(To learn more about this show, please visit the show’s page here)

Performance 6/12/26 – Portland Stage Studio

Janine Leffler takes the audience through her experience of being born with Cerebral Palsy and her ensuing journey as a heartfelt poet, disability rights activist, and karaoke aficionado. You’re going to leave with a deeper knowledge of musicals, disability rights legislation, and the personal impact of bullying on a seemingly unflappable spirit. Come for the poetry, stay for the dance party. Seriously, limber up.

Submitted on 6/13/26 by Tarra Haskell, PF26 Independent Review Team

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More Than Me… is, as the full title points out, a play about growing up with a disability, and along the way Janine Leffler (writer/performer) touches on the importance of perseverance and self-love in the face of ostracism and loneliness. She maps her journey from bullied, disabled outsider to thriving disability advocate, sharing the advice, advocacy, poems, and songs that helped her cope with daily rejection and become the confident, enthusiastic speaker she is today.

Janine is a local Portland artist spreading the word of the dire need for disability advocacy in schools, local communities, and state and federal government. In More Than Me…, she points out how the recent cuts to government disability programs have torn asunder the path that got her where she is today, leaving most young, disabled individuals without a way to grow into their best selves. Janine’s own teachers didn’t believe she could make her way to college. But with the help of those programs and the tenacity of her mother’s championing, she attended and, like many, found her people: lifelong friends and a partner to share her life with. With effervescent charm, she points at the wins, losses, and never-ending hurdles in her life and asks why anyone would build more.

Janine asks that we see the disabled community as a part of our own communities. That we see the desperate need for understanding and connection. And she insists that when it comes to disability support from our schools and governments, we must demand more.

Submitted on 6/16/26 by Nathan Gregory, PF26 Independent Review Team

Performance 6/13/26 – Portland Stage Studio

In the midst of all the other shows you’re seeing during PortFringe, make sure you set aside some time to check out More Than Me. Sharing about her life, Janine Leffler takes audience members on a brief recount of crucial moments while living with cerebral palsy. Backed by a fun soundtrack, scenes guide everyone through important turning points in Janine’s history that made her into the disability advocate she is today. An author, poet, musical lover, and great storyteller who has clearly overcome a lot to be accepted, this is a heartfelt, honest, and important performance that will leave you wanting to fight for disability rights alongside Janine.

Submitted on 6/14/26 by Christina W. Richardson, PF26 Independent Review Team