gives me hope. Thank you for that soul food, Jane! 

 

Mostly I wanted to share that my mom and I had a tremendously healing experience because of this show. We have our own complicated mother/daughter relationship and I feel like we unlocked a whole new level of healing and love because of you. I felt each of us tear up during the show, reaching to hold the others' hand and connect through what we were feeling (both of us have a tendency to run away from those scary little emotions). After the show we left the theater and immediately burst into those biiiig-ugly tears we could no longer hold back. We were less than 10 feet from the door (likely a total traffic control nightmare) holding each other in a big embrace and just FEELING together. I was 2% embarrassed and felt bad for blocking traffic and 98% thrilled to have others witness this moment and the ripple that healing could have. Once we were able to breathe we moved to a bench downtown and discussed what touched us and what we were feeling. It was truly one of the most beautiful and connective experiences I've ever had with my mom. I still think of it and it brings tears of gratitude to my eyes. I can't thank you enough. 

 

This email is only one little thread of the impact you and this show have made. How wonderful to consider all of the other threads out there tugging and pulling to heal our broken hearts and world. -~Geena

 

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