BUMP : 3 Short Plays

BUMP is a triptych of three short, thematically-connected plays, written by Portland artist Riley Michael Parker.

The plays are THE PARTY, THE SESSION, and THE WAITING ROOM, and collectively they are about identity, deception, grief, and the miracle of life.

“Three words . . . Compelling. Bleak. Villainous.”
- Kyle Chipman

In THE PARTY, a man and a woman meet as strangers at the buffet table of an exclusive swinger’s event, and over snacks they begin to reveal deep secrets. Funny, sexy, and diabolical, this opening play sets the tone for things to come.

In THE SESSION, a man struggling with grief, rage, and guilt visits a kind, empathetic therapist willing to do anything he can to help. A complex, emotional journey of a play, moving from heart-wrenching to despicable in the blink of an eye.

In THE WAITING ROOM, we meet Gabby, a woman trying to decide once and for all if she wants to have kids. Equal parts hopeful and devastating, this whirlwind of a monologue looks directly into the void, and then cracks up laughing.

Three separate stories, linked together through a series of cosmic events so unlikely, so nearing-impossible, that they can only be described as “miraculous”.

BUMP’s World Premier

BUMP was staged in June 2026 by the newly-formed theatre company MILLIONS & MILLIONS (founded by writer / director Riley Parker and actors Preston Black, Richard Cohn-Lee, Megan Gotz, Kelly Love, and Cris Villa), with musical accompaniment by Daniel McIntire. The company did a SOLD OUT run of five shows, from June 11th to June 26th in the Heiken Gallery above Word Virus Books in downtown Portland Oregon.

  • Kelly Love as "Monica"

  • Cris Villa as "Mitch"

  • Preston Black as "Therapist"

  • Richard Cohn-Lee as "Patient"

  • Megan Gotz as "Gabby"

  • Original Score by Daniel McIntire

  • Scene from THE PARTY

  • Scene from THE SESSION

  • Scene from THE WAITING ROOM

Kelly and Cris starred in THE PARTY as Mitch and Monica, Preston and Rich starred in THE SESSION as Therapist and Patient, and Megan starred as Gabby in the play THE WAITING ROOM.

Riley directed the shows, and produced with the help of Michael Sean, Clae Spratt, and Riley Berger. Set design and build-out was led by Zach Werbalowsky. Haley Mae provided costuming help. On-set photography was executed by Xander Nox Draven. Lights were donated by Jessica Geffen Yaeger. Casting help was provided by Matt Green and Alex Orlet. Show space was donated by Carly and Chadwick of Word Virus books.

Photos in this section all taken by Xander Nox Draven.

“A stellar, incredibly talented, and confident cast.”
- Spencer Winans

BUMP Marketing

As a brand new company, performing original plays, in a venue that had never hosted a play before, MILLIONS & MILLIONS unsurprisingly had no support of the local Portland press in promoting BUMP. On paper, based on those specifics, it doesn’t seem very promising. Despite the lack of press, the team was able to SELL OUT every show of the five-night run, thanks to great marketing, and word of mouth.

  • Monica Poster

  • Mitch Poster

  • Therapist Poster

  • Patient Poster

  • Gabby Poster

The production essentially has five leads (two two-hander plays and a monologue), so MILLIONS & MILLIONS made a poster for each actor, using a quote from that person’s character to spur interest. Photography and designing principle for the posters was led by Riley Parker.

The online marketing used a mix of staged promo photos, behind-the-scenes pics, and shots from dress rehearsal, and focused on the unique aspects of the production. A lot of marketing called attention to ticket sales, which were strong from the jump, and soon shows were selling out.

  • BUMP Announcement

  • Website Ad 1

  • Website Ad 2

  • Versus Ad "THE PARTY"

  • Versus Ad "THE SESSION"

  • Versus Ad "THE WAITING ROOM"

  • Actor Focus

  • People are saying . . .

  • Pull Quote

  • "SOLD OUT!" Ad 1

  • "SOLD OUT" Ad 2

  • "SOLD OUT" Ad 3

  • "SOLD OUT" Ad 4

  • "SOLD OUT" Ad 5

The BUMP Book

On opening night, Thursday, June 11th, BUMP : THREE SHORT PLAYS was released as a limited edition chapbook. This volume contains all three short plays, plus a Foreword and Afterword by the author about the creation of the plays, with notes on production and trivia about the plays themselves.

The cover model is Rae Pierce. Cover design and photography by Riley Parker. Printing by Cielle and John James of Secret Room Press.

WE ARE ALL
MIRACLES

Thank You!

MILLIONS & MILLIONS extends all the love and gratitude we have to the folks who took a chance on our plays and came out to see us. It means so much to us that in a world with Netflix, and Hulu, and Shudder, and Apple TV, and Disney+, and Facebook, and Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and RedTube, and PornHub, and strip clubs, and strip malls, and Applebees, and TGI Fridays, and Burger King, and King of Queens, and Seinfeld, and The Office, and office jobs, and temp jobs, and the gig economy, and music gigs, and bars, and cocktail lounges, and legalized marijuana, and easily attainable psychedelics, and podcasts, and vodcasts, and wives & husbands, and kids, and babysitters, and all that other stuff, that you still made it out to support new, provocative, character-driven, independent theatre. Thank you! You rule!