Milwaukee County Historical Society to Host See Jane Run, An Indo Story on June 18
Image courtesy of the Milwaukee County Historical Society.
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Historical Society will present See Jane Run, An Indo Story, a powerful solo memoir play written and performed by Dr. Jane Vogel Mantiri, on Thursday, June 18, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Milwaukee County Historical Society, 910 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The performance is the first public program connected to the Milwaukee County Historical Society’s new exhibition, We the People, which explores immigration, naturalization, identity, and belonging through Milwaukee stories and experiences.
Directed by Andrés Alcalá, See Jane Run, An Indo Story is a deeply personal and moving theatrical work exploring themes of love, resilience, immigration, identity, and belonging. The 75-minute performance follows a unique story about the American Indo Dream. Indo refers to a dying culture of mixed-race people whose ancestors are both Indonesian and White, from centuries of European colonization in what was known as the Dutch East Indies. Tracing Jane Mantiri’s journey from child refugee to American citizen, the play is both a celebration of cultural identity and a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
The play serves as both a memoir and a cultural preservation effort, giving voice to generations of Indo immigrants who often concealed their identities in order to assimilate and survive.
“My parents wanted me to assimilate and become an American. It is what immigrants did to protect their children,” said Mantiri. “I became an American, erasing my past and denying myself and my loved ones the truth about my life and my culture. My story gives breath to my past and light to my future.”
Born in Indonesia, Mantiri immigrated to Milwaukee with her family in 1960 under the sponsorship of West Granville Presbyterian Church and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1966. Her lived experience as a child refugee immigrant deeply informs her storytelling, advocacy, and artistic work.
An actor, playwright, retired trauma psychologist, and social justice advocate, Mantiri is the founder of Advance Gender Equity in the Arts (AGE), a nonprofit organization supporting artists marginalized by gender, race, or age. In 2025, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Carroll University for her contributions to social justice. Her memoir and forthcoming documentary also share the title See Jane Run. The production was selected for both the 2025 Fertile Ground Festival and the 2025 Pacific Northwest Multicultural Festival.
Mantiri’s connection to Milwaukee and her participation in the Milwaukee County Historical Society’s “Immigrant Experience in Milwaukee County Oral History Project” made this collaboration a natural extension of the Society’s mission to preserve and elevate underrepresented community stories. As the first public program connected to the Society’s new We the People exhibition, the event is intended to welcome a broad audience, including immigrant communities, students, families, and individuals interested in Milwaukee’s immigrant history, while expanding access to live theater and inclusive storytelling experiences.
Attendees are encouraged to visit We the People, the Historical Society’s new exhibition exploring immigration and naturalization in Milwaukee history.
Tickets and additional information are available through the Milwaukee County Historical Society.
About the Milwaukee County Historical Society
The Milwaukee County Historical Society was founded in 1935 and has become the place for people to learn about and to celebrate Milwaukee. Through education programs, exhibitions, the research library, our historic sites, and special events, MCHS offers Milwaukeeans and visitors to Milwaukee a chance to connect with the heritage of Milwaukee. MCHS preserves more than one million documents and photographs and more than 80,000 artifacts.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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