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SUBSCRIBE: 60th Anniversary Season
2018-19 60th Anniversary Season First Tuesday Readers Theatre complimentary refreshments at 10am performance at 10:30am October 2, 2018 - Foxfire by Susan Cooper & Hume Cronyn November 6, 2018 - Grand Junction by Rich Rubin, 2018 PCTG New Play Award finalist December 4, 2018 - Holiday Radio Hour! Willamette Radio Workshop January 26 (Saturday!), 2019 - Fertile Ground 2019 - Winner of the PCTG New Play Award February 5, 2019- The Belle of Amherst by William Luce March 5, 2019 - Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar April 2, 2019 - Good People by David Lindsay Abaire May 7, 2019 - A Musical Treat Directed by Adair Chappell Guild After Dark All performances 7:30 pm December 3 - Holiday Radio Hour! Willamette Radio Workshop January 25 - Fertile Ground featuring PCTG New Play Award Winner May 6 - A Musical Treat
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FERTILE GROUND 2019
Fertile Ground 2019 is an 11-day arts festival that will be held January 24 through February 3 in Portland, Oregon. This city-wide festival is focused on new work in the Arts. Fertile Ground features world premiere projects, staged readings, developing works and a myriad of other arts events from the Portland creative community. The 2019 Festival includes more than 70 Portland-generated new works held throughout the city. From fully staged world premieres in theatre, to ensemble and collaborative driven work in dance, comedy, performance art and animation...this festival spans the spectrum of creative endeavors and seeds the next generation of creation.
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I Am an Actress
By Jane Comer Created by Jane Comer Creative consultant Rusty Tennant Tickets: $15; $10 students/seniors "I Am an Actress" returns for a World Premiere production after a critically acclaimed workshop run at Fertile Ground 2017. The play is a trip down a dark, rocky, but also funny memory lane written and performed by one of Portland's pioneering trans performers, Jane Comer. Watch Jane overcome a severe speech impediment to become what she was born to be... an actress. Come see the story of two women breaking out of the boxes the world tried to put them in: Joyce, who wanted to be the last thing the world expected her to be, perfectly normal. And her daughter, Jane, who is...an actress. "People who have the talent for acting are born that way. You can't teach 'talent,' you either got it or you don't. You can teach the 'craft' of acting/writing but not the natural artist who creates it - that flows from within... In my opinion, Comer has that gift!" -Dennis Sparks Reviews ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Tether: ADHD+BDSM
By Sara Fay Goldman Directed by Rusty Tennant Tickets: $15; $10 students/seniors The ADHD mind is uncanny - it resists promotional material, defying summary into a narrative or restriction to a single genre. Multidisciplinary solo performer, and mental health advocate, Sara Fay Goldman presents an autobiographical (if abstracted) quest for clarity and understanding. Premiering only a few years into her personal research on the subject, Sara Fay hopes to help demystify and spark conversations around the subject of mental health. Using movement, sound, stage tricks and folklore, she invites you to witness the particular trials and textures of her own quarter-life diagnosis. First investigated during Fertile Ground 2017 as a one-woman anti-circus about brain chemistry, "Tether" is a collage of intimate personal anecdotes surrounding the solo performer's relatively late-in-life exposure to disability culture and identity. She explores the nature of what we will call "health," tapping into experiences people wonder about - sometimes loud experiences that come without warning! - or that many wonder whether they're alone in. Sara Fay exposes some weird surprises that come with the territory of being a human and plumbs a particular metaphor (or, 'pataphor, if you'd like) to illustrate the less erotic and more sensual and cerebral facets of BDSM, embodying her various theories and attempts at treatment. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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unde+ec+able
Written & directed by Rusty Newton Tennant Tickets: $15; $10 students What happens after the end? In a world without law, who will protect the vulnerable? Are the lucky ones those who lived or died? And if modern medicine is destroyed, what happens to the millions of people who are only alive because of it? "unde+ec+able" is a witty/wrenching psychological battleground where the headlines of the day meet our worst nightmares in a gripping story that asks a question we can all relate to... what would happen to me? ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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The Tarot Show
By Kate Mura Conceived by Kate Mura & the audience Additional crafting by Stephanie Alvidrez and Skawesomeness Productions Tickets: Sliding scale; $10 suggested What happens when a tarot reading is given to an entire audience, instead of an individual? Come find out! Every show is different, as every tarot reading is different. Stories, anecdotes, conversation, questions, history and herstory come out specific for your audience, your day, your season. The witch and theatre artist weaves these two different parts of her life together for the first time. Share in the mystery, bring your questions, and curiosity. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Men In Comfortable Pants At The Hi-Falutin' Pomegranate Hotel
By Tobin Gollihar & Ian Paul Sieren Directed by Tobin Gollihar & Ian Paul Sieren Tickets: $15; $10 students/seniors Writing/performing duo Tobin Gollihar and Ian Paul Sieren return to the festival for the fifth time with their latest original play, a high, broad comedy about two brothers struggling with their family's legacy. Michael and Gary Fairweather have inherited the family hotel - the once fine, but now down-at-the-heels, Pomegranate Hotel. Michael has run off to pursue his dreams, while Gary has been left to shoulder the burden of running the hotel. Michael returns to find the Pomegranate in a state of utter disrepair, and peopled by a cohort of peculiar characters (all of whom are performed by Sieren and Gollihar), just in time for the arrival of a renowned travel writer, and the county building inspector. This fast-paced, two-man, multiple-character farce explores the nature of family, both logical and biological. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Lunchtime Readings
Tickets are free. No advance reservations required. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Gretchen Peterson: A Name from a Fairy Tale
By Gretchen Peterson Tickets: $12 Tragedy begets humor. Disaster breeds drama. Pain produces paintings. Gretchen Peterson, creator of last year's "Persephone Xoa Iris", unveils her not-so-secret history of transforming facts into fairy tales, and pain into paintings. Through original fables, personal stories and photos, Gretchen explores how she's used her imagination and creativity to turn life's challenges into art. Join Gretchen on her journey as she covers the years 1979-2000, from meeting Academy Award-winning actress Greer Garson to life-alerting episodes of chronic pain. Along the way you'll discover your very own niche in an exquisite 600-room palace: Lemonwood Court (when life handed Gretchen lemons, she didn't make lemonade, she made Lemonwood Court!) You'll see how two brooding Hamlets, John Barrymore and Edwin Booth, morph into a brooding Crown Princess who happens to look a lot like Gretchen! You'll find yourself traversing a labyrinth of pain leading to the center of a shattered life. In Gretchen's performance, you'll discover the touchstones of a creative life where yesterday's upheaval is today's uplift. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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WITCH HUNT
Created by Philip Cuomo Tickets: Sliding scale $5-$25 Buy tickets: www.cohoproductions.org; 503-220-2646 How did the Puritan work ethic inform our social and political institutions? How have these systems served to repress creativity? And most importantly, who can beat Satan at musical chairs?! Inspired by the Federalist Papers, current events, and a certain famous play, the CoHo Clown Cohort playfully examines the conflict between repression and freedom through the lens of clown performance. This fully staged work-in-progress builds upon a CoHo Lab workshop and will continue development for a final production in summer of 2019. The CoHo Clown Cohort was assembled in 2017 with the support of a Creative Heights grant from the Oregon Community Foundation. This experimental ensemble creates laugh-out-loud original works utilizing the extreme physical comedy and minimal dialogue of theatrical clowning. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Portland's Mini Musical Festival
Writers & Composers: Conor Eifler, Marc Kochanski, Mark LaPierre, Austin Mahar, Lisa Ann Marsh, Pat Rasile, Rachel Tusler, John Vergin, Matthew B. Zrebski Directed by Kelly Lyons, Jennifer Rowe, Erin Shannon Music Direction by Darcy White Tickets: $28.50 Buy Tickets: liveonstage.us; 503-902-5052 We're back with your chance to see a bunch of new musicals all in one night! Join Live On Stage for Portland's own festival of all new musicals and check out six brand new 15-minutes shows by local writers and composers. The festival has been a huge hit for the past two years and performances have been completely sold out. Brett Campbell from Oregon ArtsWatch wrote Portland's Mini Musical Festival is "one of the most enjoyable theatrical experiences of the year." We'll delve (albeit briefly) into musical tales of a man who is in love with his own personal drama, a clueless inspector from Scotland Yard, lovers unable to seal the deal, hope in the face of a loveless marriage, murder by machine, and more! We are thrilled to have many of your favorite musical theatre performers in this year's festival. All mini-musicals are accompanied by a live band. Now, grab your tickets and your friends and join us for the perfect night out for every musical theatre lover. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Let It Fang - Part I: Theatre of Blood
Written & Directed by David Berkson Tickets: $10 Karl Vitomir, an exceptional but unknown actor, is hired to play the lead role in the infamous Jacobean revenge tragedy Let It Fang. But his presence quickly becomes problematic when company members mysteriously disappear, and life begins to imitate the bloody art of Jacobean depravity and revenge. This is the first installment of a new work that creates two distinct worlds: a newly discovered 1623 revenge tragedy, and a modern theatre company's bloody struggle to bring that play to the stage. Let It Fang - Part I: Theatre of Blood combines the supernatural conventions of vampire fiction with the heightened language of 17th Century verse, as well as the sensibilities of old-fashioned backstage comedy. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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79th Avenue Festival: The Squeeze and Castaway Cabaret
THE SQUEEZE By Clifton Holznagel Directed by Jake Simonds Take a journey down the chakras to answer the universal question: "Why am I like this?" Through the experience of a dream world woven from projection, music, performance and podcasts, "The Squeeze" examines the fractal nature of systems and patterns played out in chemistry, biology, neurology and society. Living in this world, you are just Sum Gai, and Sum Gai is just like you. A saturation of information stimulation has Sum Gai question the origin and nature of their beliefs. ----- CASTAWAY CABARET Created by Jake Simonds Directed by Clifton Holznagel "Castaway Cabaret" is an experience like no other. Featuring live music, dancing, comedy, magic, burlesque, balloon animals, juggling, tight-rope walking and fire-eating, "Castaway Cabaret" is like a show you'd pay $130 to see in Las Vegas - only ours is entirely produced and performed entirely by a guy who spent the last eight months on a deserted island. Everybody asks how Jake provided for himself - but honestly the bigger challenge was ENTERTAINING himself. See it once, and you'll never be bored again. See it twice, double your chances of coming on the night of a CELEBRITY CAMEO (what?!). Don't bring the kids (you can take a balloon animal home). ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Leaving Manzanita
Written & Directed by Maeve Z Tickets: $10 "Leaving Manzanita" is a poetic coming-of-age story infused with elements of neo-noir mystery with dark undertones. This 2 act drama follows a small group of teens in a tiny town on the Oregon coast and explores how we both as teen and humans, seek acceptance, fight to be taken seriously, and deal with grief. A trio of teens look into the suspicious circumstances surrounding their friend's death, and find themselves on a trail of clues or simply the delusions of their own grief. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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The Delays
By Sara Jean Accuardi Directed by Tamara Carroll Commissioned by Theatre Vertigo Tickets: $20; $10 students/seniors 65+; $5 Arts for All at door; PWYW Preview night 1/24 Buy tickets: app.arts-people.com, 503-482-8655
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Presence
Conceived & Directed by Domeka Parker Performed by the Deep End Theater Ensemble Tickets: $24; $20 65 yrs+/students Buy Tickets: www.deependtheater.com/shows "Presence" is an immersive improvised drama that takes audiences to a new level of agency and emotional connection. This play asks you to explore what you know, think, see and understand. Steeped in metaphor and poetry, audiences dive into an experience like nothing they've ever seen but may have felt in the strange quiet of loss. Seating is especially limited for this production. Buying tickets online in advance is advised. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Here on this Bridge: The--Ism Project
Created by MediaRites's Theatre Diaspora Directed by Catherine Ming Tien Duffly TICKETS: $10-20; $5 Arts for All Buy Tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3921552 Here on this Bridge: The-Ism Project is an original, hour-long new work by MediaRites' Theatre Diaspora project composed of six to seven short monologues exploring the intersections of race, gender, orientation and nationality, including stories with specifically Pacific Northwest perspectives. Monologues were developed in local workshops curated from a national submission process. The project will include post-show community dialogues with audience members in an effort to bridge divides and create much-needed empathy, understanding and compassion. The long-term goal of this project is to tour small towns and rural communities across Oregon. The-Ism Project is directed by Catherine Ming Tien Duffly. Actors will be comprised of Theatre Diaspora ensemble members and other actors of color who participate in a six-month series of workshops for development and training.
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Hazardous Beauty by Bonnie Ratner
Hazardous Beauty is a provocative, often very funny, guide to making friends with people who are different from us. Two women–one black, one white–attend a memoir writing class at a Portland college. They have come to write about their lives, not just talk about them, so they are charged with "coherence," with making sense of love, work, art and aging, and together to explore what all this means at the intersection of gender, race and class. During the 2016 Fertile Ground Festival, audiences called Hazardous Beauty "Wonderfully provocative, witty, complex and brilliant. It was awesome to see two strangers meet and peel through the world's stereotypes and misconceptions to reveal the hearts of two such richly talented, yet scarred individuals. Brava!" Hazardous Beauty has been revised and updated with new surprises for this fully produced world premiere. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Groovin' Greenhouse 2019
Polaris Dance Theatre presents "Groovin' Greenhouse", a program filled with world premiere dance works focused on bringing the Portland dance community together. This show provides a platform for established and emerging Portland dance companies and choreographers to present their work or works-in-progress alongside one another in Polaris Dance Theatre's intimate Black Box theatre. Each performance date will include work by one or more of Polaris Dance Theatre's companies including the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective, and Polaris Junior Company + NEO Youth. Tickets: $18-$22 Buy Tickets: polarisdance.org ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Fertile Ground 2019 - Shakespeare's Skull by Rich Rubin
January 26 (Saturday!), 2019 - *Fertile Ground 2019 - Shakespeare's Skull by Rich Rubin $10; complimentary refreshments at 10:00am; performance at 10:30 am ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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displaced/detained/discovered
Written & Performed by Eliza Jane Schneider Directed by Bruce A. Hostetler Tickets: $20; $10 students How do you navigate a world in which you must keep your eyes and ears closed in order to stay sane? This is one street performer's musical journey into the Unheard, Unseen and Undiscovered. To varying degrees, homeless women around the world are seen, heard, understood, and taken on, by a young street performer. Then, after 25 years, 13 countries and 7,000 interviews, just 20 feet from where she enters the freeway every Thursday, she discovers the silent voices of immigrant mothers. What is the power of listening? A thoughtful, musical, multimedia performance. Some material not suitable for younger audiences. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Creating Life Inside
Written by justice-involved youth at Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center Created by Ann Singer Directed by Tracy Cameron Francis Tickets: FREE (donations at the door) In "Creating Life Inside", youth at Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center tell you where they come from. They will tell you exactly what they want you to know, because if you really knew them, you would understand. They ask "Will you hear me, now?" Rogue Pack Theatre conducted workshops this past year at the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center. These youth were asked to write about issues affecting them (incarceration, gangs), their favorite song lyrics (Everyone who knows us knows...) and what thoughts consume them daily (mail delivery!) Director Tracy Cameron Francis and local actors have staged "Creating Life Inside", written by justice-involved youth ages 15-17 who describe the "heartless background" they come from, their present situation and their hopes for the future. Join us for talkbacks each night to discuss current issues around youth incarceration with people who work closely with the justice system. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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The Undertaking
Conceived & Directed by Jessica Wallenfels With text by Emily Gregory Created in collaboration with actors JoAnn Johnson and Beth Thompson Tickets: $25 regular performances; $15 preview performances/students/seniors An aging mother's health teeters on the brink. Her adult daughter scrambles to find footing as her role shifts from child to authority figure. Death pounds at the door and they both wonder, could someone this pissed off actually be dying? Through an interdisciplinary blend of music, movement and theatrical storytelling, "The Undertaking", portrays end-of-life care of an elder using Dimitri Shostakovich's piano trio #2, played live by local classical ensemble Northwest Piano Trio. Incorporating original text by Emily Gregory along with the classical score, "The Undertaking", embraces the absurdity of the dance of death as it takes on the complicated questions which come with caregiving (and receiving). To accompany "The Undertaking", Many Hats will present a play reading created from The Art of Aging Project. Weaving together essays and interview responses from people over 65 about their own personal journey of aging, actor/director/deviser Camille Smicker has compiled and directed a choral work which allows us to hear from elders in their own words. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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SHACKLETON'S ANTARCTIC NIGHTMARE
Lawrence Howard brings his one-man show, "Shackleton's Antarctic Nightmare: The 1914 Voyage of The Endurance," to the 10th annual Fertile Ground Festival. This show has had sold out runs here in Portland and also played Off Broadway in New York. This year through the telling, Laurent Nickel, cellist, will create a soundscape and Michael Hill, Multimedia Artist and Entertainment Technologist, will create image mapping of Southern Lights and Antarctic sights. Shackleton's Antarctic Nightmare is the gripping, heart-breaking, true story of British explorer, Ernest Shackleton, and the Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914. Shackleton's dream of being the first to cross the Antarctic continent on foot became a nightmare when his valiant ship, The Endurance, was crushed in the pack-ice of the Weddell Sea. The story of how he and the 27 men of the expedition survived on the ice and eventually came to safety is an epic tale of hardship and suffering, of courage, determination and fortitude. Recommended for 15+ $15 Advance | $20 Day of Show | $5 Arts for All ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Essentials
By Echo Theater Company & Tempos Contemporary Circus Ensemble Created Directed by Kraig Mead & Aaron Wheeler-Kay Tickets: $10-$25 sliding scale In the home of Contemporary Circus Theater, two circus/theatre/dance companies are workshopping material that explores the essentials of the human experience and one of our eternal challenges: communication. Both ensembles combine dance, theatre and acrobatic circus traditions to craft original live performance work rooted in social issues. "Essentials" is intended for multi-generational audiences. With "Underneath", Tempos Contemporary Circus presents the story of people making the best of what the tides leave them, rebirth and how our underlying fears should not dictate what we choose to see in others. Echo Theater Company's "It's Like This" follows a diverse group of otherworldly creatures as they strive to understand a newly arrived creature that seems difficult to communicate with. A beautiful and comic story that explores the balance between individuality and inter-reliance. Appropriate for all ages, recommended for 5 and up. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Young Playwrights Festival
By Megumi Hoff, Emily Imanishi, Aishwarya Marathe, Max Nevers Program director Megan Kate Ward Tickets: $10 Buy tickets: tickets tix4.centerstageticketing.com/sites/lakewoodtheatre/, 503-635-3901 "Young Playwrights Festival" (YPF) is a collection of one-act plays by high school playwrights from the Portland metro area who have been selected to work with professional directors and actors to gain insight, experience and feedback to develop their plays. YPF provides an opportunity for these playwrights to learn and discover how to hone their playwriting skills through a series of workshops with theatre professionals. This process culminates by experiencing the audience's response to their work. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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An Evening with the Lightkeepers: Siren Songs & The Boys of Terrible Tilly
By Lindsay Partain & Autumn Buck Directed by Cassie Greer TICKETS: PWYW at the door A double-feature of new works, Siren Songs and The Boys of Terrible Tilly illustrate two true events in lighthouse and lightkeeper history, both chilling and courageous. Lindsay Partain introduces her new one-act play, Siren Songs. Based on the grueling true story of Thomas Howell and Thomas Griffith; two enemies hired to work through the winter together as lighthouse keepers. Staring out into the cold oblivion of the Irish Sea, Griffith and Howell must fight for their lives trapped inside Small's Lighthouse, the treehouse built on the edge of the universe swaying back and forth amidst the relentless violent waves and unforgiving storms off the coast of Wales. Autumn Buck introduces The Boys of Terrible Tilly, an (almost accurate) account of one of the greatest storms to ever hit the Pacific Northwest. Through acts of ingenuity and bravery, this four-man crew off the coast of Oregon must save their lighthouse and themselves from devastation. The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse keepers — William, Henry, Hugo and Werner, all portrayed by actors who identify as women — won't know what hit them. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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JUICEBOX
Devised & Performed by Anne Zander Props by Lauren Sinner Tickets: $12 advance; $15 door Cluelessly insatiable and hilariously vulnerable, Anne Zander explores the teetering edge between innocence and desire, and what happens when you try to figure things out for yourself. Inspired by real-life entries from Anne's teen diary, JUICEBOX is a devised solo character piece incorporating clown, improvisation, music and very bad seduction. For the first time as a full-length show, don't miss this face-first dive into the most awkward, exciting, endearing, hilarious and horrifying elements of pubescent fantasy and obsession. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (MA Theatre Lab), Anne Zander has been performing, writing and improvising original comedy in the US and Europe for over 10 years. As part of Le Why Not Productions, she produces solo and collaborative work that is courageous, comedic and unexpected. Twitter praise for Obsessions (including previous excerpts of JUICEBOX) at the Camden Fringe, London: "@obsessions2017 is one of the most outrageously hilarious shows we've ever seen!" -@PutnockeePlays; "Hilarious and absolutely must attend." -@CaroleWilliams these three extremely talented ladies had us in hysterics @obsessions2017" -@BigBri107 ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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You Ruined My Play or, Svetlana Svetlana
By Dan Kitrosser Directed by Sherry Eden Barber Tickets: $20 LineStorm Playwrights presents a special performance of this wild, absurdist, romantic and historical comedy featuring Valorie Curry (Amazon's The Tick) and Sam Underwood (AMC's Fear the Walking Dead). A dead playwright recounts the failure of her most recent, and therefore, final play, about the many-chaptered life of Josef Stalin's daughter, Svetlana. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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HOMEBREW 2019: A PDX ANIMATION SHOWCASE
Curated by Sophya Vidal Works by Various local PDX Animators Tickets: $10; $5 ASIFA Members "HOMEBREW" turns four this year! This showcase is as fresh as ever with a new collection of works from local animators making the screening fun, refreshing and very Portland. Organized and moderated by Sophya Vidal, a long-standing member of the animation and theatre community, creative and thoughtful storytelling are at the core of the program. The screening includes several new works. It will be followed by a panel with many of the creators, so bring your best questions and get to know your Portland Animation Ambassadors. This event is brought to you by The Animation Resource Community Service (ARCS) and Portland ASIFA. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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disconnected: a frankenstein musical
These three readings showcase a musical-in-progress with talented actors and singers performing the story of Vicky, a promising neuroscience graduate student in the late 1990's whose pursuit of a new invention leads her down a dark path. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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The Autistic Ideal
This one-person show draws on the solitary and not-so-solitary endeavors of one neurodivergent life. From tics and stims to work and social life, Adam Ares uses the outline of his own story - an ongoing novel that he writes and revises for no one but himself - to explore questions of what we consider normal, what we pathologize, and what it means when "high-functioning" and "low-functioning" exist under the same medicalized label. Through song and poetry, analysis and catharsis, an argument emerges about the ideals that animate us and how they inform and define our identities. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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From These Streets I Rise
Created and performed by Mikki Jordan With Jonathan Eder, piano Tickets: $20 (all proceeds go to Street Roots) The People's Cabaret Project presents From These Streets I Rise, a one-woman cabaret event celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Street Roots, a local non-profit creating income opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. Created and performed by Portland-based theater artist and old-time chanteuse, Mikki Jordan, "From These Streets I Rise" uses storytelling and song to explore the experience of homelessness while honoring some of the most resilient members within our community. Inspired by interviews of Street Roots' vendors directly impacted by homelessness, this is a unique community event not to be missed. All proceeds from this concert will go directly to Street Roots. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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a dangerous joy (performances at LTC)
Lakewood Theatre Company with Candlestick Productions present a dangerous joy Written & Directed by Terry Lomax Tickets: $15 Buy Tickets: LTC tickets tix4.centerstageticketing.com/sites/lakewoodtheatre/, 503-635-3901 From writer and director Terry Lomax, comes a fully staged reading of the one-act play, "a dangerous joy". Based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's true story, Lomax has written a riveting fictional account of the last hour of his life. A German Pastor and Theologian during WWII, Dietrich refuses to remain silent as he witnesses the atrocities of Hitler's rule. Imprisoned in Flossenburg concentration camp for his involvement with the Valkyrie plot to assassinate Hitler, Bonhoeffer faces off with Heinrich Muller, head of the Gestapo, while playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with cellmates Sal and Parker. We also get a glimpse into his passionate love story with his fiancee Maria. The Nazi's have stolen everything dear to him except what they could not - his faith and unquenchable joy. Filled with suspense, drama and romance, "a dangerous joy" presents this question: What is worth living and dying for? Although a staged reading, our production includes professional actors, authentic WWII costumes, original music and sets and a multimedia presentation that will transport you and open your eyes to the power and influence of "a dangerous joy". ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Vortex 1
Oregon is the only state that has ever paid for and sponsored a rock festival. In August 1970, the American Legion held its conference in Portland and invited Richard Nixon to be its keynote speaker. In May of that year, 31 activists were hospitalized after protests took place in the Park Blocks near Portland State University. These protests were not only a reaction to the Vietnam War, but also to the death of four students at Kent State, and the proposed shipping of nerve gas to the Umatilla Army Base. The FBI warned then-governor Tom McCall that he should prepare for 25,000 Legionnaires and 50,000 protestors. The People's Army Jamboree was the group of activists leading the protest. A faction of this group called The Family approached Governor McCall with the idea of sponsoring a rock festival to encourage protestors away from the convention, yet still give them a platform to voice their concerns. McCall agreed to the plan, as he considered a festival to be the most viable option to prevent the very real threat of violence. This meant that law enforcement had to turn a blind eye to drugs and nudity and allow thousands of young people to camp out in a public park. A Republican who was up for re-election, McCall referred to his choice as "political suicide." Vortex I: A Biodegradable Festival of Life took place in Estacada from August 28 through September 3, 1970. This musical is loosely based on the Vortex I story. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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The Kings of the Carnegie Deli
Cynthia Whitcomb & Co., Inc. in association with Artists Rep present The Kings of the Carnegie Deli By C.S. Whitcomb Directed by Tobias Andersen Tickets: $10 (suggested donation at the door) "The Kings of the Carnegie Deli" by C.S. Whitcomb is a new comedy based on the real-life friendship between Bob Fosse, Paddy Chayefsky and Herb Gardner. It takes place in the mid-1970's in New York City where they had offices in the same building, worked and grappled with doubt, depression, drugs, alcohol, women, success, heart attacks, creativity, failure and fame. Between them they created "Marty", "A Thousand Clowns", "Cabaret", "Hospital", "Chicago", "Network", "Lenny", "All That Jazz" and many others. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Sides: the Musical
Music & Lyrics by Matthew Capurro Directed by Matthew Capurro Musical direction by Jeffrey Michael Kauffman Tickets: $15 Buy Tickets: LTC tickets tix4.centerstageticketing.com/sites/lakewoodtheatre; 503-635-3901 Portland Playhouse tickets portlandplayhouse.org; 503-488-5822 Every relationship's story has at least two sides. This highly anticipated song cycle, featured in a sneak preview last summer at Portland Playhouse, explores stories of romance, family and friendship from their many sides, as characters share their sometimes-poignant, sometimes-comical perspectives. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Sirens of Coos Bay
By Laura Christina Dunn Music by Laura Christina Dunn, Kendy Gable, Kyle Huth, Craig Lardiere, Monica Metzler (Forest Veil) Tickets: $5 From the creators of "Frankenstein: A Cabaret" and "Rosa Red", The Broken Planetarium presents a reading of their upcoming new musical "Sirens of Coos Bay" (full production in May 2019). Hans Christian Andersen's mermaid tale gets transported to 1990's Coos Bay, Oregon, where a former mermaid navigates a town undone by the spotted owl controversy and the clash of the fishing generation with the new male-dominated grunge music scene. Peppered with the magical, some distortion, ripped t-shirts, the most beautiful plastic castle, and playwright Laura Christina Dunn's quirky humor, this play asks, how do we find agency in divisive times even when we have lost both voice and home? ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Help Me
By James Van Eaton Directed by Alicia Marie Turvin Tickets $10 Buy Tickets at www.twilighttheatercompany.org Inspired by the #Metoo movement and the testimonials of www.whenwomenrefuse.tumblr.com, "Help Me" tells the story of a male college student named Joe who enters a hyper-realistic simulation and finds himself cast as a number of women, each faced with the daunting task of refusing the sexual advances of men. Employing what he sees as basic human logic and decorum, Joe attempts to resolve each confrontation, but soon realizes that without the authority of his male persona, the obstacles he faces and the people he encounters will be far more difficult and dangerous than he ever expected. "Help Me" is a meditation on a question whose answer seems so simple and obvious to those with male privilege: Why can't you just tell them "No?" With scenarios that will ring true on both sides of the gender divide, "Help Me" is a dark and tensely dramatic exploration of human behavior that is ultimately hopeful. It is an attempt to open dialogue and promote contemplation on topics of supreme importance that, like the women Joe struggles to empathize with, are too often derided or dismissed. Only through deep understanding can Joe hope to change his perspective, his expectations, and finally, his situation. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Sleepwalker
SLEEPWALKER is a feminist reimagining of the 1920 silent film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," considered the first true horror film. The film is fiercely anti-authoritarian but fails to see patriarchy as a key element of authoritarianism. SLEEPWALKER upends this patriarchal narrative and presents the story from Jane's point of view. As Jane Olson approaches adulthood, the people around her insist on her fitting the traditional mold. She must accept matriarch as her natural role or else fall to its opposite. She wants neither. Raised by her father, she envisions having a purposeful life and making a difference in the world. Yet even her father is appalled at the direction his tutoring has taken her. Only her friend Alan understands her desire for self-actualization. When Alan is murdered, Jane is propelled into a quest for truth that leads her to the darkest corners of the world and of her own mind. Her life becomes a nightmare from which it may not be possible to wake. Jane must finally stand alone in order to fully be herself. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Friends With Guns
Friends With Guns By Stephanie Alison Walker Produced by Chapel Theatre Collective At Chapel Theatre (Milwaukie, OR) Directed by Illya DeTorres Tickets: $20 in advance; $25 at the door You think you know your friends, your neighbors, your spouse, but what happens when you suddenly find out they have a garage full of guns? This new dark comedy explores the complicated issue of gun proliferation when two young liberal couples are forced to confront their assumptions about who should own a gun - and why. The time of easy answers regarding this issue is long gone. In the wake of current events, we are all forced to re-examine our strongly held beliefs about gun ownership. "Friends with Guns" explores the question of what we can compartmentalize...and what we can't. It pulls the curtain back and does all of this through a female lens. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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a dangerous joy (performances at PSU)
Written & Directed by Terry Lomax Tickets: $15 A German theologian, refusing to silently witness the atrocities of the German war machine, is imprisoned for his involvement in the Valkyrie assassination plot. Face to face with Nazi cruelty and facing execution, will his faith and courageous spirit prevail against a monstrous enemy? The inspiring story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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The Killing Fields
By Anya Pearson Based on Aeschylus' tragedy "Agamemnon" Commissioned by Orphic Directed by Andrew Wardenaar Tickets: FREE "The Killing Fields", by Anya Pearson, is a riveting new drama about love, loss, and the true price of vengeance. Set in 1980's East Oakland, at the height of the crack epidemic, it reimagines the Ancient Greek play, "Agamemnon", through an African American lens. Combining poetic language with great humor and heart, "The Killing Fields", is a fresh take on one of history's most epic tales. This staged reading features some of the most talented actors Portland has to offer. Our team of young dramaturgs will lead the post-show discussions. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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The Starlings Present: Dinosaurs!
Created by Sarah Jane Hardy & John Ellingson Tickets: $16 child; $20 adult Buy tickets: nwcts.secure.force.com/ticket, 503-222-2190 What does a Brachiosaurus eat for breakfast? How fast can a T-Rex run? With NWCT puppet troupe "The Starlings" as your guides, discover the prehistoric world of dinosaurs! This interactive, puppet-fueled extravaganza is perfect for first-time theatergoers and parents alike. The Starlings made their debut at Northwest Children's Theater in "The Tail of Sleeping Beauty with Puppets" in early 2017. The show took home Portland Area Musical Theatre Awards for Best Original Musical and Best Original Song along with a special Drammy Award for puppet design. They returned again in September 2017 in "The Starlings Present: Amelia Earhart's First Flight", an imaginative and immersive exploration of the history of women in flight and aerospace. After building on the success and acclaim of their first two productions, they're ready for their biggest production yet! "Dinosaurs!" begins when a scientific mishap brings the Starlings face-to-face with their less feathery, more ferocious ancestors. What follows is part live-action book report and part show-stopping musical with dance numbers you'll feel in your bones. The show features lyrics in three languages (English, Spanish, and Latin) John Ellingson's award-winning puppetry brings this show to life with huge results, and we mean HUGE. This is one family reunion you won't want to miss. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Dancing with July
Music by Jean Lee Book & Lyrics by Hayley Green Directed by Jorie Jones Musical direction by Peyton Noreen Tickets: $10 Buy tickets: tix4.centerstageticketing.com/sites/lakewoodtheatre, 503-635-3901 A man who will never leave the woman he loves. A woman who will not let herself see the truth. When July Abernathy is faced with a series of events set into motion by the one person that she could never live without, she is forced to see life from the other side of the coin and accept all of the reality that comes with it. A story about the power of human connection, grief, renewal and moving on, "Dancing with July" allows the audience a moment to consider the most precious people in their lives and how the could reconcile a loss of that magnitude and still find something beautiful. The sweeping, melodic score composed by New York songwriter, Jean Lee, helps to create a deeply moving story that lingers with the viewer long after the last note fades. ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THIS GREAT THING
Our lives are fueled by expectation. Sometimes we make them ourselves. Sometimes they are imposed on us by others. In his very first feature-length solo show Warren McPherson tells stories about his unrealistic hopes for the world and the weight of the expectations his family and the world placed upon him in his early life. Imagine coming home at the age of six and having to disappoint your mother by telling her that you can't be the next Pope, after all, because you're in love with a girl and you're going to get married instead. Imagine achieving success and acclaim at a sport you secretly hate. Imagine graduating from a prestigious university and then living in your mother's garage for seven years, like a hermit wandering in the desert. Imagine finding your own path to a success that is not what others expected of you. You Were Supposed To Be This Great Thing explores what it really means to be great. A charismatic performer, Warren McPherson's stories have an insightful charm. Relatable. Funny. Poignant. McPherson is an audience favorite at Portland Story Theater. He manages Portland Story Theater's podcasts through his production company, Sweet Lime Productions. Recommended for 18+ $15 Advance | $20 Day of Show | $5 Arts for All ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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Living Room Circus
Join us for an evening of experimentation and wonder. Living Room Circus is a showcase for circus artists and performers of all disciplines to share innovative pieces and works-in-progress around the theme of risk. Celebrate the raw moments, the process, and the journey of making a performance. Audience members will have the opportunity to give written feedback of each act. Feel free to bring your favorite cushion, sleeping bag or pillow; chair seating will also be available. Please contact frontdesk@thecircusproject.org if you require specific seating needs due to mobility issues. *Due to the nature of this type of event, content may not be appropriate for all audiences. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns: frontdesk@thecircusproject.org ----- Part of Fertile Ground: A City-wide Festival of New Works
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