Welcome to the Basement Stair Collective, where we delve into the depths of the human experience to create art that is both horrific and joyful. We are an experimental performance collective based in Portland, Oregon, dedicated to pushing the boundaries of creativity at the intersection of music, movement, poetry, and the macabre. Led by four visionary founders—Claire Elizabeth Aldridge, Becca Wirta, Kora Katherine Link, and Rachel Lindsey Routh—we are on a mission to tell stories that explore the underbelly of existence in all its complexity.

Our Story:

We met during the Portland Experimental Theater Ensemble’s Institute for Contemporary Performance. Throughout that year of experimentation and play, the four of us were continually drawn to each other's work. We found that we share a drive to examine the dark and slimy corners of life with love and tenderness, and tell the stories of the characters we find there. We convey the heart-aching tales of what it is to be alive through experimental music, movement, and poetry. After the program, the four of us knew we had to keep making work together. This year, we officially marked ourselves as the Basement Stair Collective.

Our Mission:

Basement Stair Collective strives to engage community by creating immersive new works through a collaborative, design-forward process, delving into the dark corners of the human experience to shed light on the spaces between grief and joy, the flesh and the soul, and the personal and the political.

We are the child running up the stairs, and the monster chasing after them.

We believe in the transformative power of art to ignite community. With your support, we can continue to create innovative, boundary-pushing performances that challenge and inspire audiences. Your contribution will help us cover production costs, venue fees, artist fees and materials, and allow the founding artists and their collaborators to do what they do best: Create.

Support Basement Stair Collective