Upcoming: The Golden Door: an American immigrant song cycle at Seattle Center and Seattle Open Arts Place

This summer in Seattle, a full cast, accompanied by live music, will bring to life stories of immigration from real people in our communities. I hope you can join us!

Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 2PM

At The Armory Stage at Seattle Center | ASL Interpreted | FREE

Friday, July 18, 2025 at 7:30PM

Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 7:30PM

Sunday, July 20, 2025 at 2PM

At Seattle Open Arts Place | Choose-your-price tickets here

Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 7:30PM PT | Livestream + available on-demand | Livestream tickets here

About the project:

Originally workshopped at Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain, as part of Shaudi's thesis project and later performed as a solo piece in autumn 2024 at Inscape Arts as a culmination of Shaudi’s time as Artist in Residence there, The Golden Door draws from a series of interviews conducted by Shaudi with people who identify as members of a BIPOC immigrant community in the US, who want to share their stories. Using these interviews, historical documents, and her own identity as a second generation Iranian-American, Shaudi has crafted a series of songs which will be performed together as a song cycle honoring, exploring, and finding joy in these diverse tales of coming to the US.

The free performance at Seattle Center is made possible by the Artists at the Center program, sponsored by the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle Kraken, and Climate Pledge Arena, with assistance from Program Community Partners Seattle Center Programs & Events and Uptown Arts and Culture Coalition. 

Learn about the other 2025 Artists at the Center here!

The July performances are a co-production with Seattle Open Arts Place.

Meet the team

CAST

ADELE LIM: Adele Lim / 林恩宁 (they/she) is thrilled to be entrusted with this timely and important work, also, their first song cycle. They are a first-generation Chinese Singaporean actor, singer, mover and deviser who holds a B.A. in Musical Theatre from the University of Washington. Previous roles include Moon Spirit, Songs of the Moon (5th Avenue Theatre ETC), Gerda, The Snow Queen (Seattle Children’s Theatre), Teishi, Unrivaled (SIS/Seattle Public Theater), F, Passage (StrawJam), and Azazello, The Master & Margarita (Dacha Theatre). 原谅我这一句，不为谁而作的感谢 (Adele expresses their gratitude to all). Instagram: @AdeleActs

BECCA MERCADO: Becca Mercado is a proud second-generation Mexican-American and is honored to be part of a production that celebrates the stories of immigration. After beginning her full-time career in the legal field, she is thrilled to return to her first love — performing. Some of her favorite past roles include Olive Ostrovsky (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Krumholtz (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), and Dr. Scott (The Rocky Horror Show). Theater has always been a way for Becca to connect with her roots, tell meaningful stories, and honor the journey of her family and community. She thanks her family for their endless support and inspiration.

CAITLIN SARWONO: Caitlin Sarwono is a professional actor and certified teacher in the Seattle area. Regional credits: The 5th Avenue Theatre- Spring Awakening (Wendla), Disney's The Little Mermaid (Ariel Cover), Great Lakes Center for the Arts- Mamma Mia (Sophie), Taproot Theatre- A Charlie Brown Christmas (Sally Brown). When she is not performing, Caitlin teaches private voice and teaches/music directs at various children’s and community theatres. She also works in both LWSD and SSD. Caitlin recently finished swinging the 5th Avenue Theatre’s Educational Touring show, Songs of the Moon: Fastastical Folktales from Asia. The tour really highlighted the power of cultural storytelling for her, and she is so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this project and telling these stories. Extra meaningful to get to do this with her roomate, Becca <3. Many thanks to her friends, family, and Shaudi! @caitlinsarwono

MATTHEW REYES: A first generation immigrant, Matthew Reyes (he/hmm/hiss) is excited to be part of The Golden Door: An Immigrant Song Cycle. Recent credits include Rubin in Safe Hands (Seattle Public Theater Distillery Festival), Ariel’s Super Six in The Tempest: The Musical (Seattle Rep Public Works), Eli in Love Letters (Theater of Possibility), Mr. Curtis in 110 In The Shade (Reboot/Seattle Public Theater), Peter in Jesus Christ Superstar (Reboot), Toto in Emerald City (Seattle Rep Public Works), Dick in 9 to 5: The Musical (Showtunes Theatre Company), and ensemble in Abraham’s Land (Theater of Possibility). Offstage Matthew is trained in biochemistry and medicine and is pursuing a career in neurotechnology. He is enthused by how Hellenistic and evolutionary astrology empowers one with understanding and compassion for everyone’s soul’s journey. To you reading this, know that you are worthy and you are loved.

MELISA CEDILLO: Originally from San Diego, Melisa is excited to be back onstage, making her Washington debut! Favorite past productions include Rent and The Rocky Horror Show. She’s thrilled to help bring these powerful stories to life.

CREATIVE

SHAUDI BIANCA VAHDAT (Composer, lyric adaptor, director): Shaudi Bianca Vahdat is a musician, composer and theatre artist specializing in story-driven songwriting. Shaudi holds a Master of Music in Contemporary Performance from Berklee College of Music and a B.A. in Drama Performance from the University of Washington Seattle.  Shaudi has performed and/or composed for organizations like Washington Ensemble Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, The Bushwick Book Club, Seattle Arts & Lectures, and Opera House Arts in Stonington, Maine. She served as a Fall 2024 Artist-in-Residence at Inscape Arts, and will present The Golden Door: an American immigrant song cycle,  an original song cycle in Spring 2025 at Seattle Center as part of the Artists at the Center program. She is also a current advisor for the City of Seattle’s ARTS at King Street Station program.  Find Shaudi’s work on Apple Music, Spotify, and at shaudibiancavahdat.com.

INTERVIEWEES

Carmelina Gomez Stearns

Iveliz Martel

Manoucher and Vida Vahdat

Mimi Katano

Rishi Madhok

Sohrab Haghverdi

And more members of American immigrant communities.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE SHOW

Do you want to be a part of our show? Here are four ways to help.

Your support helps us cover production costs for our July 2025 performances, like hiring a light board operator, getting the word out with marketing, and taking professional production photos. Thank you for your donation!

Follow us on Instagram! You’ll be the first to hear about production updates, get some fun behind the scenes content, and seriously help us reach more people who might want to come see our production.

Grab your friends and family and join us at a performance! We would love to see you there. Our June 8 performance is free, and our July 18-20 performances are pay what you can!

We have a few volunteer greeter and usher opportunities, both for our June 8 performance and for our July performances. No need to be available for all dates. If you’re interested in learning more about volunteering, please get in touch!

Past Performances

Composer in Concert: The Golden Door: an American immigrant song cycle

Please note: This performance has passed.

What:

Experience an evening of music, storytelling, and oral history as composer and songwriter Shaudi Bianca Vahdat presents a solo version of her new project, The Golden Door: an American immigrant song cycle.

This intimate performance marks the culmination of Shaudi’s Inscape Arts residency, offering you the chance to be among the first to hear these songs in a casual setting before the project receives a full-cast performance in Seattle Center as part of the Artists at the Center program this spring.

Originally workshopped at Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain, as part of Shaudi's thesis project, The Golden Door draws from a series of interviews conducted by Shaudi with people who identify as members of a BIPOC immigrant community in the US, who want to share their stories. Using these interviews, historical documents, and her own identity as a second generation Iranian-American, Shaudi has crafted a series of songs which will be performed together as a song cycle honoring, exploring, and finding joy in these diverse tales of coming to the US.

The historical venue of Inscape, which from 1932-2004 served as Seattle’s detention and processing center for immigrants, adds another layer of emotion and history to the performance.

The music draws from American folk and jazz traditions while staying deeply connected to musical theatre. Each song is told from the point of view of a different character, each based on a real interviewee. Expect humor, heartbreak, and true stories of creating a life in the US.