Artslandia at the Performance November/December 2015

NOVEMBER | DECEBMER 2015 · VOL. 2 ISSUE 2 · THE HOLIDAY ISSUE

AT THE PERFORMANCE

Vana O’Brien gets witchy in

BROOMSTICK OUT THERE

Portland Stripper inspires New Opera PLUS!

SNL’s Tim Meadows gives us a minute PAST PERFORMANCES

Santaland’s Elves tell all

NOBODY PUTS NORTHWEST COMPOSERS IN A CORNER!

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Musical Magic for the Holidays!

HOLIDAY POPS

November 28-29 Let the season begin, with your favorite holiday carols.

HANDEL’S MESSIAH December 5-6

The exuberant oratorio elevates audiences to exhilarating heights.

Johnny Mathis

JOHNNY MATHIS HOLIDAY SPECIAL December 8

You’ll have yourself a merry little Christmas with one of the most iconic crooners of all time.

GOSPEL CHRISTMAS December 11-13

The region’s premier gospel singers will have you on your feet, celebrating the true spirit of the season.

Home Alone

HOME ALONE December 19

John Williams’ delightful score performed live to picture with the Oregon Symphony.

COMFORT & JOY: A CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS December 20

All your favorite holiday classics, with family-friendly pricing.

ODE TO JOY: NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION December 29-30

Ode to Joy

Cabaret diva Meow Meow joins the orchestra, followed by Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Call: 503-228-1353 | 10am–9pm Mon–Fri Click: OrSymphony.org

Groups of 10 or more save:

Come In: 909 SW Washington, Portland | 10am–6pm Mon–Sat

503-416-6380

A R L E N E S C H N I T Z E R C O N C E RT H A L L · S W M A I N & B R O A D WAY

ARLE N E

S CH NIT ZER

CONCERT

H A L L

SW Main & Broadway · Portland’5 Centers for the Arts

November 27 to January 3 oregonzoo.org/zoolights

NOV DEC 2015

Welcome to Artslandia at the Performance—a city playbill and performing arts magazine.

ENJOY THE SHOW.

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I N THIS ISSUE 16

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The Chinook tribe has potlatch, the West has Santa (mostly thanks to Coca-Cola), and Oregon arts have the Oregon Cultural Trust. Barry Johnson reflects on traditions of giving.

The esteemed local ballerina and choreographer celebrates her return to the dance world and previews her latest creation: a morning-to-evening story set to Mozart.

FROM THE EDITOR-AT-LARGE

ANNE MUELLER’S DAY BY DAY

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PAST PERFORMANCES: SANTALAND DIARIES

Ten years in, four men who’ve played Christmas elf Crumpet at PCS reminisce about making the audience laugh ‘til they snort and finding fake snow in strange places.

Local composers have long been banished to obscurity by Portland arts programmers better attuned to New York hype. Now, suddenly (and finally), they’re getting top billing.

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LAST LAUGH: TIM MEADOWS

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They say brevity is the soul of wit, and if they’re right, Tim Meadows wins, with brisk quips about his time on SNL, his favorite movie role, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

THE LEAD: VANA O’BRIEN

After performing in Portland for more than 30 years, Vana O’Brien tackles her first solo show as the tortured witch in Broomstick. She explains how her other passion—social work—informs her craft.

32 OUT THERE: STRIPPER OF THE OPERA First-time opera composer Chris Corbell has chosen a “uniquely Portland” muse for Viva’s Holiday: eloquent, fearless local stripper and author Viva Las Vegas.

Viva photo by Marne Lucas Photography.

NORTHWEST COMPOSERS GET NOTICED

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R EGU L A R F E AT U R E S 12 16 24 26 36

Out & About From the Editor-at-Large The Lead From The Desk Of Past Performances

38 41 42 44 48

ARTSL ANDIA .COM

Fun Facts Tag. You’re It. Crossword Puzzle Art & About The Last Laugh

Think you have arts smarts? Test your knowledge in our

CROSSWORD PUZZLE!

ON THE COVER: PHOTO BY OWEN CAREY.

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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®

AT TH E P E R FO R M A N C E

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

PUBLISHER + FOUNDER Misty Tompoles Christmas night

family talent show!

Dioramas of twinkling villages!

EDITOR-AT-L ARGE Barry Johnson ASSOCIATE EDITOR A.L. Adams OPERATIONS Nina Chomak

Listening to Christmas carols... nonstop!

Finding the perfect tree!

COPY EDITOR Kristen Seidman Champagne

by the fire!

DESIGN Zelda Burk Lisa Johnston-Smith Holiday parties!

Last minute Christmas Eve shopping!

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Steven Sturgeon MEDIA DIRECTOR Chris Porras PUBLISHING COORDINATOR Bella Showerman

Baking Christmas cookies!

Christmas dinner at Misty’s!

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Barry Johnson Brett Campbell Matt Stangel CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Carolyn Main CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Maddie Ettinger EDITORIAL INTERN Erika Murphy

A R T S L A N D I A .CO M

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

Looking at Christmas Lights!

contributors BRETT CAMPBELL has been classical music editor at Willamette Week since 2008, Eugene Weekly’s music columnist since 1996, and a West Coast performing arts correspondent for The Wall Street Journal since 2000. He’s a frequent contributor to San Francisco Classical Voice, Oregon Quarterly, and Oregon Humanities, and a former editor of Oregon Quarterly and The Texas Observer. His writing has appeared in The Oregonian, West: The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Salon, Musical America, and others. He currently teaches journalism at Portland State University.

MADDIE ETTINGER is a senior at Northwest Academy. She has created black and white, digital, and mixed media photography for five years. She enjoys visiting Portland landmarks like the Pittock Mansion.

BARRY JOHNSON, editor of Oregon ArtsWatch, has been an arts writer and editor since 1978, when he started writing about dance for The Seattle Sun. He edited the arts section of Willamette Week in the early 1980s and started at The Oregonian as arts editor in 1983, moving between editing and writing until leaving in 2009. He’s the founder and editor of culture critique website Oregon ArtsWatch, and serves as Artslandia’s Editor-at-Large.

CAROLYN MAIN is an illustrator and Portland native with a penchant for the absurd.

She utilizes wild lines and color to depict the humor in everyday life. She’s currently writing a graphic novel and designing too many video games, along with one great card game. She’s also way into singing Billy Joel songs and wearing jumpsuits.

SUSANNAH MARS is thrilled to be a part of the Artslandia family. Based in Portland, Oregon, for over 25 years, Susannah is an award-winning actress who has appeared in more than 100 productions, concerts, and recordings around the country. She is a resident artist at Artists Repertory Theatre. Find out more about Susannah at susannahmars.com.

MATT STANGEL is a writer and musician living in Portland, Oregon. His articles and essays have appeared in UTNE Reader and Portland Mercury, and online at IntoTheWoods.TV and Oregon ArtsWatch. His poems have been published by Sonora Review, & Review, Poictesme, and more. He composes music as “import/import” and performs with a band called No Phone.

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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JUNIE B. JONES: THE MUSICAL

OREGON CHILDREN’S THEATRE

Moving up to the first grade should be a happy event, but Junie is hardly thrilled to lose her two best friends, nor is she confident in her new glasses.

Audiences of all ages can relate to learning how to navigate transitions.

THROUGH NOV. 22; NEWMARK THEATRE

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’: THE FATS WALLER MUSICAL SHOW

MUSIC

DANCE

LITERARY ARTS

NOV. 7; PORTLAND ART MUSEUM

ANAT COHEN QUARTET

Jazz musician Fats Waller was rumored to have been kidnapped to perform at Al Capone’s birthday party. This revue that channels his rambunctious spirit in celebration of the Harlem Renaissance is sure to captivate audiences.

Vocalist Anat Cohen engages the dance between light and shade in her new album Luminosa and 2012’s Claroscuro. Tonight, she catches the limelight herself for a vivacious performance.

NOV. 11; JIMMY MAK’S

THROUGH NOV. 29; U.S. BANK MAIN STAGE, GERDING THEATER AT THE ARMORY

42ND NORTHWEST FILMMAKERS’ FESTIVAL

BROOMSTICK

The Northwest celebrates its most excellent regional filmmakers. With films from Alaska to British Columbia to Oregon to Montana, the weeklong festival offers up the best of over 400 entries.

(Read more in The Lead, pg. 24) THROUGH NOV. 22; MORRISON STAGE, ARTISTS REP

ORLANDO

PROFILE THEATRE

Coming to the stage from Virginia Woolf ’s novel and inspired by the family history of Woolf ’s close friend, Orlando manipulates time and gender and delves into English literary history.

NOV. 5–22; ALDER STAGE, ARTISTS REP

PRESENT LAUGHTER

LAKEWOOD THEATRE COMPANY

An estranged wife, an unhinged amateur playwright, a lovestruck young woman, an unhappy secretary, and a midlife crisis can’t keep theater idol Garry off the stage, but they may delay his performance tour to Africa.

FAMILY SHOW

As essential to Portland literati as Powell’s, the Wordstock Book Festival is an all-day extravaganza that comes but once a year.

Author interviews, writing workshops, and children’s story times are paired with food trucks and a beer and wine garden for a truly signature Portland tradition.

PDX JAZZ

Vana O’Brien gives a frighteningly intimate solo performance, written in verse, as an Appalachian witch in a remote cabin.

ONE NIGHT ONLY!

WORDSTOCK: PORTLAND’S BOOK FESTIVAL

PORTLAND CENTER STAGE

ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE

NORTHWEST FILM CENTER

NOV. 12–17; WHITSELL AUDITORIUM

FORBIDDEN MUSIC

45TH PARALLEL

Politically, religiously, or otherwise controversial music makes its way to the forefront tonight, under the direction of Kenji Bunch.

NOV. 14; THE OLD CHURCH

DOWNTOWN SERIES: NOVEMBER CONCERT

METROPOLITAN YOUTH SYMPHONY

While some of us are still mastering Chopsticks, these young classical musicians are playing The Schnitz, the same venue as the Oregon Symphony!

Celebrate some of the city’s most prodigious talents.

NOV. 15; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL

NOV. 6–DEC. 13; HEADLEE MAINSTAGE, LAKEWOOD CENTER FOR THE ARTS

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THEATER

Photo by Jingzi.

OUT & ABOUT

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

THE SPIN BODYVOX

Usually BodyVox chooses the set list for us, but tonight we’ll decide. Prepare to participate in puzzles to determine which of the company’s 20 repertoire pieces comes next.

DEC. 3–19; BODYVOX DANCE CENTER

BALLET BC

WHITE BIRD

Visceral impact, transformation, provocation—these are the stated aims of Ballet BC, a Vancouver, British Columbia, company that seeks to reinvigorate the roots of dance.

NOV. 18; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL

CASCADIA COMPOSER: TOMAS SVOBODA

PORTLAND COLUMBIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Portlanders can go local for more than just produce thanks to Cascadia Composers, an organization that presents regional contemporary classical artists.

This evening features Professor Emeritus from PSU Tomas Svoboda. Born in France, he began composing at age nine and now has over 200 works.

NOV. 20; FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH & NOV. 22; REYNOLDS HIGH SCHOOL

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

THE PORTLAND BALLET

Dinner won’t be the only centerpiece of Thanksgiving this year. Families can also enjoy the world premiere of Day by Day, choreographed to Mozart by the esteemed Anne Mueller, and John Clifford’s undertaking of Stravinksy’s Firebird.

NOV. 27–29; LINCOLN PERFORMANCE HALL, PSU

THE BOOK OF MERMAN

TRIANGLE PRODUCTIONS!

With new and original songs, this clever parody of The Book of Mormon shows what happens when two Mormons knock on Ethel Merman’s door.

NOV. 27–DEC. 19; THE SANCTUARY AT SANDY PLAZA

FIRST THURSDAYS: Nov. 5 and Dec. 3. Stroll through the Pearl District and get an eyeful of new art!

KBNB KRISTMAS KAROL

BAG&BAGGAGE

A Christmas Carol seems a fair choice for a radio show farce adaptation, given that Charles Dickens certainly enjoyed provocative spoofs.

NOV. 27–DEC. 23; THE VENETIAN THEATRE

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

PORTLAND PLAYHOUSE

GALLERY GUIDE SPONSORED BY THE PORTL AND ART MUSEUM

Tom Cramer Nov. 4–28 | Augen Gallery

Tom Cramer's carved and painted wood reliefs are outstandingly intricate. He takes his inspiration from well-established cultures like India and Egypt, hoping that through his work, viewers will access wisdom and a higher state of consciousness.

Cramer prefers that his art be experienced rather than explained, so make your way to the Augen Gallery this November to see the pieces for yourself. (augengallery.com; 716 NW Davis St.)

Seeing Nature

Santa Pictures Not Picked Up and Ben Huff Nov. 6–Jan. 2 | Newspace Center for Photography

Two new exhibitions: we may laugh at one and the other takes us north—although not all the way to the North Pole. First, photos from the Oregon Historical Society archive document Santa with kids. Outdated fashions and timelessly comical facial expressions are sure to entertain. Alongside these memorabilia, Alaskan portrait and landscape photographer Ben Huff shares photos from his collection Last Road North. (newspacephoto.org; 1632 SE 10th Ave.)

Through Jan. 10 | Portland Art Museum

In the City and Following Water

Cover ground and transcend time as you view European and American landscape paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries, a collection that includes impressionist paintings from Monet and post-impressionist works from Cézanne, not to mention 20th century art, from Georgia O'Keefe to Gerhard Richter. In addition, PAM has partnered with regional brain institutes on an interpretive gallery within the exhibition about how the brain responds to two-dimensional representations of the natural world.

The museum offers Free First Thursday on Dec. 3. (portlandartmuseum.org; 1219 SW Park Ave.)

Through Dec. 23 | Bullseye Projects

Blood Quantum Nov. 6–Dec. 19 | 23 Sandy Gallery

Many of us read stories to find our own identities in the flourishing of other people's thoughts, but in book and paper art, visuals join the words, sometimes overtaking the page altogether. The pieces of this gallery's final juried show of the year carry a common theme of ancestry and family history.

Utilizing a rather unfrequented medium to the art world, these international book artists approach the personal experience within familial or, more broadly, racial and ethnic contexts. Don't be surprised if you come away with a gift for someone in your own family. (23sandy.com; 623 23rd Ave.)

Two thought-provoking exhibits speak to each other in a conversation of disparate details. Through a variety of mediums, the three artists of In the City narrow their focus to such Portland elements as the edge of the light rail and the ignored bulletin board poster. For Following Water, Austrian Rudi Gritsch has used the kiln to manipulate manhole covers from a Spanish street that was once part of a historic waterway. You might make your way over on a Saturday, when their Glass Lab offers free instruction for the family on the glass kiln. (bullseyeprojects.com; 300 NW 13th Ave.)

Mommy Through Dec. 20 | Yale Union

Amidst the possible stress of holiday shopping and family get-togethers, seek relief in an exhibition that offers one perspective on what is raw and true to the actual experience of motherhood. The collection deviates from the mainstream to complicate what it means to be a mother, in a way that is inclusive to a broader multitude of emotions and binaries that women indeed confront. Caught themselves in the tension between family and career, these artists resist sentimental representation. (yaleunion.org; 800 SE 10th Ave.)

ABOVE: Claude Monet, Le Bassin Aux Nymphéas, 1919, Oil on canvas, 39½ × 79⅛ inches, Paul G. Allen Family Collection.

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

Amidst the riffs and adaptations of other companies, Portland Playhouse has left Dickens’ classic untouched— but expect to be as unnerved as ever by the ghosts and inspired by Scrooge’s evolution, whether it’s your first viewing or an annual tradition.

DEC. 3–28; PORTLAND PLAYHOUSE

THE SANTALAND DIARIES

PORTLAND CENTER STAGE

Based on David Sedaris’ true essay, our protagonist finds himself a member of a department store’s winter wonderland as Crumpet the Elf. Holiday chaos and humiliation ensue.

DEC. 2–27; ELLYN BYE STUDIO, GERDING THEATER AT THE ARMORY

SOLEDAD BARRIO & NOCHE FLAMENCA WHITE BIRD

The strains of the chords, the stomps of the foot, the calls from the sonorous voice—they are guttural, ancestral. The music, song, and dance of flamenco spurn repression through controlled, deliberate, precise movement and sound.

DEC. 3–5; NEWMARK THEATRE

JINGLE BEAR CONCERT

PORTLAND SYMPHONIC GIRLCHOIR

The girl choir designed to form friendships, strengthen self-esteem, and cultivate musical technique presents their holiday favorites.

DEC. 5; ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH

CHARLIE ALBRIGHT

PORTLAND PIANO INTERNATIONAL

This Washington-born pianist has performed with legends like Yo-Yo Ma and is hailed by critics far and wide.

DEC. 5–6; LINCOLN PERFORMANCE HALL, PSU

SHREK THE MUSICAL

NORTHWEST CHILDREN’S THEATER

Donkey and Shrek aren’t afraid to be weird in a fairytale farce that departs from archetypal story lines. You and your family might be inspired to em-

brace authenticity as well— even if it means belching like Shrek.

DEC. 5–JAN. 3; NORTHWEST CHILDREN’S THEATER

CHANTICLEER

FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC

There will not be any maids a-milking or geese a-laying, but there will be 12 singers singing holiday carols from the Renaissance ages to today in a holiday performance by the peerless Grammy Award-winning ensemble Chanticleer.

DEC. 8; ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL

THE MIRACLE WORKER

ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE

Teacher Anne Sullivan shows Helen Keller how to communicate without sight or hearing in a performance based on true experiences.

Sullivan gave hope to the Keller family, and the play is sure to provide us the same.

DEC. 8–JAN. 3; ALDER STAGE, ARTISTS REP

YO-YO MA

OREGON SYMPHONY

For this world-renowned cellist, music is a transformative experience, revelatory of truth. Tonight, just Ma and his 1712 Davidoff Stradivarius converse in a solo recital.

DEC. 9; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL

THE SECOND CITY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL: TWIST YOUR DICKENS

PORTLAND CENTER STAGE

The infamous slapstick and improv of legendary Chicago troupe The Second City—known for training future SNL cast members— reworks Dickens’ classic into raunchy, irreverent sketches.

DEC. 9–31; U.S. BANK MAIN STAGE, GERDING THEATER AT THE ARMORY

HANDEL’S MESSIAH

PORTLAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

Cappella Romana, a quartet of vocal soloists, and Monica Huggett as violinist and

director perform Handel’s extended meditation on Jesus Christ in its full three parts, beginning with the prophecies of his birth and culminating in his resurrection and ascension into heaven.

DEC. 11–13; FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

THE MOST WONDERFUL SEASON

PORTLAND GAY MEN’S CHORUS

Christmas, Hanukkah, solstice, the New Year...

PGMC’s affinity for the holiday season is neither conventional nor exclusive.

Tonight, they rejoice with songs both traditional and novel.

DEC. 11–13; NEWMARK THEATRE

ZOOZOO

IMAGO THEATRE

ZooZoo has been touring abroad for six years, but as Imago steps back from mask theater, audiences can wave goodbye to the production’s beloved, kooky creatures in their final tour.

DEC. 11–JAN. 4; IMAGO THEATRE

A NUTCRACKER TEA

NORTHWEST DANCE THEATRE

Kids and adults alike will swoon for an abridged adaptation that focuses on Clara and her Nutcracker prince. Tea may or may not be served, but regardless, hearts will be warmed as our favorite holiday couple travels through the Snow Kingdom and Land of Sweets.

DEC. 12–20; THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYLVANIA

GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER

OREGON BALLET THEATRE

After five decades of immense popularity, the battling mice of The Nutcracker are just as fierce, its snowflakes just as beautiful, and the dancing just as graceful as ever.

DEC. 12–26; KELLER AUDITORIUM

IN GOOD COMPANY

NORTHWEST DANCE PROJECT

The program is a festive celebration of the holiday season, and the venue is a newly restored historic landmark: Washington High School. You’ll be in good company, we’re sure.

DEC. 17–18; REVOLUTION HALL

THE CHRISTMAS REVELS: CELTIC CROSSING

PORTLAND REVELS

The Portland Revels recreate the traditional send-off— coined the “American Wake”—that 19th century Irish families held before their adult children departed for America. Tonight, your family can enjoy the festive song, dance, and storytelling without having to say farewell.

DEC. 17–22; ST. MARY’S ACADEMY

PYC HOLIDAY CONCERT

SEEING NATURE

LANDSCAPE MASTERWORKS FROM THE PAUL G. ALLEN FAMILY COLLECTION

Through January 10

PACIFIC YOUTH CHOIR

The skilled singers of the Pacific Youth Choir enliven the season with two performances: Grades one through eight take the stage first, then the high school students finish the night off.

DEC. 20; TRINITY EPISCOPAL CATHEDRAL

CRACKED

CLASSICAL BALLET ACADEMY

Incorporating contemporary, modern, and jazz dance, Cracked is the witty funhouse mirror of The Nutcracker.

DEC. 20; LINCOLN HALL, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

CONCERT-ATCHRISTMAS

PORTLAND YOUTH PHILHARMONIC

This Christmas, you can have an Italian experience without the hassle of flying. PYP performs Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri and Ottorino Respighi’s Fountains of Rome.

DEC. 26; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL

This exhibition is co-organized by Portland Art Museum and Seattle Art Museum with the Paul G. Allen Family Collection, and is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

portlandartmuseum.org

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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Portland’s Finest Real Estate

Watercolor by James G. Swan (1818–1900).

Santa, the Chinook & the Cultural Trust:

503 242 9000

Traditions of Giving WE HAVE ENTERED THE SEASON OF GETTING. OH, WAIT, MAKE THAT THE SEASON OF GIVING.

I guess it actually depends on which end of the transaction you stand, doesn’t it? And when I sit back and think about it for a moment, I ask, What do you mean by “Season”? One alarming way our lives can be summarized— as a continuous series of exchanges, giving and getting. It’s not a Season, it’s a lifetime.

But honestly, we know what the term “Season of Giving”—or, by another name, the “Season of Sharing”—means. Those of us on the getting end the rest of the year, pay it forward and share that bounty. We also call that philanthropy, a fancy Greek word for something very simple: helping other people out. And the beauty of philanthropy is that it’s one of the important ways we redeem that continuous series of exchanges and give it purpose.

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That sounds serious, and I think it is, though it runs counter to the “spirit of giving” we are encouraged to enter as we share our extras.

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

Santa Claus is our model for that, which says a lot about this happy delirium we’re supposed to experience as we wrap and deliver presents.

The figure of Santa we revere today, by the way, was mostly the invention of an illustrator hired by Coca-Cola, Haddon Sundblom, a Michigan artist who created new versions of Santa for Coke regularly between 1931 and 1964. That Santa has been subverted over the years by pop culture satirists—who you can see at work in Christmas shows on our stages all over town—as well it should be, given the evolution of the idea.

But I’m starting to mix “commerce” and “philanthropy,” and that’s not what I want to do, as closely allied as they can be. No happy delirium there. For that we can go back to the idea of the potlatch, a gift-giving ceremony widespread among Northwest tribes, including the Chinook, who lived along the lower Columbia River. (It should be noted that both Canada and the U.S. passed laws to suppress the potlatch in the late 1800s.)

The potlatch was serious business for the Chinook, with major religious and social implications, but delirium was involved, CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

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FEATURE

David Schiff, an esteemed Portland-based composer, is finally basking in some local limelight. fEARnoMUSIC, Chamber Music Northwest, and Third Angle New Music have all recently performed his work.

Fortunately, that’s starting to change.

In the past year, Portland’s veteran new music ensembles have celebrated the 75th and 70th birth years of the city’s two most esteemed composers, Tomas Svoboda and David Schiff. In 2013, Kenji Bunch—one of America’s most accessible and original classical composers—returned to Portland, sparking many local orchestras and ensembles to perform more of his dazzling music. And Cascadia Composers, an organization devoted to local composers, has blossomed from a hobbyist vanity project into a vital wellspring of homegrown original music in the classical tradition.

Finally, Portland composers are poised to take a leap into the broader classical music arena.

LOCALLY SOURCED SOUNDS Third Angle’s and fEARnoMUSIC’s recent Schiff birthday celebrations were only the latest in their continuing series of Northwest music concerts. Following their allSchiff September concert, in January fEARnoMUSIC will continue their new Locally Sourced Sounds concert series, devoted entirely to music by local composers. In February, they’ll feature a concert of music by another of Portland’s finest composers, Bonnie Miksch, who chairs the music department at PSU (where Svoboda long taught), and they’ll release an all-Miksch album.

The Rise of

Portland

This past summer, longtime Schiff supporters Chamber Music Northwest released the second CD of his music performed by CMNW musicians. They also featured several Schiff compositions in their summer festival, including a newly commissioned Nonet. And Classical Revolution PDX—which mostly invites amateur players to monthly jam sessions of hoary classics—featured a number of Portland composers in their summer program of Debussy-related music.

Third Angle, who has often presented music from Chinese and New York composers, performed an all-Schiff show and a studio concert of music by Northwest composers last year. This season, they’ll feature less Oregon music, with only two Portland composers (Jay Derderian and Third Angle bassoonist Evan Kuhlmann) on the docket, and focus more on Dutch and Finnish music.

Composers

ORTLAND’S CREATIVITY HAS NEVER BEEN SO WIDELY CELEBRATED.

From The New York Times to Rolling Stone to The New Yorker, readers around the world have been hearing about the city’s pioneering pop musicians, culinary artists, and literary lions. It’s all part of a larger story of political, social, and cultural innovation in everything from environmental protection to urban planning.

But until very recently, one group of Portland creatives remained excluded from the party: composers who made music in the classical tradition. In typical provincial fashion, Portland’s local orchestras and presenting organizations largely ignored these artists, imagining that nothing good could be homegrown. Instead, these old-line curators followed the trends of European and East Coast classical music institutions, which generally meant packing programs with the same old same old by long-dead Europeans—or for a treat, a few trendy New Yorkers and atonal European modernists. Compared to their counterparts in other musical genres, as well as writers, filmmakers, dramatists, and choreographers, Portland composers were the proverbial prophets without honor in their own kingdom.

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

But other groups are going more local. Bunch, who’s now artistic director of fEARnoMUSIC and also works with Portland Youth Philharmonic (where he performed as a violist as a teenager), just premiered Amplified Repertory Chamber Orchestra (ARCO-PDX), a new music youth orchestra that combines PYP’s foundation of young musicians with FNM’s innovative Young Composers Project (a mentorship vehicle that pairs budding composers with experienced contemporary music performers). ARCO-PDX is easily the city’s most dynamic new classical music ensemble, featuring Bunch’s music along with other Portland composers in all three of the concerts they’ve presented since their formation last year.

The list goes on: Muse:forward, a monthly open mic for contemporary classical, electronic, and experimental music founded by former Classical Revolution PDX Executive Director Christopher Corbell, offers a regular showcase for new Portland music from different traditions. And thanks to a grant from Oregon Community Foundation’s Creative Heights program, Portland Piano International—normally a bastion of standard European repertoire—recently announced a new series of recitals featuring rising young keyboard stars playing music by Northwest composers.

The best place to hear original Portland classical music is at one of the frequent Cascadia Composers concerts presented each year by the state’s chapter of the national composers association, NACUSA. Since being founded in 2008, the group has steadily increased the quality and quantity of concerts, and has enjoyed a recent infusion of younger voices.

In seven Portland concerts this season alone, Cascadia will collaborate with Choral Arts

Portland composers were the proverbial prophets without honor in their own kingdom.

Fortunately, that’s starting to change.

Ensemble, The Mousai, Raphael Spiro String Quartet, and various other local performers in works by a slew of local composers. And for composers working in the improvised music tradition, the newish Portland Jazz Composers’ Ensemble (really a record label and concert presenter) and the veteran Creative Music Guild offer ample performance and even recording opportunities, and the mythical lines dividing them from “classically” oriented composers are starting to blur. Portland’s star composers will always have outlets for their music, but grassroots groups like these provide an entry-level infrastructure that’s just as important to fostering community creativity.

OPERA: THE FINAL FRONTIER With the number of outlets for original Portland music burgeoning, Portland is becoming a destination for composers rather than an exporter, as in the days when native musical talents like world music pioneer Lou Harrison and choral music master Morten Lauridsen won fame elsewhere. While many of the state’s young composers still head east or south, others, like erstwhile New Yorkers

Bunch and promising trumpeter/composer Douglas Detrick, have returned to their Portland roots—without having to give up their creative careers.

Meanwhile, Portland indie classical musicians are stepping up to take on even that most expensive of all art forms: opera. Last year, Vagabond Opera founder, Eric Stern, founded Hungry Opera Machine to host small-scale operas by local composers. And Nov. 16–17 at Artists Repertory Theatre, longtime Portland music and theater fixture John Vergin, along with several more of the city’s finest singers and members of fEARnoMUSIC, will perform in three short operas written by Vergin and Theresa Koon.

Still, these Portland indie classical ensembles lack the resources to perform larger-scale works. Despite often receiving thousands of dollars in support from Oregon taxpayers, the city’s several orchestras and primary opera company have fallen short of nurturing Portland music, programming only a tiny sampling of it in the past decade, well under one percent of the total minutes they present onstage. Only two works by Oregon composers appear on the major orchestra programs this year: To celebrate Schiff ’s milestone, the Oregon Symphony will play a six minute, 2006 Schiff composition commissioned by the Seattle Symphony (instead of commissioning a new work from the state’s most famous composer). And Portland Chamber Orchestra will play a Bunch orchestral fantasy.

WHAT MORE COULD BE DONE? Well, Portland classical music presenters could require groups to program an Oregon piece on their touring shows here, which would add Oregon music to the national repertoire. Local orchestras, choirs, and chamber ensembles could perform Oregon or at least Northwest music in every concert and commission new music by state and Northwest composers every year—not just big names like Schiff, Svoboda, Bunch, Eugene’s Robert Kyr, Harrison, and Lauridsen, but also emerging Portland composers, perhaps consulting Cascadia Composers or Oregon ArtsWatch’s Oregon ComposersWatch resource for discoveries. Apparently, the city’s big institutions haven’t yet figured out what the rest of the nation knows: that Portland is a creative cauldron and artistic leader, not a follower of trends set elsewhere.

While the city’s big musical institutions find a map to the treasures in their own backyard, Portland’s bold indie classical groups—true to the city’s DIY heritage—are taking the future of classical music into their own hands. .

OMPOSERS PORTLAND C

HALL of F A M E LOU HARRISON

Born in 1917, the grandaddy of Portland composers was always ahead of his time, pioneering music for percussion ensemble, experimenting in alternative tunings, and most famously fusing Western and Asian classical music.

MORTEN L AURIDSEN Like Harrison, the Beaverton native made his reputation in California, becoming one of the world’s most popular 20th century composers for choir, with some of his scores becoming best-sellers.

DAVID SCHIFF The longtime Reed College professor channels his New York upbringing in much of his music, especially embracing jazz and Jewish (e.g. klezmer) influences.

TOMAS SVOBODA The Czech-American composer and retired Portland State professor is best known for his music’s Eastern-European influences, but his extensive catalog ranges across the spectrum of 20th century classical music.

KENJI BUNCH After winning a solid reputation as one of the country’s most promising composers (especially for his incorporation of popular music styles into classical compositions) during his two decades in New York City, Bunch returned to his native Portland in 2013 and immediately plunged into the local classical scene.

BONNIE MIKSCH With fEARnoMUSIC’s upcoming February release of her new CD Somewhere I Have Never Traveled, the Portland State professor demonstrates her ability to write powerfully affecting music for electronic and acoustic outlets. She’s poised to join the ranks of the city’s most compelling composers.

Gerding Theater at the Armory 128 NW Eleventh Avenue

503.445.3700 pcs.org

Chris Coleman Artistic Director

2015–2016 Season

SEASON TICKET PACKAGES ARE STILL AVAILABLE! To order, visit pcs.org, call the box office at 503.445.3700 or drop by at 128 NW Eleventh Avenue

THE LE AD

Vana O’Brien Don’t let her smile fool you; Portland actor Vana O’Brien is in for a winter of discontent playing a bitter, vengeful, and possibly crazy witch, the lone role in John Biguenet’s Broomstick.

WITCH VERSUS WORLD This is my first one-person show, and it really is daunting because I’m used to getting a lot of my energy from other actors on stage. This witch is both protagonist and antagonist, and she confronts the audience about how she thinks they’re reacting to her. She’s convinced that she has magical powers—that she’s sunk a ship, that she can sick lice and fleas on her enemies—but we don’t really know whether it’s true or whether she’s just crazy. The New Yorker did a whole series on witches that I’ve been reading...it’s interesting...so much of it is about the fears that get projected onto women.

DREAM ROLES A dinosaur! There’s a dinosaur part I want, but I don’t know if they’ll want an Equity actor just to lumber around the stage.

A fortune teller. I thoroughly enjoyed playing one in Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit last season.

A really timeless character.

I once played a sphinx in a Storefront Theatre production of Berkoff ’s Greek. Doing nonnaturalistic shows is like getting to go outside and play!

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PLAYS

About a hundred.

BONA FIDES

Royal Academy of Arts training, Artists Repertory Theatre company member, 5 Drammys—but they used to be called ‘Willies!’

FAVORITE PLAYWRIGHTS

The Dowager Countess on Downton Abbey ...yeah!

Steven Burkoff, Amy Herzog, August Wilson, Eugene O’Neill

SOCIAL SERVICES

OFFSTAGE HOBBIES

I have a private practice as a social worker.

In a way, it helps my acting. The main question actors are always asking is “Why is this character like this?” As a therapist, I gain insight into people’s backgrounds and influences...but all actors do that, too. .

Catch Vana in Broomstick at Artists Repertory Theatre through November 22.

24

YEARS IN PORTLAND THEATER

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

Visiting my grandkids in Hungary, playing the card game Magic: The Gathering with my 12-year-old grandson. Learning to play the Irish penny whistle. They say learning new things keeps your mind in good shape.

137

FROM THE DESK OF:

Participants

LINDSAY CLUTE

14,434 LIGHTS ON THE HOLIDAY TREE

HOLIDAY TREE Tuba Christmas hat (and scarf!)

BY A.L. ADAMS. PHOTO BY CHRIS PORRAS.

ATTENDEES

15

GREAT FIGGY PUDDING CAROLING

No place in town is more happening during the holidays than “Portland’s living room,” PIONEER COURTHOUSE SQUARE .

With 41 days’ worth of holiday-themed events, including music, crafts, and an enormous Holiday tree, the Square relies on Lindsay Clute to manage the holly-jolly hubbub with a smile. Here, she shows off her Tuba Christmas hat and scarf, and shares some impressive stats.

2,500

Groups

91%

Energy saved using LED lights

Caroling songbook

One light strand’s length

2.5

25

M I LE S

33

years hosting

TUBA CHRISTMAS

285

miles traveled from tree farm to the Square

Gallons of coffee tuba players drink at rehearsal

7

Figgy Prize: a trophy bowl

PARTICIPANTS

Years the Square has hosted a holiday tree

31

681

17,430 26

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

BRANCHES REATTACHED

HOURS TO BUILD AND DECORATE Height of the tallest tree ever

Most snow present on tree-lighting day

Biggest crowd ever hosted at a tree lighting

276

“IT HAS NEVER SNOWED!”

78'

THE

MaGIC FLUTE May 6, 8m, 12 & 14

/ KELLER AUDITORIUM Book by

Music and Lyrics by

STEPHEN SONDHEIM From an Adaptation by

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HUGH WHEELER JONATHAN TUNICK HAROLD PRINCE

Orchestrations by

Based on the original Broadway production directed by

A MUSICAL THRILLER

June 3, 5m, 9, 10 & 11

July 8, 10m, 14, 15, 17m, 23 & 26

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July 22, 24m, 27, 29 & 31m; August 4 & 6

Experience Portland Opera 2016

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/ NEWMARK THEATRE

QA

Anne

Day

Mueller’s

Ballet in

How does Anne Mueller feel to be back in ballet? In one word, “Fantastic.”

Her 15-year Oregon Ballet Theatre tenure tucked away in her muscle memory, Mueller took a two-year foray into theater administration for Bag&Baggage. This season, she returns to the dance world as co-artistic director with The Portland Ballet, full of fresh insights on fundraising, program building, and performance—as well as some pentup energy for the work she loves best. Here, Mueller discusses Day By Day, a world-premiere piece she’s just choreographed for TPB’s fall program.

BY A.L. ADAMS. Photos by Blaine Truitt Covert.

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

Q: Tell us a little about the music you’re using.

A: I’m using Mozart’s String Quartet in B Flat Major. All

four movements are in the piece, though I’ve re-ordered them a bit to support my concept. It’s about a single day in everyday life, so I moved the larghetto—which is usually second—to the third movement. This movement is rather slow, romantic, and a touch melancholy, so I’m using it as a sort of reflective afternoon section. The menuetto section—which I use second but is usually third—begins with this sort of heavy stop-and-start feeling, which sounds to me like a traffic jam, so I’m using it for the morning commute.

Q: What’s the mood of the piece?

A: Most of it’s quite jaunty! It’s very dance-y music—beau-

tifully structured and also easy to understand, which is helpful since some of my cast members are very young.

I hear a sense of humor in Mozart’s work, and I’ve tried to highlight that within the overall concept of the piece: the comedy and drama embedded in our everyday lives.

The larghetto also has a tenderness and sentimentality to it that I love deeply. Overall, I hope that it makes people laugh!

Q: If there’s a narrative, what’s the narrative?

A: There’s a narrative-ish scenario, but not a story

ballet-style plot arc. It follows the course of a single day in one family’s life, beginning with the push and pull in the morning of the impulse to stay in bed and sleep versus to get up and get ready. The family wakes up a little late, so their morning is a bit frenzied. The mom has a highstress job as a photographer for a magazine, so she has to leave for work quite early. The dad and children make their morning commute together amongst a traffic jam of cars played by our tiniest dancers.

I hear a sense of humor in Mozart’s work, and I’ve tried to highlight that within the overall concept of the piece: the comedy and drama embedded in our everyday lives.

We visit the mom at work as she and her co-workers deal with their very demanding boss, then we visit the kids at school in their music class. Many of the characters share a reflective afternoon moment before the traffic officer leads the school kids safely home. I don’t want to give everything away, but some of the characters conspire to do a little matchmaking. Finally, the sleepy powers return to take over the family and send them happily back to sleep.

Q: What was your process?

A: Since I’ve got 64 dancers in the cast, and so many

narrative interactions to depict within the 23 minutes, my map of what happens when really drove the process.

I listened to the score many, many times and started marking the timeline with certain actions that felt right to me dramatically. The specificity of particular musical moments and actual steps came later. Though the music is a string quartet, we’ll have several musicians playing each part so we achieve a larger, more robust sound. .

See Anne Mueller’s Day by Day, accompanied by the PSU Orchestra, at The Portland Ballet’s Thanksgiving Weekend show Nov. 27–29 at Lincoln Performance Hall. Visit theportlandballet.org for details.

Anne Mueller choreographs and rehearses Day By Day with TPB dancers. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert.

Costume designer Melissa Heller's sketches preview what dancers will wear in the "magazine office" where the dance piece's mother character spends her workday.

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

29

TOM CRAMER NEW WOOD RELIEFS NOVEMBER 4 – 28, 2015

“HAVING AN ENTIRE SEASON DEVOTED TO MY OWN WORK IS A TRUE GIFT – AND THE FACT THAT PROFILE THEATRE IS IN MY HOMETOWN MAKES IT ALL THE MORE MAGICAL.” –TANYA BARFIELD

2016 SEASON

TANYA BARFIELD

Preview Reception for Artist: November 4, 5 –7:30 p.m.

Opening Reception: First Thursday, November 5, 5 –8 p.m.

THE CALL

BLUE DOOR

[ 2.4.16 – 2.21.16 ]

[ 4.7.16 – 4.24.16 ]

FALL FESTIVAL: ANTIGONE PROJECT

BRIGHT HALF LIFE [ 10.27.16 – 11.13.16 ]

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SUBSCRIBE TODAY! VISIT PROFILETHEATRE.ORG OR CALL 503.242.0080 30

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

Artist Talk: November 21, Noon

AUGEN GALLERY

716 NW Davis • Portland, OR Tuesday–Friday 11–5:30 • Saturday 11–5 503.546.5056 augengallery.com Tom Cramer. Convergence 2014.

Oil / metal leaf on carved wood relief. 23 1/2 w x 36 h

OUT THERE

All the world's a stage! "OUT THERE" spotlights offbeat performance styles and surprising or unusual arts happenings.

When Christopher Corbell read Viva’s novel, Magic Gardens: The Memoirs of Viva Las Vegas, he knew he’d found the subject for his first opera. A longtime Portland rocker who’d gravitated into classical music, Corbell went from playing guitar in countless bars to serving a term as executive director at Classical Revolution PDX, which champions classical music in small venues. He then founded Muse:forward to promote “genre-blending” music of the contemporary classical and experimental variety. Now he wanted a creative project that could pair his cherished rockand-roll past with his newfound classical passion. In Viva, he saw a uniquely Portland prima donna.

Viva photo by Marne Lucas Photography.

“[Magic Gardens] is a story from our city, from our time,” Corbell explains. “The cultural and intellectual issues Viva confronts are still all around us—sex work, art, the wayward path versus the privileged, the character of Portland.”

from

STRIPPER SAGA to

CHRISTMAS OPERA How the memoirs of a Portland stripper inspired a former rocker to create a holiday opera.

BY MATT STANGEL

BEFORE VIVA LAS VEGAS EARNED HER REPUTATION AS A STRIPPER, WRITER, MUSICIAN, AND ACTIVIST, she was just another Portland transplant, fresh to

town on the heels of a four-year anthropology track at the prestigious Williams College. Backpack and guitar in hand, book learning in tow, the Minnesota native and preacher’s daughter took on Portland’s mid-90s Chinatown, clotted with junkies and transients in a Westside of endless debauchery and fringe enlightenment. In bizarro missionary mode, Viva followed a calling to brighten the dark places cowering under Bridge City’s “gunmetal” skies by performing sprightly nude dance in a tiny downtown club called The Magic Gardens. Five years later, she’d be unrecognizable.

32

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

Over a few hundred pages, Viva lays out her transformation from a naive and idealistic new graduate to a reluctant heartbreaker and a high-minded stripper who insists her performances are art. After trying out a few soul-sucking service jobs, her roommates from her Westside flop tempt her with the quick money and rocker lifestyle of an exotic dancer. As she takes up the trade, she begins arguing for the moral and ethical positives of trading epidermis for cash, and the philosophical and practical parallels between nude dancing and art. Soon, she’s representing Portland’s stripper contingent in (among other forums) a public, Willamette Weeksanctioned debate. Sparing few details, Viva navigates the relationship between profession and lifestyle, assembling a feminist gospel all her own.

“Opera has always loved the courageous female character—Beethoven’s Leonore, Puccini’s Tosca—and this opera’s presentation of Viva is in that mode,” says Corbell. “But there are some things that are very modern.

One is the exposition of the character’s multiple dimensions: she is at once intellectual, rebellious, spiritual, and a family member trying to connect.”

While the bulk of Magic Gardens sparkles through the wet clay of third-wave feminism taking shape while a series of bizarre, Lynchian nude cabarets lionize Viva’s fellow empowered women of the industry, Corbell decided to focus his show on a humbler, more accessible moment: our heroine’s first trip home to Minnesota after establishing a new (secret) life and persona as Viva Las Vegas, the stripper. Put succinctly, Viva’s Holiday.

“The conflict that emerges during Viva’s trip home attracted me as a powerful turning point, and one that lent itself to music, staging, and purposeful character interaction,” says Corbell. “The opera definitely omits more than it includes—people will have to read the book if they want to enjoy the rest of the story.”

So, no, you won’t be treated to any titillating strip shows or raucous old-Portland shenanigans (though Corbell says there will be nudity, citing Chekhov’s gun—because if you put a pistol on stage in act one, it had better take its clothes off in act two).

The language of Corbell’s libretto is a mixture of Viva’s memoirs and his own words, and the four-person cast is made up of Viva (Helen Funston, a soprano with Opera Theater Oregon credits), her teacher mother (mezzosoprano Sadie Gregg, who got her break on the stages of Boston), her preacher father (local opera-circuit vet, Bobby Jackson), and her brother.

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To make Viva’s Holiday a reality under the Cult of Orpheus banner (Corbell’s own publishing and production vehicle), Corbell turned to Opera Theater Oregon affiliates Erica Melton (acting as music director) and Pat Janowski (stage director).

“I love that we have what feels like an emerging underground opera scene here,” Corbell muses. “Opera Theater Oregon has been an important champion of that, and I’m grateful to have several people who have worked with OTO on this project.”

In Viva’s Holiday, we see themes beyond the story: The sex worker without the sex—a stripper as, to borrow the cliché, someone’s sister and daughter. The liberal left-coast pioneer returning reluctantly and briefly to the Midwest fold for Christmas. And the familiar need to be accepted for who we are, even when that radically changes. Preacher’s daughters sometimes become strippers. Rock musicians may stray into opera. One way or another, we all grow up...and one way or another, we all come home. .

CATCH VIVA’S HOLIDAY DECEMBER 2–4 AT THE STAR THEATER.

98,000 SQUARE MILES OF

YES.

Mike Coykendall at the Landmark Saloon.

To say as little as possible of the plot without totally spoiling things, Viva’s Christmas vacation doesn’t go the way she’d hoped, and she returns to Portland to wrestle with the moral and ethical philosophies of naked lady commerce, vacillating between confidence in her liberal views and doubt as to what those ideas mean when put into practice in her own life.

You fund The Trust. We, in turn, fund the strummers, cloud dancers and dreamers who make Oregon, Oregon.

CulturalTrust.org

DONATE + DONATE = FUEL $ TO AN ORG $ TO THE TRUST OREGON AND GET THE CULTURE SAME $ BACK

OCT-YES-Donate-Ad-Mike-Artslandia-kids-465x475.indd 1 ANDIA ARTSL

10/2/15 9:33 AM33 AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

Give the gift of a world-class arts performance with a Portland’5 gift card.

Gift cards are available in any amount and may be redeemed in person at our box office for tickets to a Portland’5 performance.

Buy a gift card online at

PORTL AND5.COM or visit the

PORTLAND’5 BOx OffICE

(Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm; 1111 SW Broadway Ave.)

Gift cards can be used to purchase any performance tickets sold at our box office, including BROADWAY IN PORTLAND, PORTLAND OPERA, OREGON BALLET THEATRE, WHITE BIRD DANCE, STUMPTOWN STAGES, plus many more, including these:

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JANUARY 29-31 WINNINGSTAD THEATRE

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TRADITIONS OF GIVING, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

specifically feasting and dancing. The great anthropologist Franz Boas wrote that men bringing food to the potlatch would enter the plank houses dancing: “When they bring dry salmon, five men hold it in their mouths while they enter the house dancing. When they bring roots, five men carry them on their backs when they enter the house dancing.”

I like the sound of that, except maybe for dancing with fish in my mouth.

After five days of potlatching, gifts were distributed, a wealth re-distribution that bound the Chinook nation together, because villages that received were then obligated to give.

best priced seats in the house

We, of course, are not obligated to give, but unless we do, the arts as we know them will disappear. And we have a strange system, far stranger than the potlatch. This central cultural activity, the transmission of value and meaning through art, is supported by gift-giving. The arts groups have increasingly learned to follow the Chinook, and they stage ceremonies that do include delirium along with the collecting of money. But we don’t have to be in an addled state to appreciate the importance of these gifts. If you want to hear great music, witness great theater, visit great museums, and see our own dancers, then gifting is the way to ensure that it happens.

Oregon—though it trails other states in the amount of direct support for the arts—has a mechanism that allows you to double your gift without doubling your investment. That’s what the Oregon Cultural Trust is about.

How does this magical doubling occur? Easy:

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1. Make a gift to one of the 1,400 or so arts and cultural groups in the state. You can find the list on the Trust’s website.

2. Make a matching gift to the Cultural Trust.

You can do it online.

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3. Claim your entire contribution to the Trust as a tax credit, up to $500 for an individual, $1,000 for couples filing jointly, $2,500 for corporations.

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You gift your favorite arts group(s), you give Artslandia_November.indd to the Cultural Trust, you take a tax credit for the gift to the Trust, you enjoy great art the rest of the year. In case you’re keeping track of the transactions, that’s both a Season of Getting and a Season of Giving all rolled into one. Happy potlatching!* .

1

10/12/15 2:20 PM

*In the potlatch spirit? Native American Youth & Family Center is an Oregon Cultural Trust participating organization.

BARRY JOHNSON is the editor of Oregon ArtsWatch and the Editor-at-Large of Artslandia.

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

35

PA S T P E R F O R M A N C E S

S A NTA L A ND’ S FORMER ELV ES Each Christmas season, one man conquers Portland Center Stage, armed with only an elf suit and humorist David Sedaris’ wry take on holiday consumers and their children. As PCS prepares to open its 10th production of THE SANTALAND DIARIES, Artslandia asks all four actors who’ve played the show’s lone elf, CRUMPET, to reflect and reminisce about the role, the show, and those silly striped tights.

DARIUS PIERCE 2012–PRESENT Santaland was the first oneman show I had ever done.

Being out there alone was initially nerve-wracking, but ultimately empowering. David Sedaris tends to be pretty dry with his readings, and my humor is often quite dry. Maybe that helped. I think deep down Crumpet does love what the holidays are supposed to be about but has an extremely thin skin for hypocrisy and materialism and selfishness.

At this point, I actually really like putting on the elf costume. Also, I’m a big fan of both Phil Collins and Billie Holiday, so it’s nice to keep their names alive in the theater...but there are still moments in the show I don’t feel like I’ve ever gotten quite right. I figure out a couple of new moments each time.

WADE MCCOLLUM 2009–2010 Wendy Knox (the director) and I did it at Syracuse Stage the year before, and then we took that production to PCS. The biggest thrill was probably— hmm—those magic sparkle tights?

And the biggest challenge was shaving everyday and finding fake snow in mysterious places.

The second year I did Santaland at PCS, I was simultaneously doing the two person drama Dying City at Portland Playhouse. That was a wild ride, sometimes having 17 shows a week, and going from the humor of Sedaris to the drama of Christopher Shinn, sometimes with four shows in one day. I think the combination made both shows darker. And because I was playing a marine in Dying City, I was bigger, so the magic sparkle tights were much tighter.

JIM LICHTSCHEIDL 2011 When I auditioned, the response back was “…is he funny?” Still, I landed the role.

It helped that I had done Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol and Stones In His Pockets. My biggest thrill was the opportunity to inhabit the sardonic sense of humor that is David Sedaris and to deliver an evil punchline in sign language.

However, I had quite a bit of trouble during my ‘elf break,’ where I would eat a Little Debbie Christmas Tree cake. It would leave me with a red and white frosting grill for a good 10 minutes afterward, and the front row would usually get some unintended sloppy seconds.

Crumpet is a walking private diary, an opportunity to share thoughts and criticisms normally kept under lock and key. As an actor, the chance to play such a character feels naughty...but nice.

STEVE WILKERSON 2002–2004 Like David Sedaris, I’m a somewhat snarky gay man who would like to believe he possesses a heart of gold. Shut up, it might be true. No really, shut up.

I remember hearing audience members laugh to the point of their own embarrassment, to the snorting point of wishing they could just stop laughing so that I could go on and make them laugh at the next thing. The writing is really that delicious.

Plus, I got to smoke Marlboros and drink TaB onstage.

Portland is a very literary city. Most of the audience was already familiar not only with the story The Santaland Diaries, but with David’s reading of it on NPR. There’s a lot to forgive an actor who has to follow that.

These interviews have been edited for brevity.

VISIT ARTSLANDIA.COM TO READ MORE!

36

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

37

Baroque, Classical, Romantic

FUN FACTS The otherworldly spirit of flamenco dance is commonly called “duende,” which is also a Spanish and Portugese word for a fairy sprite from folklore.

NOCHE FL AMENCA

White Bird [December 3–5]

Though Helen Keller is most famous for learning to communicate despite being blind and deaf, she’s also a co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU. THE MIRACLE WORKER

Artists Repertory Theatre [December 8–January 3]

WAS THERE A REAL-LIFE EBENEZER SCROOGE? JOHN ELWES, AN ACQUAINTANCE OF AUTHOR CHARLES DICKENS, INHERITED HUGE FORTUNES BUT HIS STINGINESS WAS LEGENDARY. HE’D SOONER WEAR A SECONDHAND WIG, EAT ROTTEN FOOD, AND SIT IN THE DARK THAN

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SPEND HIS MONEY ON CLOTHES, CANDLES, OR DINNER. A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Portland Playhouse [Decemeber 3–28]

A KBNB KRISTMAS KAROL

Bag&Baggage [November 27–December 23] TWIST YOUR DICKENS

“Spectacular-absolutely the greatest of the great... You have to see it to believe it.”

Portland Center Stage [December 9–31]

— Christine Walevska, master cellist

“A Must-See!” — Broadway World

Experience a Divine Culture All-New 2016 Show With Live Orchestra

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April 12-14

Keller Auditorium

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

Standing up during the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel’s Messiah is (pardon the pun) a longstanding tradition. Legend credits King George II as the trendsetter, but historians are divided.

HANDEL’S MESSIAH

Portland Baroque Orchestra [December 11–13]

R E P E R T O R Y

T H E A T R E

Vana O’Brien

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directed by

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UPLIFTING FAMILY CLASSIC

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RONNI LACROUTE

David & Christine

Vernier

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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YOU’RE INVITED! Do We Have a Story for You: A Tell-a-bration City Club of Portland invites you to a Friday Forum on the art of storytelling, featuring renowned storytellers Gene Tagaban, Lawrence Howard, Chetter Galloway and Mindy Netifee.

November 20, 2015 12:15 PM- 1:15 PM

Good people make great lawyers.

Richard Yugler Business Litigation

Our philosophy is simple: hire and keep the best lawyers around.

Like Rick Yugler, just one of our talented and tenacious lawyers. Sure, he’s past president of the Oregon State Bar and Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, but being a great litigator takes more than professional acclaim. It requires understanding risks and rewards, costs and benefits, knowing how litigation impacts business, and having the skill to go the distance at trial. That’s why clients who want to succeed turn to us.

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Oregon

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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The Sentinel 614 SW 11th Ave. Portland, OR Doors open at 11:30am Program begins at 12:15pm.

Visit pdxcityclub.org to register.

TAG

H O L I D AY E D I T I O N

Tag. You’re It. Artslandia’s twist on the timeless chasing game of “tag” is a pay-it-forward series of compliments between members of Portland’s performing arts community, championing good work and generating good will at every stop.

This holiday season, Artslandia sent performer-about-town SUSANNAH MARS to ask some of Portland’s hardest-working performing arts people a fun question: “If you could choose a colleague and give them any gift you can imagine, whom would you choose, and what would you give?”

ADRIANA BAER

KAREN RATHJE T0 LAUREN HANOVER

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, PROFILE THEATRE

T0

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, PROFILE THEATRE

KAREN RATHJE

AUDIENCE SERVICES MANAGER, ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, PORTLAND SHAKESPEARE PROJECT

I would give 5 million dollars to Karen Rathje, so that she could turn the third story— the secret creepy attic third story of this [Artists Repertory Theatre] building—into a 99-seat convertible black box for smaller theater groups to do work in.

I’d give Lauren Hanover an allexpense-paid trip to London for three months to study at the Royal Shakespeare Company and attend theater productions.

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LAUREN HANOVER MERIDETH KAYE CLARK T0

ACTOR, SINGER, AND SONGWRITER

I would give Merideth Kaye Clark a top-end dulcimer, the acoustic guitar of her choice, and a chance to jam with Joni Mitchell—onstage, of course, so the rest of us could come and watch!

Also, lots of free childcare!

KELSEY TYLER T0 ELIZA CANTY-JONES

EDITOR, OREGON HISTORICAL QUARTERLY AND PUBLIC OUTREACH MANAGER, OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

I’d give Eliza Canty-Jones one of the rare privately-held First Folio editions of Shakespeare’s plays—or more realistically, perhaps a nice bottle of wine. Eliza’s commitment to finding connections between OHS, artists, and arts organizations inspires me. Her knowledge and perspective is unique and always valuable.

ELIZA CANTY-JONES

T0

MERIDETH KAYE CLARK T0 KELSEY TYLER

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS DIRECTOR, PORTLAND CENTER STAGE

I’d give Kelsey Tyler a vacation in nature, in a private secluded cabin with beautifully prepared garden meals and a view of the ocean. Doggies welcome.

Helping you find your way home.

Carol Flanagan

S. RENEE MITCHELL

POET AND AUTHOR

I’d give S. Renee Mitchell a contract with a prominent publisher who has an endless marketing budget to put to work on her behalf, or if that was impossible, a few days at the writers’ retreat of her choosing. Renee calls on her power, intelligence, kindness, and resistance to oppression in ways that foster true human connections, serve others, and bring historical truths to wide audiences.

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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4. Ralph Parker’s home state in A Christmas Story 5. All Ralph Parker wanted for Christmas was this 10. Tchaikovsky’s the Waltz of the 13. The Rockettes were founded in this Midwest city 14. Chicago improv troupe known for Twist Your Dickens 16. You’ll find about 300 of these instruments in Pioneer Square December 12 18. Portland Spirit bear named after this spice 19. Southeast Portland lane known for its luminous Christmas displays 21. Where you’ll find the Holiday Ale Festival 23. Crumpet’s stomping ground 25. Rudolph’s dog sled driving friend: Cornelius 27. Crumpet’s real life counterpart 42

28. Messiah composer 29. A “warped, frustrated old man,” according to George Bailey 30. It’s A Wonderful Life was set in Falls DOWN

1. First ghost to visit Scrooge 2. Comic book character searching for the meaning of Christmas 3. Fishy holiday play: Christmas 6. Composer of White Christmas 7. Bach’s Christmas , composed in 1734 8. Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of 9. Miracle on 34th Street 1960s Broadway adaptation 11. The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, more commonly known by Portlanders as The

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

12. Portland menagerie by day, featuring this by night during the holiday season 15. Christmas tree, in German 17. Country that was the first to use the tradition of Christmas trees 20. Cratchit family’s youngest son 22. Saturday Evening Post artist known for his whimsical pictures of Santa Claus 24. A Nutcracker character sometimes also known as Marie 26. A “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!”

Think you got ‘em all right?

Find the answers to this crossword puzzle online!

ARTSLANDIA.COM

PORTLAND’S “BEST DANCE COMPANY” - 2015 WILLAMETTE WEEK

IN GOOD COMPANY

DEC 17 + 18 / 7:30PM AT REVOLUTION HALL

V O C A L

E N S E M B L E

TICKETS nwdanceproject.org 503.828.8285

COSPONSORED BY

NEW!

Cyprus: Between Greek East & Latin West (CONCERTS & CD RELEASE) November 14-15, 2015 cappellaromana.org

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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James VanArsdel presents

SWEET HONEY

LOOK AROUND YOU. THIS IS YOUR AUDIENCE.

IN THE

ROCK

CELEBRATING THE HOLYDAYS

For more information about advertising in our magazine, visit artslandia.com or call 503.922.2110

December 6, 2015 | 7:30pm | Newmark Theatre For tickets: 503-946-7272 or www.portland5.com

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

TWELVE DAYS OF

GIVEAWAY ‘Tis the season for Artslandia giving!

Starting December 1, Artslandia will give away prizes every day for 12 days on Instagram. The prizes include performance tickets, jewelry, dinners, clothing, shoes, spa treatments, trips, and much more! To win you must be a follower of Artslandia on Instagram and like the prize post of the day.

Winners will be chosen randomly at 4 p.m. each day.

Follow @artslandia on Instagram today for your chance to win!

Nican James Robinson & Tabitha Trosen-McNamara at Artists Rep’s Cuba Libre Paul King, Jordan Johnson, and Steve Gonzales at Twyla Tharp presented by White Bird

ART

names

Patricia Morris at Portland Playhouse’s How We Got On

ABOUT James & Jackie Santana at Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Amore Italiano

SEASON OPENERS Photos by Madeline Ettinger.

Jen & Don Arancibia of Mari Design at Portland Center Stage’s Our Town

Gross & Trost Families at Northwest Children’s Theater’s Elephant and Piggie’s “We are in a Play!”

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

Erika Murphy at Profile Theatre’s Passion Play

Composers Unite.

Classic Pianos salutes composers and invites all who love music to visit our historic “Brooklyn Neighborhood” showroom.

Here you’ll audition famous brands that have been preferred by some of the world’s legendary composers, pianists, and conductors. (Short List)

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Yamaha: Michael Tilson Thomas, Abbey Simon, Dick Hyman, Elton John, Byron Janis, Chick Corea, Paul McCartney, John Bayless Bösendorfer: Béla Bartok, Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington, André Previn, The Beatles, Richard Wagner, Dave Brubeck, Herbert von Karajan Mason & Hamlin: Maurice Ravel, Harold Bauer, Pablo Casals, Vince Guaraldi, Yehudi Menuhin, Brian Culbertson, Eric Himy, Jarrod Radnich 3003 SE Milwaukie Ave Portland, OR 97202

Over 300 New & Used Pianos in Inventory • Five-star Lifetime Trade-up Policy

503.239.9969 classicportland.com

CPpdx_ArtslandiaAd_1015_4.indd 1

10/19/15 1:21 PM

O R E G O N

B A L L E T

T H E AT R E

"delightful... just watch!"

New York Times

to

Jan 3

Last chance to catch ZooZoo at before it closes forever!

TICK ETS WES T.CO M – 5 0 3 . 2 2 4 . 8 4 9 9 Imago: 503.231.9581 | imagotheatre.com

GEORGE BALANCHINE’S

Dancers left to right: Kimberly Nobriga, Sarah Griffin, Katherine Monogue, and Eva Burton. Photos by Tatiana Wills.

Dec 11

P R E S E N T S

No holiday is comple

te wit

hout a trip to the land of sweets!

December 12-26, 2015 Keller Auditorium

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! ORDER YOURS TODAY! obt.org | 503.222.5538

SEASON SUPPORT

MEDIA SPONSORS

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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Had a great day, but can’t wait to get your legs up?

If you are experiencing chronic feelings of heaviness in your legs, or they “just feel tired” and nothing helps but putting them up, you may be experiencing venous congestion.

Compression stockings may help the ache but won’t correct the problem, and left untreated venous congestion can cause serious long-term effects.

Call Dr. Mary Costantino today at 503 535 8314 and schedule a free screening procedure to discuss your treatment options.

Theater for All Ages with Song, Dance, & Story

Portland Revels Presents

CeltiC Crossing An Irish Celebration of the Winter Solstice

Featuring

F Sean-nós dancer Maldon Meehan F Kevin Carr F The Christmas Revels Band F Portland Brass Quintet

December 17-22, 2015 — Matinees & Evenings St. Mary’s Academy, 1615 SW 5th Ave., Ptld Buy tickets & find out more at: www.portlandrevels.org or 503-274-4654

ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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LAST LAUGH THE

Surely you know actor and comedian TIM MEADOWS — if not by his own name, by those of his many characters on Saturday Night Live and beyond: Principal Duvall from Mean Girls. Stephen Colbert’s favorite Black Republican, Percy Kittens Winsome.

“Ladies’ Man” Leon Phelps, for whom Meadows still shows love via his Twitter handle, @LeonPhelps. Now working the stand-up circuit, Meadows will spend three nights regaling Portland’s Helium Comedy Club with his distinctly out-ofcharacter crisp, minimalist wit.

BY A.L. ADAMS

ILLUSTRATION BY

CAROLYN MAIN

ARTSLANDIA: How would you describe your stand-up style?

TIM MEADOWS: My stand-up style is straight-

forward. I stand straight and forward, and I face the mic.

A: Best and worst things about being a Saturday Night Live alumnus?

TM: The best thing is the friends I made from

my association with the show. The worst part is the alumni dues.

A: Best memory from Second City?

TM: Playing the son opposite Chris Farley’s motivational speaker character Matt [“I live in a van down by the river”] Foley and watching Farley try to make us laugh.

A: Favorite role you’ve ever played?

TM: The drummer in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. I learned to play the drums, plus I got to hang out with Chris Parnell, Matt Besser, and John C. Reilly every day!

A: Who would P.K. Winsome endorse for president?

TM: Trump. They both love to have their names on everything, and [P.K.] could sell the sh*t out of some Trump merchandise.

A: As a big basketball fan, what do you think of the Portland Trail Blazers?

TM: I’m a Pistons fan by birth, a Bulls fan by geography. I like the Trail Blazers. Did they lose Aldridge? .

See Meadows at Helium Comedy Club November 19–21.

Itching for sketch comedy? Second City, the legendary Chicago improv troupe that trained Meadows and many other SNL talents, presents Twist Your Dickens at Portland Center Stage Dec. 9–31.

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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE • NOV | DEC 2015

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