Bets Swadis
Birth Place: Philadelphia, PA
10 Shows to Check Out at the 2026 Fertile Ground Festival (Apr 3, 2026)
ANONYMOUS. Will Be Performed as Part of the 2026 Fertile Ground Festival of New Works (Mar 11, 2026)
Review: MOTHER RUSSIA at Profile Theatre (Jun 19, 2025)
BIO
Bets (they/them) is a theatre artist based in Portland, OR. Originally from Philadelphia, East Coast credits include: Emcee in Cabaret; Lumiere* in Beauty & The Beast; Chip in …Spelling Bee; Gregory Gardner in A Chorus Line; and The Nutcracker Ballet. Local credits include: Leaf* in …Spelling Bee & Alvin in Band Geeks! [West Coast Premiere] (BRTC); Hal in Proof (PCTG); In The Basement and Best Available, JAW Fesitval, Margaret Mead* in Hair (PCS), and most recently as Evgeny in Mother Russia (Profile).
(*BWWAward Nominee, Best Supporting Performer in a Musical.)
As a fantasy and sci-fi playwright, Bets's work has been published by WildSong Writing Festival and in Masque & Spectacle, a literary journal. A workshop production of their play The Mighty Marching Meerkats premiered during FUSE's 2024 OUTWright Fest, and their 10-minute play Brave/Enough was produced in 2025 by PDXPlaywrights as part of Portland’s Fertile Ground Festival.
Bets is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association.
News
by Krista Garver - Apr 3, 2026
The 2026 Fertile Ground Festival kicks off on April 10. This annual grab bag of new works is my favorite time in Portland’s theatre calendar because it gives us a chance to see works at various stages of development, from early readings to fully staged world premieres.
by Stephi Wild - Mar 11, 2026
CallSign Productions will throw its cape in the ring for 2026's Fertile Ground Festival of New Works with the world premiere of Bets Swadis's full-length play Anonymous.
by Krista Garver - Jun 19, 2025
The play centers on Evgeny (Bets Swadis) and Dmitri (Orion Bradshaw), two twenty-five-year-olds whose career aspirations – cushy government work and KGB glory, respectively – have been rendered obsolete. With no other work available, they find themselves surveilling a former subversive-pop-star-turned-school-teacher (Ashley Song) instead. All the while, the character of Mother Russia, brilliantly personified by Diane Kondrat, watches her children struggle to understand the implications of their hard-won independence.
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 21, 2023
Fuse Theatre Ensemble has announced that it will be going into 2024 with an updated space, season, and events schedule. Fuse has revamped their seating, added concessions, and added a weekly late-night event schedule, in addition to announcing their 2024 season.
by Blair Ingenthron - Aug 26, 2023
Portland Center Stage will kick off their 2023-24 season with a spectacular high-energy musical that's all about community: directed by Isaac Lamb, HAIR begins preview performances on September 30, opens on October 6, and runs through November 5 on the mainstage.
by Stephi Wild - Jun 9, 2023
The Umbrella Project/PDX Pride Reading Series continues with The Circuit by Tom Enyart aka Empress Elsa Daniels.
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