2019 Fertile Ground Festival Guide

2019

FESTIVAL

GUIDE ®

ABUNDANT ACTS OF CREATION IN PORTLAND!

10

TH

ANNIVERSARY

10 OF NEW WORKS A CITY-WIDE FESTIVAL TH

JAN 24–FEB 3

A PROGRAM OF

ANNIVERSARY

IT’S OUR 10 TH ANNIVERSARY FERTILE GROUND FESTIVAL OF NEW WORKS! Message from the Director artists, elevating new voices and generating a wider array of arts-centric offerings.

of the new work this community has generated. Did you know more than 70 Fertile Ground-originated works have gone on to further productions, locally, nationally and in festivals worldwide?

It is personally gratifying to see such expansive growth and know that Fertile Ground serves the artists of this community.

Fertile Ground, a program of the Portland Area Theatre Alliance, involves hundreds of artists and welcomes thousands of audience members each year. I believe that Fertile Ground offers artists a safe space for new work of all levels to be seen and grown. I believe that Fertile Ground helps educate audiences about the process of developing new work, and introduces them to new artists and artistic genres. I believe that Fertile Ground is a celebration of the Portland artistic community because the uncurated festival gives artists the space to take chances and share their artistic impulses, cultivate some producing skills, and get introduced to new audiences. I hope the festival will continue to grow in its inclusivity—welcoming emerging

Now, grow forth on a new adventure you curious arts-lovers you, take some chances. I hope you’ll be surprised and delighted with what you encounter!

And, thank you for the part you’ve played on our journey,

Nicole Lane Fertile Ground Festival Director

10

TH

ANNIVERSARY

A PROGRAM OF

I AM TREMENDOUSLY PROUD

Together WE hit this 10-year milestone by embracing art-making in all its forms —theatre, dance, visual, comedy, film, just to name a few—and at all levels of development. WE held space and appreciated the creation process. WE are accomplices in this process, out seeing these “acts of creation.” WE give artists permission and encouragement by demonstrating our shared belief in the value of new work by being present and open to the unique adventure of Fertile Ground.

FESTIVAL $ ONLY

PASSES

50!

Buy and manage your reservations at www.boxofficetickets.com Or by email at fertileground@boxofficetickets.com Reservations required. Based on availability.

Buy and learn more at fertilegroundpdx.org 2

THANKS! SPECIAL THANKS TO THESE FERTILE GROUND DONORS: Bennett Battaile Valri Chiappetta Howard Cutler Kyle Fuchs Joseph Galante Ignacio Gonzalez Robert Holub Beth Kahlen Ronni Lacroute John Manson Margie Miller Jon Oshel Virginia Oshel Edward Paladino Steve Perkins Tiffany Rousseau Amaya Santamaria Benson Schaeffer Gary Taliaferro Danelle Till James Ward Gretchen Young Our deep gratitude to all of these arts-lovers who made a donation to Fertile Ground—their support of our festival is so appreciated! JOIN THEM!!

If you love what Fertile Ground is for artists, for the Portland community and for you, we ask for your support. We extend our gratitude to all of you donors who WILL donate in support of Fertile Ground… contributions, large and small, help seed new work in Portland within this unique festival. Fertile Ground is a program of the Portland Area Theatre Alliance, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Your donations are fully tax deductible. Your contribution ensures that new art will continue to flourish in Portland.

WITH GRATITUDE FOR THE SUPPORT OF OUR SPONSORS

PATA PORTLAND AREA

THEATRE ALLIANCE

®

2019 WORKS LISTINGS

10

TH

ANNIVERSARY

38 Minutes LINESTORM PLAYWRIGHTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTISTS REP. . . . . . . . . . . 9

Here on this Bridge: The—Ism Project MEDIARITES’ THEATRE DIASPORA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

5x4: A Collection of Short and One-Act Plays PDX PLAYWRIGHTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

HOMEBREW 2019: A PDX ANIMATION SHOWCASE ARTFUL RAVEN STUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

a dangerous joy LAKEWOOD THEATRE WITH CANDLESTICK PRODUCTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

I Am an Actress | FUSE THEATRE ENSEMBLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

A Holding Tank & Wild Bill | PDX PLAYWRIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

JUICEBOX | LE WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

An Evening with the Lightkeepers: Siren Songs & The Boys of Terrible Tilly | CALYPSO PRODUCTIONS . . . . . . 13 An Irish Exit | ROSIE ROSE PRODUCTIONS & RUTABAGA STORY CO.. . . . . . . 12 Castaway Cabaret | 79TH AVENUE FESTIVAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Confabulous LINESTORM PLAYWRIGHTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTISTS REP. . . . . . . . . . 19 Crazy Dukes Instant Play Festival | PDX PLAYWRIGHTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Crazy Dukes Instant Play Festival Launch | PDX PLAYWRIGHTS . . . . . . . . . 12 Creating Life Inside | ROGUE PACK THEATRE FOR YOUTH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 CRUCIBLE | COHO PRODUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Daisy Dukes Shorts Night | PDX PLAYWRIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Dancing With July | LAKEWOOD THEATRE CO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 disconnected: a frankenstein musical LILY VALENTINE PRODUCTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 displaced/detained/discovered | COMPASSWORKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Entanglements #3 - a Portland history play | WIDENING CIRCLES . . . . . . 18 Essentials | ECHO THEATER COMPANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Fertile Ground 2019 Kick Off Party PORTLAND AREA THEATRE ALLIANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Friends with Guns | CHAPEL THEATRE COLLECTIVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 From These Streets I Rise | THE PEOPLE’S CABARET PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Gretchen Peterson: A Name from a Fairy Tale IZUMI PRODUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring Polaris Junior Company + NEO Youth Company & Ballet Fiesta | POLARIS DANCE THEATRE . . . . . . . . 13 Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective & ELXR Dance Company | POLARIS DANCE THEATRE. . . . . . . . . 23 Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective, Hannah Downs & A-WOL Dance Collective POLARIS DANCE THEATRE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

I’m a Slut, Sababa | PDX PLAYWRIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Kait | PDX PLAYWRIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Leaving Manzanita | STUDIO Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Let It Fang - Part I: Theatre of Blood | READERS THEATRE REPERTORY . . . . . 8 Living Room Circus | THE CIRCUS PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Mate | LINESTORM PLAYWRIGHTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTISTS REP . . . . 19 Men In Comfortable Pants At The Hi-Falutin’ Pomegranate Hotel SPRING 4TH PRODUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Moscow/Mockba | PDX PLAYWRIGHTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Portland’s Mini Musical Festival | LIVE ON STAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Presence | DEEP END THEATER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Shackleton’s Antarctic Nightmare | PORTLAND STORY THEATER. . . . . . . . . 11 Shakespeare’s Skull | PORTLAND CIVIC THEATRE GUILD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Sides: the Musical | LAKEWOOD THEATRE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sirens of Coos Bay | THE BROKEN PLANETARIUM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 SLEEPWALKER | JON FARLEY & FRAMED INFINITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Small Bites: 10-Minute Plays by LineStorm & Friends LINESTORM PLAYWRIGHTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTISTS REP. . . . . . . . . . 17 Tether: ADHD+BDSM | FUSE THEATRE ENSEMBLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Autistic Ideal | WILTING LILY PRODUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The Bad Hour | PDX PLAYWRIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The Delays | THEATRE VERTIGO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Great God of the Dark Storm Cloud LINESTORM PLAYWRIGHTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTISTS REP. . . . . . . . . . 20 The Jade Decanter | ARTFUL RAVEN STUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Killing Fields | ORPHIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 The Kings of the Carnegie Deli CYNTHIA WHITCOMB & CO. IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTISTS REP. . . . . . . . . . 18 The Lindworm | KETTLEHEAD STUDIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Sequelz | PDX PLAYWRIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective, Michal Schorsch, Novoa Dances POLARIS DANCE THEATRE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Starlings Present: Dinosaurs!

NORTHWEST CHILDREN’S THEATER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective & NW Fusion | POLARIS DANCE THEATRE. . . . . . . . . . . 15

The Tarot Show | FUSE THEATRE ENSEMBLE & KATE’S THEATRICS. . . . . . . . . 16

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective, Novoa Dances & Hannah Downs POLARIS DANCE THEATRE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective, Michal Schorsch & PDX Contemporary Ballet POLARIS DANCE THEATRE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

The Squeeze | 79TH AVENUE FESTIVAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Undertaking | MANY HATS COLLABORATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 To The Moon LINESTORM PLAYWRIGHTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTISTS REP . . . . . . . . . . 7 unde+ec+able | FUSE THEATRE ENSEMBLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Vortex 1 | BIODEGRADABLE PRODUCTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Welcome to Zion | LINESTORM PLAYWRIGHTS WITH HOLLY YURTH HARMON IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTISTS REP . . . . . . . 18

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective & Vitality Dance Collective | POLARIS DANCE THEATRE. . . . . . . 22

wonderful, really. | rockcitysea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring Polaris Junior Company + NEO Youth Company & MAC | POLARIS DANCE THEATRE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

You Ruined My Play or, Svetlana Svetlana LINESTORM PLAYWRIGHTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Hamletmachine | EXPERIENCE CULT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Hazardous Beauty | PASSINART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

You Were Supposed To Be This Great Thing PORTLAND STORY THEATER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Help Me | TWILIGHT THEATER COMPANY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Young Playwrights Festival | LAKEWOOD THEATRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 3

FERTILE GROUND 2019 CALENDAR THURSDAY JANUARY 24 12pm

To The Moon

6pm

Tether: ADHD + BDSM

7pm

Gretchen Peterson: A Name from a Fairy Tale

Men In Comfortable Pants At The Hi-Falutin’ Pomegranate Hotel

7:30pm CRUCIBLE

Let It Fang - Part I

Portland’s Mini Musical Festival

The Lindworm

8pm

8:30pm

9pm

Crazy Dukes Instant Play Festival Launch

10pm

Tether: ADHD + BDSM

9:30pm

Fertile Ground 2019 Kick Off Party

The Squeeze

10:30pm Castaway Cabaret

I Am an Actress

SATURDAY JANUARY 26 10:30am Shakespeare’s Skull 2pm

An Irish Exit

CRUCIBLE

I Am an Actress

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring Polaris Junior Company +NEO Youth Company & Ballet Fiesta

The Squeeze

Portland’s Mini Musical Festival

Castaway Cabaret

The Lindworm

10pm unde+ec+able

Young Playwrights Festival

FRIDAY JANUARY 25

3pm

An Evening with the Lightkeepers: Siren Songs & The Boys of Terrible Tilly

12pm

38 Minutes

6pm

unde+ec+able

7pm

Daisy Dukes Shorts Night

Gretchen Peterson: A Name from a Fairy Tale

Leaving Manzanita

Men in Comfortable Pants…

7:30pm

Creating Life Inside

CRUCIBLE displaced/detained/discovered

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019

featuring the Polaris

Company, ELa FaLa Collective,

Michal Schorsch, Novoa Dances

Hazardous Beauty

Here on this Bridge: The—Ism Project

Let It Fang – Part 1

Portland’s Mini Musical Festival

Presence

Shakespeare’s Skull

The Delays

8pm Essentials

Shackleton's Antarctic Nightmare

Tether: ADHD + BDSM

The Undertaking

4

SUNDAY JANUARY 27 12pm

Moscow/Mockba

1pm An Evening with the Lightkeepers...

HOMEBREW 2019: A PDX ANIMATION SHOWCASE

2pm CRUCIBLE

disconnected: a frankenstein musical displaced/detained/discovered

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective & NW Fusion

Here on this Bridge: The –Ism Project

Presence

JUICEBOX

5pm JUICEBOX

Portland’s Mini Musical Festival

6pm

I Am an Actress

Tether: ADHD + BDSM

7pm

A Holding Tank and Wild Bill

The Bad Hour

Gretchen Peterson: A Name from a Fairy Tale

The Delays

7:30pm

Creating Life Inside

3pm

Essentials

Hazardous Beauty

4pm

Leaving Manzanita

CRUCIBLE displaced/detained/discovered Essentials

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective, Novoa Dances & Hannah Downs

Hazardous Beauty

Here on this Bridge: The —Ism Project

Let It Fang – Part 1

Portland’s Mini Musical Festival

Presence

unde+ec+able 4:45pm

The Autistic Ideal

5pm

5x4: A Collection of Short and One-Act Plays

6pm

Tether: ADHD + BDSM

The Tarot Show

7pm An Evening with the Lightkeepers...

Crazy Dukes Instant Play Festival

From These Streets I Rise

wonderful, really.

7:30pm

a dangerous joy

The Delays

The Undertaking

Hamletmachine

You Ruined My Play or, Svetlana Svetlana

The Undertaking

8pm

The Squeeze

8:30pm

Castaway Cabaret

9:15pm

The Autistic Ideal

8pm Shackleton’s Antarctic Nightmare unde+ec+able 9pm

The Jade Decanter

The Sequelz

MONDAY JANUARY 28

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 1

12pm

Small Bites: 10-Minute Plays

by LineStorm & Friends

12pm

The Lindworm

7pm

Vortex 1

5:30pm

The Great God of the Dark Storm Cloud

7:30pm a dangerous joy

7pm

Men in Comfortable Pants…

Hamletmachine

Sirens of Coos Bay

The Kings of the Carnegie Deli

The Bad Hour

7:45pm

Entanglements #3 - a Portland history play

7:30pm

a dangerous joy

Creating Life Inside

displaced/detained/discovered

TUESDAY JANUARY 29 12pm

Welcome to Zion

7pm

Sides: the Musical

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019

featuring the Polaris Company,

ELa FaLa Collective, Michal

Schorsch & PDX Contemporary Ballet

7:30pm disconnected: a frankenstein musical

Hamletmachine

SLEEPWALKER

12pm Mate 7pm An Evening with the Lightkeepers Men in Comfortable Pants…

Sides: the Musical

Sirens of Coos Bay

Hazardous Beauty

Presence

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 30

Friends with Guns

The Delays

The Killing Fields

8pm Essentials

The Squeeze

8:30pm

Castaway Cabaret

9pm

Daisy Dukes Shorts Night

THURSDAY JANUARY 31

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 2

12pm Confabulous

11am The Starlings Present: Dinosaurs!

6pm

Help Me

7pm

Men in Comfortable Pants…

Sirens of Coos Bay

7:30pm

a dangerous joy

displaced/detained/discovered

Friends with Guns

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019

featuring the Polaris Company,

ElaFaLa Collective, Hannah

Downs & A-WOL Dance Collective Presence

2pm

An Irish Exit

Dancing With July

Polaris Dance Theatre presents Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring Polaris Junior Company + NEO Youth Company & MAC

The Starlings Present: Dinosaurs!

3pm Presence 5pm JUICEBOX 5:30pm

Leaving Manzanita

SLEEPWALKER

7pm

5x4: A Collection of Short and One-Act Plays

8:30pm

Castaway Cabaret

7:30pm

a dangerous joy

9pm

Help Me

Creating Life Inside

The Delays

displaced/detained/discovered Essentials

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective & Vitality Dance Collective

Friends with Guns

Hazardous Beauty

Presence SLEEPWALKER

The Delays

The Killing Fields

The Lindworm

The Undertaking

8pm

Living Room Circus

The Squeeze

You Were Supposed To Be This Great Thing

8:30pm

Castaway Cabaret

9pm

I’m a Slut, Sababa

The Jade Decanter

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 3 11am

The Starlings Present: Dinosaurs!

12pm

A Holding Tank & Wild Bill

1pm

HOMEBREW 2019: A PDX ANIMATION SHOWCASE

2pm disconnected: a frankenstein musical

Friends with Guns

JUICEBOX Kait

Leaving Manzanita

The Delays

The Starlings Present: Dinosaurs!

The Undertaking

3pm Essentials

Hazardous Beauty

5pm

The Sequelz

6pm

Living Room Circus

7pm

I’m a Slut, Sababa

7:30pm

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, La FaLa Collective & ELXR Dance Company

Sides: the Musical

8pm

The Squeeze

8:30pm

Castaway Cabaret

10pm

The Squeeze

10:30pm Castaway Cabaret 5

IT TAKES A VILLAGE… Portland’s phenomenal 11-day Fertile Ground Festival comes together every year because of an array of people who generously contribute their time, talents and support to allow this one-of-a-kind new works festival to thrive each year, among them are:

Dre Slaman and the Board of Directors of the Portland Area Theatre Alliance, all the Fertile Ground Festival committee members, Caitlin Barile and Becky Fernandez with Box Office Tickets, Misty Tompoles, Lisa Johnston-Smith and the entire crew at Artslandia who have become a vital voice for all things going on in the Portland arts scene, Gary Corbin for PDX Playwrights, Sara Anderson with Polaris Dance Theatre, the warm welcome from Artists Repertory Theatre for so many events, the attentive Portland media for valiantly covering this deluge of artistic events over just 11 days, all of our marketing table ambassadors and the venues that generously hosted us, and to the dozens of producers and artists who have planted their projects in Fertile Ground to watch them grow!

FERTILE GROUND FESTIVAL STAFF NICOLE LANE ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������Festival Director DRE SLAMAN ������������������������������������������������������������������������� PATA Advisory Board, Fertile Ground Committee Chair ABBY CHRISTOPHER ����������������������������������������������������������� Social Media Manager JESSICA GLEASON �������������������������������������������������������� Website & Graphic Design GARY CORBIN �����������������������������������������Festival Pass Coordinator/BOT Specialist JENNI GREENMILLER �����������������������������������������������������������Volunteer Coordinator MADDIE ODEGAARD ����������������������������������������������������������������Marketing Assistant LILO ALFARO ��������������������������������������������������������������������� Fertile Ground Archivist ANDREW GOLLA ����������������������������������������������������������������Artists Producer Liaison BRIANNA BARRETT. �������������������������������������������� PATA, Fertile Ground Committee SHANI HARRIS-BAGWELL ������������������������������������ PATA, Fertile Ground Committee TRISHA MEAD ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������Founder COMMITTEE AT LARGE �����������������������������������������Carol Kimball, Nancy Matthews, Karen O'Donnell Stein, Scott Stephens

HOW TO USE this guide FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE

Fertile Ground offers festival-goers a wide variety of World Premiere projects. Listings that fall under “Fully Staged World Premiere” typically mean the show is fully formed and ready for a strong theatrical experience involving design and technical elements like light, sound, set, costumes, props. However, for some in this category fully staged means the producer/creator has developed a new show that they are ready to share with the public.

DANCE

Dance and theatre performances share common (fertile) ground in their development process and often in their form and presentation. Although founded in the theatre arts, Fertile Ground is an opportunity for audiences to experience a diversity of art forms. This year, we are once again delighted to offer the wide variety of companies and choreographers who make up Polaris Dance Theatre’s Groovin' Greenhouse.

FILM/ANIMATION

New “acts of creation” come in many art forms! This year, we welcome back HOMEBREW: A PDX Animation Showcase, which will bring viewers new works in the craft of animation. Get curious and see what these Portland artists are making for the screen this year.

WORKSHOP

These projects are not quite ready to premiere, but are straining to be on their feet in front of an audience in a big way. These workshop productions are a wonderful opportunity to see a piece that is on the road to completion and perhaps lend your thoughts to its end product.

STAGED READING

Most works of theatre have a multistage journey before they hit the stage as a World Premiere. A staged reading is one point in that trajectory. More than a script reading, a staged reading involves actors bringing a script to life with stage movement (blocking) while working through design and technical ideas.

READING

ARTSLANDIA.COM PUBLISHER + FOUNDER Misty Tompoles

SALES DIRECTOR Lindsey Ferguson

PUBLISHING COORDINATOR Sara Chavis

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER + MEMBERSHIP MANAGER Katrina Ketchum

DESIGNERS Lisa Johnston-Smith, Dan Le, Jackie Tran

NEW BUSINESS ASSOCIATE Ashley Coates

MANAGING EDITOR Kristen Seidman

ARTSLANDIA BOX MANAGER Bella Showerman

MEDIA DIRECTOR Chris Porras

PUBLISHER'S REPRESENTATIVE Nicole Lane

PHOTOGRAPHERS Christine Dong Max McDermott PODCAST HOST Susannah Mars

Published by Rampant Creative, Inc. ©2018 Rampant Creative, Inc. All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher. Rampant Creative, Inc. /Artslandia Magazine, 6637 SE Milwaukie Ave. #207 | Portland, OR 97202

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Take a chance! Come listen in as a playwright, with actors, shares the dialogue of a script with an audience—often for the first time, sometimes with fresh revisions, and always seeking input. This is your opportunity to participate in the development of a play. These readings often feature some of Portland’s best playwrights and actors, and will give you a unique glimpse into the plays that will grace our stages of the future.

THURSDAY

JANUARY THEATRE LUNCHTIME READING LineStorm Playwrights in association with Artists Rep present

To The Moon

By Matthew Miller Directed by Chrisse Roccaro FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 24 @ noon VENUE: Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: FREE Johnny’s dying. His last request: To go to the moon. He may not know why, but it’s up to Dr. Rosalene and Dr. Watts to get him there. Unfortunately for them, the process they use to grant a dying client’s last wish doesn’t work on Johnny. An impossible task, an improbable love, a lighthouse, a platypus and origami rabbits.

They all come together to tell a story about love, memories, loss and the power of imagination. An adaptation of Freebird Games’ independent adventure video game, To The Moon.

PERFORMANCE ART FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents

Tether: ADHD+BDSM

By Sara Fay Goldman Directed by Rusty Tennant FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24, 27 @ 6pm; Jan 25 @ 8pm, Jan 26 @ 10pm; Jan 27 @ 2pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATES: Jan 11, 18 @ 8pm; Jan 12, 19 @ 10pm; Jan 13 @ 2pm; Jan 17, 19 @ 6pm VENUE: Headwaters Theatre, 55 NE Farragut St #9, Portland OR 97211 TICKETS: $15; $10 student/seniors BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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 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 like) to illustrate the less erotic and more sensual and cerebral facets of BDSM, embodying her various theories and attempts at treatment.

THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Izumi Productions presents

Gretchen Peterson: A Name from a Fairy Tale

By Gretchen Peterson FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24, 25, 26 @ 7pm VENUE: Unity of Portland, 4525 SE Stark St., Portland OR 97215 TICKETS: $12 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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 a life-altering episode 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.

THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Spring 4th Productions presents

Men In Comfortable Pants At The Hi-Falutin’ Pomegranate Hotel

By Tobin Gollihar & Ian Paul Sieren Directed by Tobin Gollihar & Ian Paul Sieren

FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24, 25, 30, 31 & Feb 1 @ 7pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATE: Jan 23 @ 7pm VENUE: Performance Works Northwest, 4625 SE 67th St., Portland OR 97206 TICKETS: $15; $10 students/seniors BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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, multiplecharacter farce explores the nature of family, both logical and biological.

THEATRE WORKSHOP CoHo Productions presents

CRUCIBLE: Very Loosely Adapted from Arthur Miller’s…

The Crucible

Created by Philip Cuomo FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24, 25, 26 @ 7:30pm; Jan 26, 27 @ 2pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATES: Jan 17, 18, 19 @ 7:30pm; Jan 20 @ 2pm VENUE: CoHo Productions, 2257 NW Raleigh St., Portland OR 97210 TICKETS: Sliding scale $5–$25 BUY TICKETS: 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?! Drawing on Arthur Miller’s classic 1953 play, The Crucible, as source material, Philip and the CoHo Clown Cohort playfully examine 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

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the extreme physical comedy and minimal dialogue of theatrical clowning.

THEATRE STAGED READING Readers Theatre Repertory Presents

Let It Fang – Part I: Theatre of Blood

Written & Directed by David Berkson FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24, 25 & 26 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Blackfish Gallery, 420 NW 9th Ave., Portland OR 97209 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org Karl Vitomir, an exceptional but unknown actor, is hired to play the lead role in the infamous Jacobean revenge tragedy Let It Fang. But the presence of the mysterious Vitomir 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 hitherto undiscovered 1623 revenge tragedy, and a modern theatre company’s bloody struggle to bring that play to the stage. Let It Fang, Part 1: Theatre of Blood combines the supernatural conventions of vampire fiction with the heightened language and imagery of 17th Century verse, as well as the sensibilities of old-fashioned backstage comedy.

MUSICAL THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Live On Stage presents

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 FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24, 25, 26 @ 7:30pm; Jan 26, 27 @ 2pm VENUE: Portland’5 Center for the Arts, Brunish Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, Portland OR 97205

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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-minute 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 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!

THEATRE STAGED READING Kettlehead Studios presents

The Lindworm

Written & Directed by Madison Mondeaux FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24 @ 7:30pm; Jan 26 @ 2pm; Jan 31 @ 7:30; Feb 1 @ noon VENUE: Artists Repertory Theatre, Studio 1, 1515 SW Morrison St., Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: $10; $8 student. (Free Feb 1 with LineStorm Playwrights lunchtime reading) BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org Kettlehead Studios is pleased to present Portland native Madison Mondeaux’s local playwriting and directing debut with a staged reading of The Lindworm. This intense romantic drama follows Sasha, a professor of mythology and folklore, trapped in an abusive marriage. When his estranged best friend (and ex-boyfriend) returns to town, life becomes a delicate balancing act between appeasing his abusive wife and reconciling unresolved feelings for his friend. Not to mention The Witch, who approaches him one day offering a solution to his problem.

Sasha knows better than anyone that gifts from witches always come with a price, but when given the opportunity to change his story, will temptation outweigh consequence? Through the lens of a dark, modern fairytale, The Lindworm explores the complexities of love and violence,

and delves into domestic violence as an unspoken issue facing members of the LGBTQ+ community today.

THEATRE

FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents

I Am an Actress

By Jane Comer Created by Jane Comer Creative consulting by Rusty Tennant FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24 @ 8pm; Jan 25 @ 10pm; Jan 26 @ 6pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATES: Jan 11, 13, 19 @ 6pm; Jan 12, 17 @ 8pm; Jan 18 @ 10pm; Jan 20 @ 4pm VENUE: The Headwaters Theatre, 55 NE Farragut St., Portland OR 97211 TICKETS: $15; $10 student/seniors BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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.

PERFORMANCE ART WORKSHOP 79th Avenue Festival presents

The Squeeze

Created by Clifton Holznagel Directed by Jake Simonds FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24, 27, Feb 1, 2, 3 @ 8pm; Jan 26, Feb 2 @ 10pm VENUE: Craftsman Theatre Studio, 437 NE 79th Ave., Portland OR 97213 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org, 216-272-6546 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,

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you are just Sum Gai, and Sum Gai is just like you. A saturation of information stimulation has Sum Gai questioning the origin and nature of their beliefs. In the spirit of August Strindberg’s A Dream Play and Alejandro Jodorowski’s The Holy Mountain, Sum Gai strives to rectify the scientific and spiritual, the physical and metaphysical, the chemical and alchemical.

When the universe is wrung out, what fibers remain? Seven years ago, a series of DMT experiences left Clifton with some questions. This is the latest iteration of work he’s made in response. Fertile Ground productions ID[EA] (2015) and This Thing That We Made (2017) featured previous pieces of this process. The Squeeze and Jake Simonds’s Castaway Cabaret comprise the 79th Avenue Festival. Come any night to catch both shows, total runtime 90 minutes.

PERFORMANCE ART FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE 79th Avenue Festival presents

Castaway Cabaret

Created by Jake Simonds Directed by Clifton Holznagel FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24, 27; Feb 1, 2, 3 @ 8:30pm; Jan 26, Feb 2 @ 10:30pm VENUE: Craftsman Theatre Studio, 437 NE 79th Ave., Portland OR 97213 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org, 216-272-6546 Castaway Cabaret is an experience like no other. Featuring live music, dancing, comedy, magic, burlesque, balloon animals, juggling, tight-rope walking and fireeating, 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 kids (you can take a balloon animal home). Buy early, this show will sell out! From the creator of …like nobody’s watching:  “thoughtful, silly, awkward and goofy” - Theatre in London ; - Fourth Wall Media; “Simonds dances like nobody’s watching, creating something new and wonderful in the process” – Australian Stage; *WINNER*Toastie Award at the 2018 Ottawa Fringe Festival. Castaway Cabaret and Clifton Holznagel’s The Squeeze comprise the 79th Avenue Festival. Come any night to catch both shows, total runtime 90 minutes.

THEATRE

FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents

unde+ec+able

Written & Directed by Rusty Newton Tennant FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 24 @ 10pm; Jan 25 @ 6pm; Jan 26 @ 8pm; Jan 27 @ 4pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATES: Jan 11, 17 @ 10pm; Jan 12, 18 @ 6pm; Jan 13 @ 4pm; Jan 19 @ 8pm; Jan 20 @ 2pm VENUE: The Headwaters Theatre, 55 NE Farragut St., Portland OR 97211 TICKETS: $15; $10 student/seniors BUY TICKETS: www.fertilegroundpdx.org What happens after the end? In a world without law, who will protect the vulnerable? Are the lucky ones those who lived or those who 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?

FRIDAY

JANUARY THEATRE LUNCHTIME READING LineStorm Playwrights in association with Artists Rep present

38 Minutes

By Audrey Block Directed by Matt Pavik FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 25 @ noon VENUE: Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: FREE At a tropical beachfront hotel, the unimaginable may be incoming, or it could be a false alarm. As three different stories unfold, in three different hotel rooms, the future is right outside the door, knocking. Open the door to the possibility of catastrophe? Or shelter inside, and pray that the moment is just a glitch in a schedule of sunshine?

THEATRE WORKSHOP PDX Playwrights presents

Daisy Dukes Shorts Night

By Louise Wynn, Eve Johnstone, Tracey Locke, Katie Bennett, Lisa Collins, Nina Kelly, Gary Corbin, Lisa Carstens, Paul K. Smith

Produced by Brad Bolchunos Directed by William Barry FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25 @ 7pm; Feb 1 @ 9pm VENUE: Hipbone Theatre, 1847 E Burnside St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org Back by popular demand, for the fifth year in a row, PDX Playwrights offers a juried selection of “very short shorts” (hence the name) performed by an ensemble cast. These plays explore the theme “The Disconnect” in wildly different, compelling ways. Don’t miss this urgent and thoroughly modern collection of fresh work from Portland’s finest playwrights! A Cowboy, a Clown, and The Muse by Louise Wynn; Birdfeeder by Eve Johnstone; Drop Out by Tracey Locke; In Season by Katie Bennett; Pass the Jam by Lisa Collins; Quilted Skin by Nina Kelly; Streaming Jesus by Gary Corbin; Toaster by Lisa Carstens; and Predator & Prey by Paul K. Smith.

THEATRE WORKSHOP Studio Z presents

Leaving Manzanita

Written & Directed by Maeve Z FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25 @ 7pm; Jan 27 @ 4pm; Feb 2 @ 5:30pm; Feb 3 @ 2pm VENUE: Sunnyside Community House, 3520 SE Yamhill St., Portland OR 97218 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org, 503-867-2573 Three teenagers in a small coastal town investigate the suspicious death of their friend and begin unraveling the truth behind the strange circumstances of the incident. Meanwhile, an unsettling narrator with some secrets of her own offers her philosophical ramblings at carefully pointed moments. Laced with poeticism and wit, Leaving Manzanita seeks to infuse a classic, heartfelt comingof-age story with distinct dark undertones and a devilish twist that will leave you wondering long after you’ve left the theatre.

THEATRE WORKSHOP Rogue Pack Theatre for youth presents

Creating Life Inside

Written by justice-involved youth at Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center Created by Ann Singer Directed by Tracy Cameron Francis FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25, 26, Feb 1, 2 @ 7:30 pm

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VENUE: Sellwood Playhouse, 901 SE Spokane St., Portland OR 97202 TICKETS: FREE (donations at the door) BUY TICKETS: roguepack.org, 971-344-0155 In Creating Life Inside, youth at Donald E. Long 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 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.

THEATRE WORKSHOP CompassWorks presents

displaced/detained/discovered

Written & Performed by Eliza Jane Schneider Directed by Bruce A. Hostetler FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25, 26, 31, Feb 1, 2 @ 7:30pm; Jan 27 @ 2pm VENUE: Robinwood Fire Station, 3706 Cedaroak Dr., West Linn OR 97068 TICKETS: $20; $10 student/seniors BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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

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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.

DANCE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Polaris Dance Theatre presents

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective, Michal Schorsch, Novoa Dances

FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 25 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Polaris Dance Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave., Portland OR 97209 TICKETS: $18–22 BUY TICKETS: polarisdance.org 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 Company. The opening night performance will include the Polaris Company and the ELa FaLa Collective.

They both will be presenting World Premiere works that will run throughout Groovin’ Greenhouse. Robert Guitron, Artistic Director and Choreographer for Polaris Dance Theatre, will create a dynamic, athletic and whimsical neverbefore-seen piece. ELa FaLa Collective, under the direction of Brazilian born dancer-choreographer Barbara Lima, will make their big launch as an all-female company to the Portland community in Groovin’ Greenhouse. The Collective seeks to create bridges between art, technology, culture, education and science, through a holistic vision of the world. The opening night program is shared with Novoa Dances under the direction of Meaghan Novoa. Novoa Dances will present a work titled Submerge, which includes simple, abstract gestures and movement of human experience. In order not to limit the imagination of the audience or limit the choreography with a definition, there is no narrative to follow. Be present and submerge yourself into the dance. Also performing in the opening night program is Michal Schorsch who is presenting

Untitled, a solo that is an expression and extension of the grooves that have been juicing inside Michal. The movement is percussive, frenetic and sinewy—it aims to soothe and empower.

THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE PassinArt: A Theatre Company presents

Hazardous Beauty

By Bonnie Ratner Directed by Josie Seid FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25, 26 & Feb 1, 2 @ 7:30pm; Jan 27 & Feb 3 @ 3pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATES: Feb 8, 9, 15, 16 @ 7:30pm; Feb 10 & 17 @ 3pm VENUE: Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N Interstate Ave., Portland OR 97217 TICKETS: $20; $15 students/seniors BUY TICKETS: passinart.org, 503-235-8079 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 the staged reading of 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.

THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE MediaRites’ Theatre Diaspora presents

Here on this Bridge: The—Ism Project

Created by MediaRites’s Theatre Diaspora Directed by Catherine Ming Tien Duffly FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25, 26 @ 7:30pm; Jan 27 @ 2pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATES: Feb 8, 9 @ 7:30pm; Feb 10 @ 2pm VENUE: Portland State University, Lincoln Hall, Boiler Room Theatre, 1620 SW Park Ave., Portland OR 97201 TICKETS: $10–20; $5 Arts for All BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org Here on this Bridge: The—Ism Project is an original, hour-long new work by

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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. 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.

THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Deep End Theater presents

Presence

Conceived & Directed by Domeka Parker Performed by the Deep End Theater Ensemble FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25, 26, 31, Feb 1, 2 @ 7:30pm; Jan 26, Feb 2 @ 3pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATES: Feb 8, 9 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Deep End Theater, 211 SE 11th Ave., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $24; $20 65 yrs+/students BUY TICKETS: 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.

THEATRE STAGED READING Portland Civic Theatre Guild presents

Shakespeare’s Skull

By Rich Rubin Directed by Matthew Pavik FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25 @ 7:30pm; Jan 26 @ 10:30am VENUE: The Sanctuary at Sandy Plaza, 1785 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland OR 97213 TICKETS: $15 (Jan 25); $10 (Jan 26) BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org Shakespeare’s Skull by Rich Rubin, winner of the 2019 Portland Civic Theatre Guild New Play Award, is a tongue-in-cheek comedy about Shakespeare and the grave

robbers who loved him. The year is 1794 and the place is London. Frank Chambers is a young physician with a dwindling income and a penchant for gambling.

Horace Walpole is a celebrated British aristocrat who believes genius is reflected by the shape of our skulls. Fate brings Frank and Horace together for a singular purpose: To steal the skull of the greatest literary genius of all time. Horace is hoping to prove his theory, while Frank is hoping for a few extra coins in his pocket. Will their hopes be realized or will unforeseen events flip them upside down? Rich Rubin’s plays have been performed throughout the U.S., as well as internationally in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Mexico.

Recent Portland productions include Cottonwood in the Flood, a co-winner of the 2012 Fratti-Newman Political Play Award, and Left Hook which was a finalist for the 2018-19 Woodward-Newman Drama Award. Rubin is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the New Play Exchange, Portland’s Nameless Playwrights and LineStorm Playwrights.

THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Theatre Vertigo presents

The Delays

By Sara Jean Accuardi Directed by Tamara Carroll Commissioned by Theatre Vertigo FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25, 26, 31, Feb 1, 2 @ 7:30pm; Jan 27, Feb 3 @2pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATES: Runs Thursday–Saturday 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm, through Feb 23 Special Industry Night Monday, Feb 11 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Shoebox Theater, 2110 SE 10th Ave., Portland OR 97214 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 How did you become who you are today, and what dreams have you let go? In an airport, where everyone is busy going somewhere, The Delays focuses on a group going nowhere. Taking place around the New Year, and traveling back 10 years, and then another 10 years, the past lives of these characters slowly reveal themselves, while asking bigger questions. Written by local playwright, Sara Jean Accuardi, The Delays follows Theatre Vertigo’s tradition of winter commissioned works. “...Not only is Accuardi memorable…but Accuardi’s talent and work ethic also made her stand out.” –Kate Loftesness The Oregonian

CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS THEATRE STAGED WORKSHOP Echo Theater Company presents

Essentials

By Echo Theater Company & Tempos Contemporary Circus Ensemble Created Directed by Kraig Mead & Aaron Wheeler-Kay FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25, Feb 1 @ 8pm; Jan 26, Feb 2 @ 7:30pm; Jan 27, Feb 3 @ 3pm VENUE: Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37th Ave., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $10–25 sliding scale BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org, 971-267-ECHO Essentials: Two circus/theatre/dance companies present material for people of all generations that explore the question “What essential things do people of all ages need to know, see, hear or experience?”

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.

STORYTELLING/ PERFORMANCE ART/THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Portland Story Theater Presents

Shackleton’s Antarctic Nightmare

Story Created & Told by Lawrence Howard Multimedia Art by Michael Hill Musical Soundscape by Laurent Nickel Directed by Lynne Duddy FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25, 26 @ 8pm VENUE: The Old Church Concert Hall, 1422 SW 11th St., Portland OR 97201 TICKETS: $15 advance; $20 day of show; $5 Arts for All BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love and are obsessed with the story of Ernest Shackleton, and those who haven’t heard it yet. This January, the good people of Portland will have their chance to join the first category when Lawrence

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Howard brings his one-man show, Shackleton’s Antarctic Nightmare: The 1914 Voyage of The Endurance. This show has had sold-out runs here in Portland and also played Off-Broadway in New York. New for the festival this year, cellist Laurent Nickel will play a musical soundscape throughout the show and Multimedia Artist and Entertainment Technologist Michael Hill will create image mapping of Southern Lights and Antarctic sights, bringing a montage of imagery to life on screen, while the Armchair Adventurer Lawrence Howard tells this epic story once again. 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.

Appropriate for age 15+

THEATRE WORKSHOP Many Hats Collaboration presents

The Undertaking

Conceived & Directed by Jessica Wallenfels With text by Emily Gregory Created in collaboration with actors JoAnn Johnson & Beth Thompson FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 25 @ 8pm; Jan 26, 27 @ 7:30pm (Community Music Center) Feb 2 @ 7:30pm; Feb 3 @ 2pm (Lincoln Recital Hall) VENUES: Community Music Center, 3350 SE Francis St., Portland OR 97202 (Jan 25–27) Lincoln Recital Hall, Room 75 (basement), 1620 SW Park Ave., Portland OR 97201 (Feb 2–3) TICKETS: $25 regular performances; $15 preview performance /student/seniors BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org, 503-893-9757 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 Dmitri Shostakovich’s piano trio #2, played live by local classical ensemble Northwest Piano Trio. Incorporating original text by Emily

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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.

THEATRE WORKSHOP PDX Playwrights presents

Crazy Dukes Instant Play Festival Launch

Produced by Katie Bennett FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 25 @ 9pm VENUE: Hipbone Theatre, 1847 E Burnside St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: FREE The kickoff of PDXP’s third Crazy Dukes Instant Play Festival! This Festivalwithin-the Festival-within-the-Festival is guaranteed to be the very newest, freshest work performed at Fertile Ground 2019.

How do we know this? Because the work is being created DURING the festival!

Think of it as theatre on a highwire with no net. Six talented playwrights will obtain 3–4 prompts and will be randomly assigned 2–6 cast members on the night of PDXP’s Daisy Dukes Shorts Night and afterparty. The playwrights will then write, rehearse, produce and perform 10-minute plays within 48 hours. Come help kick off the creative process by offering your suggestions of actions, themes, lines of dialog, or props that MUST be included in all six plays. Then audiences can come back and see the results on Sunday night (Jan 27). Guaranteed crazy—and guaranteed amazing!

PARTY! SPECIAL EVENT Portland Area Theatre Alliance presents

Fertile Ground 2019 Kick Off Party FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 25 @ 9:30pm VENUE: Artists Repertory Theatre, Morrison Lobby, 1516 SW Alder St., Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: FREE Celebrate Portland’s 10th Annual Fertile Ground Festival of New Work! Yes, it is the ultimate arts-lovin’ people party, but this year it’s even more. Swing in after a show and kick off Portland’s decade-long new work festival to mix, mingle and meet up to celebrate creativity with lovers of new work

just like you! The is a great opportunity for culture junkies to grab a drink, compare notes and plot out what’s on the “must-see” list for FG19.

ALSO ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 25 6pm Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents unde+ec+able | See full listing on Jan 24 7pm Izumi Productions presents Gretchen Peterson: A Name from a Fairy Tale | See full listing on Jan 24 7pm Spring 4th Productions presents Men in Comfortable Pants…| See full listing on Jan 24 7:30pm CoHo Productions presents CRUCIBLE | See full listing on Jan 24 7:30pm Readers Theatre Repertory presents Let It Fang – Part 1 | See full listing on Jan 24 7:30pm Live On Stage presents Portland’s Mini Musical Festival | See full listing on Jan 24 8pm Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents Tether: ADHD+BDSM | See full listing on Jan 24 10pm Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents I Am an Actress | See full listing on Jan 24

SATURDAY

JANUARY THEATRE STAGED READING Rosie Rose Productions & Rutabaga Story Co. present

An Irish Exit

By Danny Gray Directed by Eve Johnstone FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 26, Feb 2 @ 2pm VENUE: The Siren Theater, 315 NW Davis St., Portland OR 97209 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org A new play brought to you by two fledgling theatre companies in Portland, An Irish Exit is a dark comedy exploring the coming together of loved ones from beyond the grave. When Johanna returns to her childhood home after a mental breakdown, she and her mother struggle to coexist.

When Jo tries to summon Satan to see how he can help her out, an unexpected guest arrives in his place. Inspired by Goethe’s Faust, this show examines a crossroads so often considered by those of us who suffer from mental illness, and strives to bring levity to the very serious topics of death and loss.

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DANCE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Polaris Dance Theatre presents

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring Polaris Junior Company + NEO Youth Company & Ballet Fiesta

FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 26 @ 2pm VENUE: Polaris Dance Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave., Portland OR 97209 TICKETS: $18–22 BUY TICKETS: polarisdance.org 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 Company. During this program we are proud to present works-in-progress from Polaris Junior Company + NEO Youth Company. These young, vibrant and powerful dancers bring a bold tone to the matinee show.

These companies are under the direction of M’Liss Quinnly. This matinee program is shared with Ballet Fiesta under Maria Ferrin, President. They will present Ballet Fiesta Showcase, a performance that incorporates Mexican folk dances from various states including Huapango from the state of Veracruz, with colorful costumes.

THEATRE READING Lakewood Theatre Company presents

Young Playwrights Festival

By Megumi Hoff, Emily Imanishi, Aishwarya Marathe, Max Nevers Program director Megan Kate Ward FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 26 @ 2pm VENUE: Lakewood Theatre Company, 368 S State St., Lake Oswego OR 97034 TICKETS: $10 BUY 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.

THEATRE STAGED READING Calypso Productions Presents

An Evening with the Lightkeepers: Siren Songs & The Boys of Terrible Tilly

By Lindsay Partain & Autumn Buck Directed by Cassie Greer FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 26 @ 3pm; Jan 27 @ 1pm & 7pm; Jan 30 @ 7pm VENUE: Cerimon House, 5131 NE 23rd Ave., Portland OR 97211 TICKETS: PWYW BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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.

SOLO PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP Le Why Not Productions presents

JUICEBOX

Devised & Performed by Anne Zander Props by Lauren Sinner FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 26, Feb 2 @ 5pm; Jan 27, Feb 3 @ 2pm VENUE: Kickstand Comedy Space (above The Siren Theater), 315 NW Davis St., Portland, OR 97209 stair accessibility only TICKETS: $12 advance; $15 door BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org

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.

THEATRE STAGED READING PDX Playwrights presents

A Holding Tank & Wild Bill

By Tracey Locke & Johanna Courtleigh FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 26 @ 7pm; Feb 3 @ noon VENUE: Hipbone Theatre, 1847 E Burnside St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org PDX presents two one-acts filled with drama and comic relief by two emerging female playwrights on the Portland scene.

In Johanna Courtleigh’s one-woman show, Wild Bill, Lurleen is called to the hospital after her brother Bill has suffered a serious bicycle accident. Bill is in a coma, and doctors hope that hearing a familiar voice will help him regain consciousness.

Estranged for years, as she attempts to connect with him, truths from their history begin to emerge. In Tracy Locke’s A Holding Tank, five strangers are trapped in a bar.

The only exit is guarded by an ancient song and dance bartender. How hard could it be to escape?

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DANCE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Polaris Dance Theatre presents

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective, Novoa Dances & Hannah Downs

FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 26 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Polaris Dance Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave., Portland OR 97209 TICKETS: $18–22 BUY TICKETS: polarisdance.org 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 Company. The Polaris Company and ELa FaLa Collective will present World Premiere works that will run throughout Groovin’ Greenhouse.

Robert Guitron, Artistic Director and Choreographer for Polaris Dance Theatre will create a dynamic, athletic and whimsical never-before-seen piece. ELa FaLa Collective, under the direction of Brazilian born dancer-choreographer, Barbara Lima, will make their big launch as an all-female company. The Collective seeks to create bridges between art, technology, culture, education and science, through a holistic vision of the world. This evening’s program is shared with Novoa Dances and Hannah Downs. Novoa Dances, under the direction of Meaghan Novoa, will be presenting a work titled Submerge, which includes simple, abstract gestures and movement of human experience. In order not to limit the imagination of the audience or limit the choreography with a definition, there is no narrative to follow. Be present

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and submerge yourself into the dance.

Hannah Downs will be presenting a work titled against its melting banks, a duet that explores the tension between comfort and freedom. The choreography oscillates between soft vulnerability and fierce partnering.

THEATRE STAGED READING LineStorm Playwrights presents

You Ruined My Play or, Svetlana Svetlana

By Dan Kitrosser Directed by Josh Hecht FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 26 @ 7:30pm VENUE: The Sanctuary at Sandy Plaza, 1785 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland OR 97232 TICKETS: $20 or PWYC BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org LineStorm Playwrights presents a special performance of this wild, absurdist, romantic and historical comedy featuring Alissa Jessup and Dan Kitrosser. A dead playwright (Alissa Jessup) recounts the failure of her most recent, and therefore, final play, about the many-chaptered life of Josef Stalin’s daughter, Svetlana. At the same time, the playwright’s ex-boyfriend and grieving director (Dan Kitroser) tries to remount the play, with the help of a cat who claims to be the reincarnation of Vladimir Lenin. Performed by two actors, and taking us from New York to the Afterlife, and on Svetlana’s journey from Russia to India to Princeton to Frank Lloyd Wright’s cult of architects in Wisconsin, and yes, finally to Portland, Oregon, You Ruined My Play or, Svetlana Svetlana begs the question, do we ever break out of our cycles? Or, are we doomed to repeat our relationships and our choices for all eternity?

COMEDY FULLY IMPROVISED SEASON PREMIERE Artful Raven Studio presents

The Jade Decanter

Created by Nathaniel Hadley & Sophya Vidal Directed by Nathaniel Hadley FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 26, Feb 2 @ 9pm VENUE: CSz Portland, 1963 NW Kearney St., Portland OR 97209 TICKETS: $10 advance/$15 at the door BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org We may be back for year three, but the show is always brand new! Experience the intrigue, mystery and hilarity as we use the most classic themes of noir storytelling to create a wholly improvised full-length feature show. So who dies and which shady

character did it? With a brand new cast and crew, new improvised roles, and a fantastic audience—no mystery will ever be the same. Set right in the gritty dark underworld of crime and intrigue from the 1940s—this premiere show will be a night to remember. One cast, two acts, all driven by one thing: your suggestion.

THEATRE STAGED READING PDX Playwrights presents

The Sequelz

By Dale Stanford Payne FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 26 @ 9pm; Feb 3 @ 5pm VENUE: Hipbone Theatre, 1847 E Burnside St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org On his way to modern-izing the words of Shakespeare, playwright Mauricio is stranded in Portland by the Post-Election Riots of November 2016. Under the aura of Leonard Cohen’s death and amidst the civil unrest, he finds shelter with an extended family in the Pearl District, where he listens to new voices of Politix, Friendship, Gender, Hip-hop, Political Correctness…and Love.

Will Mauricio negotiate this well enough to carry on the road ahead? While wondering: Will California really solve Portland’s traffic jams? Did Shakespeare actually write all 37 plays? Can Zombies become friends with Vegans?

ALSO ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 26 10:30am Portland Civic Theatre Guild presents Shakespeare’s Skull | See full listing on Jan 25 2pm CoHo Productions presents CRUCIBLE | See full listing on Jan 24 2pm Live On Stage presents Portland’s Mini Musical Festival | See full listing on Jan 24 2pm Kettlehead Studios presents The Lindworm | See full listing on Jan 24 3pm Deep End Theater presents Presence | See full listing on Jan 25 6pm Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents I Am an Actress | See full listing on Jan 24 7pm Izumi Productions presents Gretchen Peterson: A Name from a Fairy Tale | See full listing on Jan 24 7:30pm CoHo Productions presents CRUCIBLE | See full listing on Jan 24 7:30pm Rogue Pack presents Creating Life Inside | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm CompassWorks presents displaced/ detained/discovered | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Echo Theater Company presents Essentials | See full listing on Jan 25

FESTIVAL PASSES ONLY $50 A CULTURAL ADVENTURE! Reservations required. Based on availability. info at fertilegroundpdx.org

7:30pm PassinArt presents Hazardous Beauty | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm MediaRites’ Theatre Diaspora presents Here on this Bridge: The —Ism Project | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Readers Theatre Repertory presents Let It Fang – Part 1 | See full listing on Jan 24 7:30pm Live On Stage presents Portland’s Mini Musical Festival | See full listing on Jan 24 7:30pm Deep End Theater presents Presence | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Theatre Vertigo presents The Delays | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Many Hats Collaboration presents The Undertaking (Community Music Center) | See full listing on Jan 25 8pm Portland Story Theater presents Shackleton’s Antarctic Nightmare | See full listing on Jan 25 8pm Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents unde+ec+able | See full listing on Jan 24 10pm Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents Tether: ADHD+BDSM | See full listing on Jan 24 10pm 79th Avenue Festival presents The Squeeze | See full listing on Jan 24 10:30pm 79th Avenue Festival presents Castaway Cabaret | See full listing on Jan 24

both the comedic and tragic aspects of what it means to never be quite satisfied.

MULTIMEDIA/ANIMATION WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING Artful Raven Studio presents

HOMEBREW 2019: A PDX ANIMATION SHOWCASE

Curated by Sophya Vidal Works by Various local PDX Animators FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 27, Feb 3 @ 1pm VENUE: Wacom Experience Center, 1455 NW Irving St., Portland OR 97209 TICKETS: $10; $5 ASIFA Members BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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. Runtime approximately 2 hours.

MUSICAL THEATRE

SUNDAY

JANUARY THEATRE STAGED READING PDX Playwrights presents

Moscow/Mockba

By Olivia McFadden-Elliott & Emma Rye FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 27 @ noon VENUE: Hipbone Theatre, 1847 E Burnside St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org This reimagining of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters follows the Patrushev sisters through a summer of upheaval. Having emigrated from Moscow, Russia to Moscow, Idaho as children, the grown sisters are now stagnating after the death of their father. Their lives are not quite what they had imagined they would be: Olena, the eldest, is holding the family together by a thread; Marina is married to a man she thinks is a fool; and the youngest, Inessa, won’t look for a job. New housemates and house guests arrive to throw their lives into a very different rhythm. This play examines

READING Lily Valentine Productions presents

disconnected: a frankenstein musical

by Gayle Towell & Chris Rentzel Based on the book, Frankenstein

by Mary Shelley Book by Gayle Towell Music & Lyrics by Chris Rentzel FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 27 @ 2pm; Jan 29 @ 7:30pm; Feb 3 @ 2pm VENUE: ReSound NW, 1532 SW Jefferson St., Portland OR 97201 TICKETS: $5 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is reimagined as a dark, passionate musical within a nostalgic gothic realm of late 1990s Oregon, complete with anticipation of the approaching year 2000, booming technology, and unrequited love. Vicky is a promising neuroscience graduate student whose pursuit of a new invention leads her down a dark path after her friend is in a serious accident. Performed by a talented cast of actors and singers who were carefully selected and rehearsed for this project, original music and lyrics by Chris Rentzel are complemented by the writings

of Gayle Towell. Afterward, we encourage written feedback for the purpose of helping us tighten the story and propelling us to a staged reading of the full musical at next year’s festival. Fertile Ground audiences are invited to be a part of the process as act 1 of this musical-in-progress is presented as a reading (with songs). Runtime approximately 75 minutes.

DANCE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Polaris Dance Theatre presents

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective & NW Fusion

FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 27 @ 2pm VENUE: Polaris Dance Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave., Portland OR 97209 TICKETS: $18–22 BUY TICKETS: polarisdance.org 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 Company. Robert Guitron, Artistic Director and Choreographer for Polaris Dance Theatre, will create a dynamic, athletic and whimsical never-before-seen piece.

ELa FaLa Collective, under the direction of Brazilian born dancer-choreographer, Barbara Lima, will make their big launch as an all-female company. The Collective seeks to create bridges between art, technology, culture, education and science, through a holistic vision of the world. This performance is shared with NW Fusion who will be performing new snippets of repertoire from their 2018/19 season.

All pieces vary in style, from lyrical, tap, and contemporary dance showcasing the company’s versatility and athleticism. NW Fusion is under the direction of Brad Hampton.

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THEATRE STAGED READING PDX Playwrights presents

The Bad Hour

By Karen Polinsky Directed by Nina Monique Kelly FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 27 @ 2pm; Feb 1 @ 7pm VENUE: Hipbone Theatre, 1847 E Burnside St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org The Bad Hour, a modern-day Western, is a fictionalized version of a hostile takeover of a bird sanctuary in the badlands of Oregon. Two dangerous outlaws, and three lonesome, perplexed bystanders trapped in the crosshairs, choose sides in a last-stand between violence and hope. Darkly funny, The Bad Hour explores the dangerous ambiguities and unbreachable divisions in our current political climate.

THEATRE WORKSHOP Wilting Lily Productions presents

The Autistic Ideal

Written & Directed by Adam Ares FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 27 @ 4:45pm & 9:15pm VENUE: Shout House, 210 SE Madison Ave., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $7.25 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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 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. What does it mean to be autistic? What are the implications of claiming or denying such a label? Like so many other big questions, these can seem to be unanswerable, but they are also, for many, unavoidable. After a high school career that never quite panned out and years of odd jobs, Adam has finally found his way into a rewarding profession.

Still, he realizes that this success is both tenuous and exceptional. Reflecting on his privileges and challenges, Adam watches as the story that has driven his life for so long begins to break down. In a performance that celebrates both raw expression and 16

meticulous detail, he takes the stage to consider the responsibility that he has— and the responsibilities neurotypicals have—to others who are still reaching for a stable place in their society.

THEATRE STAGED READING PDX Playwrights presents

5x4: A Collection of Short and One-Act Plays

By Redmond Reams, Brad Bolchunos, Maria Choban & Brett Campbell FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 27 @ 5pm; Feb 2 @ 7pm VENUE: Hipbone Theatre, 1847 E Burnside St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org PDX Playwrights presents a one-act musical and four dramatic comedies from four of our most active and accomplished playwrights. Redmond Reams offers two comedies about children offering fantastic solutions for the dilemmas of coping with modern anxieties. In Summer School Backstory, two schoolchildren take their teacher prisoner because they suspect her of collaborating with a foreign power. In A Whole New World, toddlers speak to their experience of foster care and yearnings to be adopted— and to belong. Brad Bolchunos’ “Secret Decoder” series offers two off-kilter shorts about miscommunication: In Uncivil Disobedience, a family outing takes a twisted turn into activism; and a solstice ritual channels unforeseen consequences in Incommunicado Bravado. In Maria Choban and Brett Campbell’s Posing as Sodomite, its 1895 and Oscar Wilde is about to make the biggest, noblest mistake of his life. Only his good friend George Bernard Shaw can save him—but he has an agenda all his own.

PERFORMANCE ART WORKSHOP Fuse Theatre Ensemble & Kate’s Theatrics present

The Tarot Show

By Kate Mura Conceived by Kate Mura & the audience Additional crafting by Stephanie Alvidrez & the Fuse ensemble FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 27 @ 6pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATE: Jan 20 @ 6pm VENUE: The Headwaters Theatre, 55 NE Farragut St., Portland OR 97211 TICKETS: Sliding scale; $10 suggested BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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.

THEATRE WORKSHOP PDX Playwrights presents

Crazy Dukes Instant Play Festival

Produced by Katie Bennett FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 27 @ 7pm VENUE: Hipbone Theatre, 1847 E Burnside St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org Back for a third crazy year, this Festivalwithin-the-Festival-within-the-Festival is guaranteed to be the very newest, freshest work performed at Fertile Ground 2019.

How do we know this? Because the work is getting created DURING the festival!

Think of it as theatre on a highwire with no net. Six talented playwrights will have obtained 3-4 prompts and will have been randomly assigned 2-6 cast members on the night of PDXP’s Daisy Dukes Shorts Night and afterparty (Friday, Jan 25). The playwrights will have written, rehearsed and produced 10-minute plays in 48 hours ready for performance. Guaranteed crazy— and guaranteed amazing!

THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE The People’s Cabaret Project presents

From These Streets I Rise

Created & Performed by Mikki Jordan With Jonathan Eder, piano FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 27 @ 7pm VENUE: Classic Pianos, 3003 SE Milwaukie Ave., Portland OR 97202 TICKETS: $20 (All proceeds go to Street Roots) BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org This one-woman cabaret event celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Street Roots, a local non-profit creating income opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. Created and

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performed by Portland-based theatre 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.

PERFORMANCE ART STAGED PERFORMANCE rockcitysea presents

wonderful, really.

By erin rachel Composed & Directed by erin rachel FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 27 @ 7pm VENUE: Resound NW, 1532 SW Jefferson St., Portland OR 97201 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org rockcitysea introduces an interactive performance based on a retrospective of original music composed by erin rachel.

This auditory and visual experience will explore issues related to identity, agency and empowerment in the journey toward self-expression in the digital age. Two unique, genre-blending performances will combine vocal and musical performance along with visual projection. The audience will be invited to experience the synchronicity and delight that occurs when something beautiful and wonderful, really, is not about ‘what’ but ‘how.’ Appropriate for 13+.

THEATRE WORKSHOP Lakewood Theatre Company with Candlestick Productions present

a dangerous joy

Written & Directed by Terry Lomax FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 27, 28 @ 7:30pm (Lakewood Theatre) Jan 31, Feb 1, 2, @7:30pm (Portland State University, Boiler Room Theatre) VENUES : Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S State St., Lake Oswego, OR 97034 (Jan 27–28) Portland State University Boiler Room Studio Theater, 1620 SW Park Ave., Portland OR 97201 (Jan 31–Feb 2) TICKETS: $15 BUY TICKETS: LTC tickets tix4. centerstageticketing.com/sites/ lakewoodtheatre/, 503-635-3901 PSU tickets: fertilegroundpdx.org 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 fiancée 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.

THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Experience Cult presents

Hamletmachine

Developed by Patton Small & Brian Gordon based on text by Heiner Müller Directed by Patton Small In Collaboration with Nathan Bern, Laudie Porter, Robert Augustine, Keegan Kyle, Maddie Nguyen FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 27, 28, 29 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Performance Works Northwest, 4625 SE 67th Ave., Portland OR 97206 TICKETS: $20; $15 students/seniors BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org This devised adaptation of Heiner Müller’s Hamletmachine explores social change and our individual roles within it. The piece aims to bring audience members to an active experience of the concepts discussed in Müller’s text while leaving the need for cognitive understanding behind.

Through the use of physical theatre, this performance brings to life Müller’s postmodern masterpiece in a new and creative framing which places chance at the forefront. Hamletmachine will expose audience members to a series of engaging non-narrative stagings in a randomized sequence creating a truly unique performance each evening.

ALSO ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 1pm Calypso Productions presents An Evening with the Lightkeepers | See full listing on Jan 26 2pm CoHo Productions presents CRUCIBLE | See full listing on Jan 24

2pm CompassWorks presents displaced/ detained/discovered | See full listing on Jan 25 2pm MediaRites’ Theatre Diaspora presents Here on this Bridge: The —Ism Project | See full listing on Jan 25 2pm Le Why Not Productions presents JUICEBOX | See full listing on Jan 26 2pm Live On Stage presents Portland’s Mini Musical Festival | See full listing on Jan 24 2pm Theatre Vertigo presents The Delays | See full listing on Jan 25 3pm Echo Theater Company presents Essentials | See full listing on Jan 25 3pm PassinArt presents Hazardous Beauty | See full listing on Jan 25 4pm Studio Z presents Leaving Manzanita | See full listing on Jan 25 6pm Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents Tether: ADHD+BDSM | See full listing on Jan 24 7pm Calypso Productions presents An Evening with the Lightkeepers | See full listing on Jan 26 7:30pm Many Hats Collaboration presents The Undertaking (Community Music Center) | See full listing on Jan 25 8pm 79th Avenue Festival presents The Squeeze | See full listing on Jan 24 8pm Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents unde+ec+able | See full listing on Jan 24 8:30pm 79th Avenue Festival presents Castaway Cabaret | See full listing on Jan 24

MONDAY

JANUARY THEATRE LUNCHTIME READING LineStorm Playwrights in association with Artists Rep present

Small Bites: 10-Minute Plays

by LineStorm & Friends Directed by Matt Gibson FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 28 @ noon VENUE: Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: FREE Enjoy a taster plate of lunchtime shorts with LineStorm Playwrights and friends, as several local writers whip up a range of flavorful topics with sweet and spicy characters. Plays by Sara Jean Accuardi, Heath Hyun Houghton, Kisha Jarrett, E.M. Lewis, Matthew Miller, Rich Rubin and Lolly Ward.

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MUSICAL THEATRE WORK-IN-PROGRESS PERFORMANCE Biodegradable Productions presents

Vortex 1

Book & Lyrics by Sue Mach Music by Bill Wadhams Arranged by Reece Marshburn Directed by Allen Nause FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 28 @ 7pm VENUE: McMenamins Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., Portland, Or 97209 TICKETS: $10 suggested donation; or PWYC BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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.

THEATRE READING Cynthia Whitcomb & Co., Inc. in association with Artists Rep present

The Kings of the Carnegie Deli

By C.S. Whitcomb Directed by Tobias Andersen FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 28 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: $10 (suggested donation at the door)

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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-1970s 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.

THEATRE WORK-IN-PROGRESS PERFORMANCE Widening Circles presents

Entanglements #3 – a Portland history play

Conceived & Directed by Kendra Prat FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 28 @ 7:45pm VENUE: PETE Studio, 3520 SE Yamhill St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $5–$10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org Kendra Prat returns to her home of Portland, Oregon to investigate entangled histories. A visual, performed, physical essay about buried histories; racist roots in the bedrock beneath comfortable homes; and the lovely rivers and forests in and around Portland. Entanglements is about what you do when something you love suddenly terrifies you; or is suddenly fraught with lies. Inspired by Oregon’s original state constitution, the deeds of a grandfather’s house and the deeds of many houses in Portland, Entanglements, is a performance of embodied historical research investigating why liberal and progressive Portland has been the whitest large city in the United States. A letter to my neighbor… Have you ever heard of the Peter Burnett Las Laws? Did they ever teach you in school that Oregon was the only state admitted to the union as a “whites-only” state? Or did you learn that the deeds of some houses we sit upon in Portland to this day still have black exclusionary clauses in them? … Because I didn’t. In my 13 years of schooling in the state of Oregon I certainly didn’t. (Excerpt from, Entanglements, Draft #2)

ALSO ON MONDAY, JANUARY 28 7:30pm Lakewood Theatre with Candlestick Productions presents a dangerous joy | See full listing on Jan 27 7:30pm Experience Cult presents Hamletmachine | See full listing on Jan 27

TUESDAY

JANUARY MUSICAL THEATRE LUNCHTIME READING LineStorm Playwrights with Holly Yurth Harmon in association with Artists Rep present

Welcome to Zion

Music, Lyrics & Book by Holly Yurth Harmon Directed by Brian Shnipper FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 29 @ noon VENUE: Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: FREE The teen suicide rate in Utah has been rising exponentially in the last decade, especially among LGBTQ+ youth. This new musical follows one Mormon family who, upon learning their son is gay, must confront the beliefs that have been the foundation of their faith. Maya and Jason are devastated when their son, Tyler, lets them in on his long-held secret. Jason goes into denial, Maya seeks solace in a new neighbor, and Tyler must find a way to navigate the world of both hate and love that his coming out has introduced—a world where, sometimes, suicide feels like the only option.

THEATRE WORKSHOP Lakewood Theatre presents

Sides: the Musical

Music & Lyrics by Matthew Capurro Directed by Matthew Capurro Musical direction by Jeffrey Michael Kauffman FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 29, 30 @ 7pm (at Lakewood Theatre); Feb 3 @ 7:30pm (at Portland Playhouse) ADDITIONAL RUN DATE: Feb 4 @ 7:30pm (at Portland Playhouse) VENUES: Lakewood Theatre, 368 S State St., Lake Oswego OR 97034 (Jan 29, 30) Portland Playhouse 602 NE Prescott St., Portland OR 97211 (Feb 3, 4) TICKETS: $15 BUY TICKETS: LTC tickets tix4.centerstageticketing.com/sites/ lakewoodtheatre/; 503-635-3901 Portland Playhouse 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 friendships from

FESTIVAL PASSES ONLY $50 A CULTURAL ADVENTURE! Reservations required. Based on availability. info at fertilegroundpdx.org

their many sides, as characters share their sometimes-poignant, sometimes-comical perspectives.

ALSO ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 29 7:30pm Lily Valentine Productions presents disconnected: a frankenstein musical See full listing on Jan 27 7:30pm Experience Cult presents Hamletmachine | See full listing on Jan 27

WEDNESDAY

JANUARY

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 1990s 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?

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30

THEATRE LUNCHTIME READING LineStorm Playwrights in association with Artists Rep present

Mate

By Lolly Ward Directed by Matt Pavik FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 30 @ noon VENUE: Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: FREE In 1960, young chess phenomenon Bobby Fischer travels to Buenos Aires to compete in a tournament. Fischer becomes intimate with a woman for the first time, thrusting the genius into a new realm where the body triumphs over the mind. Fischer must battle for control or face the destruction of his life’s ambition. After achieving the title of World Champion in 1972, Fischer disappears from professional chess.

From rich and admired to homeless and jailed, he succumbs to paranoia. He finds salvation in a Hungarian girl, the only one who can lure him back into the spotlight.

Through the fractured lens of the powerful women in Fischer’s life, Mate exposes the man inside the genius.

THEATRE READING The Broken Planetarium presents

Sirens of Coos Bay

By Laura Christina Dunn Music by Laura Christina Dunn, Kendy Gable, Kyle Huth, Craig Lardiere, Monica Metzler (Forest Veil) FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 30, 31; Feb 1 @ 7pm VENUE: Mother Foucault’s Bookshop, 523 SE Morrison St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $5 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org

7pm Calypso Productions presents An Evening with the Lightkeepers | See full listing on Jan 26 7pm Spring 4th Productions presents Men in Comfortable Pants…| See full listing on Jan 24 7pm Lakewood Theatre presents Sides: the Musical (Lakewood Theatre) | See full listing on Jan 29

THURSDAY

JANUARY

THEATRE LUNCHTIME READING LineStorm Playwrights in association with Artists Rep present

Confabulous

Written & Directed by Susan Faust FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 31 @ noon VENUE: Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: FREE Geraldine has dementia. Tally and Karen never did get along, and taking care of Mom isn’t making things any easier. Zev mows the lawn. Geraldine claims that he married her eons ago. Can things get any more fabulous than this?

THEATRE STAGED READING Twilight Theater Company presents

Help Me

By James Van Eaton Directed by Alicia Marie Turvin FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 31 @ 6pm & 9pm VENUE: Twilight Theater Company, 7515 N Brandon Ave., Portland OR 97217 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: 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 suspected. 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 first hope to change his perspective, his expectations, and finally, his situation.

THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Chapel Theatre Collective presents

Friends with Guns

By Stephanie Alison Walker Directed by Illya deTorres FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 31, Feb 1, 2 @ 7:30pm; Feb 3 @ 2pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATES: Feb 7–9 @ 7:30pm; Feb 10 @ 2pm; Feb 13–16 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Chapel Theatre, 4107 SE Harrison St., Milwaukie OR 97222 TICKETS: $25 BUY TICKETS: chapeltheatrecollective.com 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. Finalist for the 2018 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference

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DANCE

THEATRE

FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Polaris Dance Theatre presents

STAGED READING Jon Farley & Framed Infinity Productions present

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective, Hannah Downs & A-WOL Dance Collective VENUE: Polaris Dance Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave., Portland OR 97209 FESTIVAL DATE: Jan 31 @ 7:30pm TICKETS: $18–22 BUY TICKETS: polarisdance.org 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 Company. Robert Guitron, Artistic Director and Choreographer for Polaris Dance Theatre, will create a dynamic, athletic and whimsical never-before-seen piece.

ELa FaLa Collective, under the direction of Brazilian born dancer-choreographer, Barbara Lima, will make their big launch as an all-female company. The Collective seeks to create bridges between art, technology, culture, education and science, through a holistic vision of the world. Hannah Downs will present a work titled against its melting banks, a duet that explores the tension between comfort and freedom.

The choreography oscillates between soft vulnerability and fierce partnering.

The music is an original score that layers guitar, vocals and ambient percussion.

Choreography by Hannah Downs. A-WOL Dance Collective will present a World Premiere work titled, Nature of Daylight.

This new work takes human and animal instinct and inserts it into our daily routine of love and passion incorporating dance both on and off the ground. Choreography

by Brandy Guthery and music by The Acid.

FESTIVAL

PASSES

50!

$

SEE AS MANY AS YOU CAN GET IN!

fertilegroundpdx.org

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SLEEPWALKER

By Jon Farley Directed by Pat Janowski FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 31, Feb 1, 2 @ 7:30pm VENUE: The Headwaters Theatre, 55 N Farragut St., Portland OR 97211 TICKETS: $10–$20 (sliding scale) BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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. It relegates the character Jane to the minor status of being the object of male desire. 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. To be an adult woman, 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 which can make 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 selfactualization. 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.

ALSO ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 7pm Spring 4th Productions presents Men in Comfortable Pants…| See full listing on Jan 24 7pm The Broken Planetarium presents Sirens of Coos Bay | See full listing on Jan 30 7:30pm Lakewood Theatre with Candlestick Productions presents a dangerous joy (PSU, Boiler Room) | See full listing on Jan 27 7:30pm CompassWorks presents displaced/ detained/discovered | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Deep End Theater presents Presence | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Theatre Vertigo presents The Delays | See full listing on Jan 25 Jan 24

FRIDAY

FEBRUARY THEATRE READING LineStorm Playwrights in association with Artists Rep present

The Great God of the Dark Storm Cloud

By Josie Seid Directed by Tamara Lynn FESTIVAL DATE: Feb 1 @ 5:30pm VENUE: Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: FREE A contemporary retelling of the Greek tragedy Hecuba is told from an African American perspective, integrating modern themes and concepts, tied together with original music. A principal, haunted by a school shooting, uncovers a series of unthinkable crimes and conspiracies…and is pushed toward taking a shocking act of revenge.

DANCE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Polaris Dance Theatre presents

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective, Michal Schorsch & PDX Contemporary Ballet

VENUE: Polaris Dance Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave., Portland OR 97209 FESTIVAL DATE: Feb 1 @ 7:30pm TICKETS: $18–22 BUY TICKETS: polarisdance.org 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 Company. Robert Guitron, Artistic Director and Choreographer for Polaris Dance Theatre will create a dynamic, athletic and whimsical never-beforeseen piece. ELa FaLa Collective, under the direction of Brazilian born dancer-

FESTIVAL PASSES ONLY $50 A CULTURAL ADVENTURE! Reservations required. Based on availability. info at fertilegroundpdx.org

choreographer, Barbara Lima, will make their big launch as an all-female company.

The Collective seeks to create bridges between art, technology, culture, education and science, through a holistic vision of the world. Michal Schorsch presents Untitled, a solo that is an expression and extension of the grooves that have been juicing inside Michal. The movement is percussive, frenetic and sinewy – it aims to soothe and empower. There will be a live musician mixed with a pre-recorded track.

Choreographed and danced by Michal Schorsch. PDX Contemporary Ballet will present a works-in-progress titled Materialize/UNDONE that are inspired by the phrase “to choose authentically means we are individually responsible to undertake the challenge of continually creating ourselves.”

THEATRE WORKSHOP READING Orphic presents

The Killing Fields

By Anya Pearson Based on Aeschylus’ tragedy Agamemnon Commissioned by Orphic Directed by Andrew Wardenaar FESTIVAL DATES: Feb 1, 2 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Shout House, 210 SE Madison St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: FREE The Killing Fields, by Anya Pearson, is a riveting new drama about love, loss, and the true price of vengeance. Set in 1980s 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.

ALSO ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 12pm Kettlehead Studios & LineStorm Playwrights present The Lindworm | See full listing on Jan 24 7pm Spring 4th Productions presents Men in Comfortable Pants…| See full listing on Jan 24 7pm The Broken Planetarium presents Sirens of Coos Bay | See full listing on Jan 30 7pm PDX Playwrights presents The Bad Hour | See full listing on Jan 27 7:30pm Lakewood Theatre with Candlestick Productions present a dangerous joy (PSU, Boiler Room) | See full listing on Jan 27

7:30pm Rogue Pack presents Creating Life Inside | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm CompassWorks presents displaced/ detained/discovered | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Chapel Theatre Collective presents Friends with Guns | See full listing on Jan 31 7:30pm PassinArt presents Hazardous Beauty | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Deep End Theater presents Presence | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Jon Farley & Framed Infinity Productions present SLEEPWALKER | See full listing on Jan 31 7:30pm Theatre Vertigo presents The Delays | See full listing on Jan 25 8pm Echo Theater Company presents Essentials | See full listing on Jan 25 8pm 79th Avenue Festival presents The Squeeze | See full listing on Jan 24 8:30pm 79th Avenue Festival presents Castaway Cabaret | See full listing on Jan 24 9pm PDX Playwrights presents Daisy Dukes Shorts Night | See full listing on Jan 25

SATURDAY

FEBRUARY THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Northwest Children’s Theater presents

The Starlings Present: Dinosaurs!

Created by Sarah Jane Hardy & John Ellingson FESTIVAL DATES: Feb 2, 3 @ 11am & 2pm ADDITIONAL RUN DATES: Feb 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 @ 11am & 2pm VENUE: Northwest Children’s Theater, 1819 NW Everett St., Portland OR 97209 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 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!

MUSICAL THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Lakewood Theatre Company presents

Dancing With July

Music by Jean Lee Book & Lyrics by Hayley Green Directed by Jorie Jones Musical direction by Peyton Noreen FESTIVAL DATE: Feb 2 @ 2pm VENUE: Lakewood Theatre Company, 368 S State St., Lake Oswego OR 97034 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 they 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.

DANCE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Polaris Dance Theatre presents

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring Polaris Junior Company + NEO Youth Company & MAC FESTIVAL DATE: Feb 2 @ 2pm VENUE: Polaris Dance Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave., Portland OR 97209

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TICKETS: $18–22 BUY TICKETS: polarisdance.org 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 Company. During this program we are proud to present works-in-progress from Polaris Junior Company + NEO Youth Company. These young, vibrant and powerful dancers bring a bold tone to the matinee show. These companies are under the direction of M’Liss Quinnly.

The Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC) dancers directed by Erin Zintek will present a performance titled The Project Approach based on the collaboration of multigenerational dancers. The coaches will guide and assist the young dance makers, but ultimately their voices will be heard. This piece is based on the principles of the Katz and Reggio Emilia Curriculum designed to support collaboration with their peers, educators and families. The role of the educator is to facilitate and support children’s learning and to work with the young dancers to create a diverse range of interpretation, investigation and negotiation.

DANCE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Polaris Dance Theatre presents

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective & Vitality Dance Collective

FESTIVAL DATE: Feb 2 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Polaris Dance Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave., Portland OR 97209 TICKETS: $18–22 BUY TICKETS: polarisdance.org 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.

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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 Company.

Robert Guitron, Artistic Director and Choreographer for Polaris Dance Theatre will create a dynamic, athletic and whimsical never-before-seen piece. ELa FaLa Collective, under the direction of Brazilian born dancer-choreographer, Barbara Lima, will make their big launch as an all-female company. The Collective seeks to create bridges between art, technology, culture, education and science, through a holistic vision of the world. Vitality Dance Collective presents Depiction, a 4-piece work that defines separate styles of dance—Ballet, Modern, Modern Jazz and Contemporary. The piece will be danced by Emily Tunstall-Frack, Emily Rose Vincent, Kelsey MahoneyWatson, Kristina York and Sabrena O’Day. The Ballet section will be choreographed

by Emily Tunstall-Frack with music

by Bortex, the Modern section will be choreographed by Kimberlee Kind with music by Tracy Chapman, the Modern Jazz section will be choreographed by Sabrena O’day with music by Kenny G, and the Contemporary section will be choreographed by Kelsey Mahoney-Watson with music by Broods.

CIRCUS ARTS MULTIDISCIPLINARY SHOWCASE The Circus Project presents

Living Room Circus

FESTIVAL DATES: Feb 2 @ 8pm; Feb 3 @ 6pm VENUE: The Circus Project, 1420 NW 17th Ave., #388, Portland OR 97209 TICKETS: $0–$20 (Suggested donation) BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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. Contact frontdesk@thecircusproject.org if you require specific seating needs.

Due to the nature of this type of event, content may not be appropriate for all audiences.

Contact us if you have any questions or concerns: frontdesk@thecircusproject.org

STORYTELLING/ PERFORMANCE ART/THEATRE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Portland Story Theater Presents

You Were Supposed To Be This Great Thing

Story Created & Told by Warren McPherson Directed by Lynne Duddy & Lawrence Howard FESTIVAL DATE: Feb 2 @ 8pm VENUE: The Old Church Concert Hall, 1422 SW 11th St., Portland OR 97201 TICKETS: $15 advance; $20 day of show; $5 Arts for All BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org 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. Appropriate for age 18+

THEATRE WORKSHOP PDX PLAYWRIGHTS PRESENTS

I’m a Slut, Sababa

By Caitlin Beckwith-Ferguson FESTIVAL DATES: Feb 2 @ 9pm; Feb 3 @ 7pm VENUE: Hipbone Theatre, 1847 E Burnside St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org A hilarious, thought-provoking play about sexuality, gender and feminism in Judaism and Israel, I’m a Slut, Sababa tells the stories of five Israeli women. While all

FESTIVAL PASSES ONLY $50 A CULTURAL ADVENTURE! Reservations required. Based on availability. info at fertilegroundpdx.org

are Jewish, each has a unique perspective shaped by widely divergent lifetimes and experiences. Local or immigrant, young or old, religious or secular, all five are feminists; they believe in the power of women. Based on interviews with 20 Israeli women, the play is open and honest in its exploration of female sexuality through themes of empowerment, validation, control, desire and self-awareness.

10pm 79th Avenue Festival presents The Squeeze | See full listing on Jan 24 10:30pm 79th Avenue Festival presents Castaway Cabaret | See full listing on Jan 24

SUNDAY

FEBRUARY

ALSO ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 2pm Rosie Rose Productions presents An Irish Exit | See full listing on Jan 26 3pm Deep End Theater presents Presence | See full listing on Jan 25 5pm Le Why Not Productions presents JUICEBOX | See full listing on Jan 26 5:30pm Studio Z presents Leaving Manzanita | See full listing on Jan 25 7pm PDX Playwrights presents 5x4: A Collection of Short and One-Act Plays | See full listing on Jan 27 7:30pm Lakewood Theatre with Candlestick Productions present a dangerous joy (PSU, Boiler Room) | See full listing on Jan 27 7:30pm Rogue Pack presents Creating Life Inside | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm CompassWorks presents displaced/ detained/discovered | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Echo Theater Company presents Essentials | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Chapel Theatre Collective presents Friends with Guns | See full listing on Jan 31 7:30pm PassinArt presents Hazardous Beauty | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Deep End Theater presents Presence | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Jon Farley & Framed Infinity Productions present SLEEPWALKER | See full listing on Jan 31 7:30pm Theatre Vertigo presents The Delays | See full listing on Jan 25 7:30pm Orphic presents The Killing Fields | See full listing on Feb 1 7:30pm Kettlehead Studios presents The Lindworm | See full listing on Jan 24 7:30 pm Many Hats Collaboration presents The Undertaking (Lincoln Recital Hall) | See full listing on Jan 25 8pm 79th Avenue Festival presents The Squeeze | See full listing on Jan 24 8:30pm 79th Avenue Festival presents Castaway Cabaret | See full listing on Jan 24 9pm Artful Raven Studio presents The Jade Decanter | See full listing on Jan 26

THEATRE STAGED READING PDX Playwrights presents

Kait

By Rebecca Petchenik FESTIVAL DATE: Feb 3 @ 2pm VENUE: Hipbone Theatre, 1847 E Burnside St., Portland OR 97214 TICKETS: $10 BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org In a near future, true artificial intelligence is discovered in an animatronic sex doll after it kills its violent and abusive owner.

The doll’s original programmer and her attorney come to the rescue to save the doll from destruction at the hands of the state and from the clutches of a greedy robotics corporation.

DANCE FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERE Polaris Dance Theatre presents

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2019 featuring the Polaris Company, ELa FaLa Collective & ELXR Dance Company

FESTIVAL DATE: Feb 3 @ 7:30pm VENUE: Polaris Dance Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave. Portland, OR 97209 TICKETS: $18–22 BUY TICKETS: polarisdance.org 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 Company. The closing performance will include the Polaris Company and ELa FaLa Collective who will present their World Premiere works in Groovin’ Greenhouse for the last

time. Robert Guitron, Artistic Director and Choreographer for Polaris Dance Theatre will create a dynamic, athletic and whimsical never-before-seen piece.

ELa FaLa Collective, under the direction of Brazilian born dancer-choreographer, Barbara Lima, will make their big launch as an all-female company. The Collective seeks to create bridges between art, technology, culture, education and science, through a holistic vision of the world. The program will be shared with ELXR Dance Company.

They will present a World Premiere work with their brand new company. Their styles include contemporary, jazz and funk/hip-hop.

ALSO ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3 11am Northwest Children’s Theater presents The Starlings Present: Dinosaurs! | See full listing on Feb 2 12pm PDX Playwrights presents A Holding Tank and Wild Bill | See full listing on Jan 26 1pm Artful Raven Studio presents HOMEBREW 2019: A PDX ANIMATION SHOWCASE | See full listing on Jan 27 2pm Lily Valentine Productions presents disconnected: a frankenstein musical | See full listing on Jan 27 2pm Chapel Theatre Collective presents Friends with Guns | See full listing on Jan 31 2pm Le Why Not Productions presents JUICEBOX | See full listing on Jan 26 2pm Studio Z presents Leaving Manzanita | See full listing on Jan 25 2pm Theatre Vertigo presents The Delays | See full listing on Jan 25 2pm Northwest Children’s Theater presents The Starlings Present: Dinosaurs! | See full listing on Feb 2 2pm Many Hats Collaboration presents The Undertaking (Lincoln Recital Hall) | See full listing on Jan 25 3pm Echo Theater Company presents Essentials | See full listing on Jan 25 3pm PassinArt presents Hazardous Beauty | See full listing on Jan 25 5pm PDX Playwrights presents The Sequelz See full listing on Jan 26 6pm Living Room Circus | See full listing on Jan 22 7pm PDX Playwrights presents I’m a Slut, Sababa | See full listing on Feb 2 7:30pm Lakewood Theatre presents Sides: the Musical (Portland Playhouse)| See full listing on Jan 29 8pm 79th Avenue Festival presents The Squeeze | See full listing on Jan 24 8:30pm 79th Avenue Festival presents Castaway Cabaret | See full listing on Jan 24

MANAGE YOUR FESTIVAL PASS AT boxofficetickets.com or email fertileground@boxofficetickets.com

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FESTIVAL VENUES ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE 1515 SW Morrison St. Portland OR 97205

LAKEWOOD THEATRE COMPANY 368 S State St. Lake Oswego OR 97034

ROBINWOOD FIRE STATION 3706 Cedaroak Dr. West Linn OR 97068

BLACKFISH GALLERY 420 NW 9th Ave. Portland OR 97209

LINCOLN RECITAL HALL (Room 75 in the basement) 1620 SW Park Ave. Portland OR 97201

SELLWOOD PLAYHOUSE 901 SE Spokane St. Portland OR 97202

CERIMON HOUSE 5131 NE 23rd Ave. Portland OR 97211 CHAPEL THEATRE 4107 SE Harrison St. Milwaukie OR 97222 CLASSIC PIANOS 3003 SE Milwaukie Ave. Portland OR 97202 COHO PRODUCTIONS 2257 NW Raleigh St. Portland OR 97210 COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER 3350 SE Francis St. Portland OR 97202 CRAFTSMAN THEATRE STUDIO 437 NE 79th Ave. Portland OR 97213

MOTHER FOUCAULT’S BOOKSHOP 523 SE Morrison St. Portland OR 97214 NORTHWEST CHILDREN’S THEATER 1819 NW Everett St. Portland OR 97209 PERFORMANCE WORKS NORTHWEST 4625 SE 67th St. Portland OR 97206 PETE STUDIO 3520 SE Yamhill St. Portland OR 97214 POLARIS DANCE THEATRE 1826 NW 18th Ave. Portland OR 97209

CSZ PORTLAND 1963 NW Kearney St. Portland OR 97209

PORTLAND’5 CENTER FOR THE ARTS, BRUNISH THEATRE 1111 SW Broadway Portland OR 97205

DEEP END THEATER 211 SE 11th Ave. Portland OR 97214

PORTLAND PLAYHOUSE 602 NE Prescott St. Portland OR 97211

ECHO THEATER 1515 SE 37th Ave. Portland OR 97214

PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY, LINCOLN HALL

HEADWATERS THEATRE 55 N Farragut St. Portland OR 97211 HIPBONE THEATRE 1847 E Burnside St. Portland OR 97214 INTERSTATE FIREHOUSE CULTURAL CENTER 5340 N Interstate Ave. Portland OR 97217 KICKSTAND COMEDY SPACE (above The Siren Theater, stair accessibility only)

315 NW Davis St. Portland OR 97209

Boiler Room Studio Theatre (basement)

1620 SW Park Ave. Portland OR 97201 RESOUND NW 1532 SW Jefferson St. Portland OR 97201

SHOEBOX THEATER 2110 SE 10th Ave. Portland OR 97214 SHOUT HOUSE 210 SE Madison Ave. Portland OR 97214 SUNNYSIDE COMMUNITY HOUSE 3520 SE Yamhill St. Portland OR 97214 THE CIRCUS PROJECT 1420 NW 17th Ave., #388 Portland OR 97209 THE OLD CHURCH CONCERT HALL 1422 SW 11th St. Portland OR 97201 THE SANCTUARY AT SANDY PLAZA 1785 NE Sandy Blvd.

Portland OR 97232 THE SIREN THEATER 315 NW Davis St. Portland OR 97209 TWILIGHT THEATER COMPANY 7515 N Brandon Ave. Portland OR 97217 UNITY OF PORTLAND 4525 SE Stark St. Portland OR 97215 WACOM EXPERIENCE CENTER 1455 NW Irving St. Portland OR 97209

REVOLUTION HALL, SUNSET ROOM 1300 SE Stark St. Portland OR 97214

FESTIVAL PASSES

$

50!

Buy and manage your reservations at www.boxofficetickets.com Or by email at fertileground@boxofficetickets.com Reservations required. Based on availability.

Buy and learn more at fertilegroundpdx.org