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WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY
DELANNA STUDI DIRECTED BY
COREY MADDEN
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AT TH E P E R FO R M A N C E A CIT Y PL AYBILL AND PERFORMING ARTS MAGA ZINE
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CONTENTS 7
FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
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THE MAGIC PLAY
12 A MAGICAL COLLABORATION 14 AND SO WE WALKED 15 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TRAIL OF TEARS 30 ARTSLANDIA
ARTS CALENDAR
34 FROM THE EDITOR-AT-LARGE 38 CHRIS COLEMAN: EXIT TO DENVER
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The Artistic Director for The Armory reflects on his tenure.
42 VEDEM: A JEWISH RESISTANCE ‘ZINE FROM THE HOLOCAUST
The story of a teen-written magazine that united a Nazi concentration camp.
49 THE GRASS DANCE
FLOURISHES
Gerry RainingBird nurtures powwow dance tradition.
42
49
54 WHO IS SUSANNAH MARS? Get to know the artist.
M A RCH | A PRIL 2018
A RT S L A N D I A .COM
MARCH | APRIL 2018
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WELCOME TO OUR 30TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON!
FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CHRIS COLEMAN
THE MAGIC PLAY
AND SO WE WALKED
If you could see any magic trick in the world performed before your eyes, what would it be?
When we were casting for Astoria: Part One, one of the most critical roles we needed to fill was that of Marie Dorion, the lone woman on the expedition and one of the most colorful and inspiring survivors in the story. I suspected that we were getting a gifted actress when we chose DeLanna Studi. I did not realize that we were getting so much more.
Pull a rabbit out of a hat? Saw your neighbor in half? Lose five pounds? Pay off your mortgage? Get rid of Oregon’s kicker? In Andrew Hinderaker’s new piece, The Magic Play, the fantasies and longings we hold close provide the raw ingredients for a fascinating production. With master illusionist Brett Schneider at the center of the play’s action, the writer and performer excavate the distance between what we believe, what we long for, and what our eyes tell us is true. Using magic as a means of delving into the emotional scars of the central character’s past, the line between truth and illusion begins to melt away. “Yes, I have tricks in my pocket. I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.” —Tennessee Williams
It was fascinating having DeLanna in the room. It quickly became clear that beyond her talents as an actress, her journey as a Cherokee woman had taught her so much that was able to inform our work. She had extensive connections in the Native community that helped open doors to a wealth of knowledge. With cultural awareness and sensitivity, she helped us respectfully recreate a pipe ceremony, shared insights from local tribal citizens, explained the intricacies of matrilineal tribal societies, and so much more that enriched the process. In one of those theatrical moments of kismet, as we were prepping for Astoria, DeLanna’s own play, And So We Walked, had been entered into a play competition at Native Voices at the Autry in Los Angeles, the country’s only Equity theater company dedicated exclusively to producing new works by Native American, Alaska Native and First Nations playwrights. Our Managing Director, Cynthia Fuhrman, was on the judging panel and so brought DeLanna’s play to my attention. I was spellbound with the script. The story was so compelling and powerful. It was a voice I had not heard in the theater. So I am truly honored that we get to share this important story with you today.
THE ARMORY
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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | CHRIS COLEMAN
MARCH 3 – APRIL 1, 2018 ON THE U.S. BANK MAIN STAGE
PRESENTS
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Actors Theatre of Louisville and Syracuse Stage
THE MAGIC PLAY By Andrew Hinderaker Directed by Halena Kays with Magic created by Brett Schneider Scenic Designer Lizzie Bracken
Costume Designer Alison Siple
Magic Consultant Jim Steinmeyer
Lighting Designer Jesse Belsky
Aerial Consultant Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi
Sound Designer/ Original Music Matthew M. Nielson
Stage Manager Kelsey Daye Lutz
Media Designer Philip Allgeier
Production Assistant Danny Rosales
Flying Effects provided by ZFX, Inc.
CAST The Magician....................................................................................................Brett Schneider The Diver.................................................................................................................Sean Parris Another Magician..........................................................................................................Jack Bronis Brett Schneider is a professional magician. No actors or stooges are used as volunteers in this show. The video feed of The Magician’s table is an unaltered live feed. The Magic Play was produced in a developmental production at Goodman Theatre’s 2014 New Stages Festival and received the first production in its rolling world premiere at Goodman Theatre, Chicago, Illinois on November 1, 2016, Robert Falls, Artistic Director, Roche Schulfer, Executive Director.
PERFORMED WITH ONE INTERMISSION The photo, video or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited. If you photograph the set before or after the performance, please credit the scenic designer if you share the image.
The Actors and Stage Manager employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
SEASON SUPERSTARS
SUPPORTING SEASON SPONSORS
SHOW SPONSORS Jess Dishman Paul & Tasca Gulick Marcy & Richard Schwartz
®
Portland Center Stage at The Armory receives support from the Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency funded by the State of Oregon and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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THE MAGIC PLAY | CAST & CREATIVE TEAM JACK BRONIS Another Magician
Jack Bronis is thrilled to be making his debut at The Armory. Jack also played the role of Another Magician in Actors Theatre of Louisville’s production of The Magic Play. He was a founding member of The Noble Fool Theater, with whom he performed in The Underpants, Roasting Chestnuts, The Baritones and Flanagan’s Wake. Films include The Last Rites of Joe May, Chicago Overcoat, Best if Used By and For a Good Time. Television roles include Chicago Fire, Early Edition, The Playboy Club and Unsolved Mysteries. Jack is a longtime faculty member of The Second City Training Center and Acting Studio Chicago. He is the original director and a co-creator of Flanagan’s Wake, and wrote the book and lyrics for Vikings! A Musical in Two Axe. SEAN PARRIS The Diver
Sean Parris is excited to make his debut at The Armory. He was born in Los Angeles and raised in Miami and Georgia by his amazing mom. He currently lives in Chicago, where his credits include The Magic Play (Goodman Theatre); Space Age, a two-man show created with his reallife intimate partner Ricardo Gamboa (Free Street Theater); Blues for An Alabama Sky (Court Theatre); Compass, Animal Farm and The Drunken City (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Whipping Man (Northlight Theatre); and A Girl With Sun in Her Eyes (Pine Box Theater). Television credits: Sickos (Cap Gun Collective); Chicago P.D. (NBC); The Chi (Showtime); and Brujos (OpenTV’s original web series). Sean received his M.F.A. from DePaul University Theatre School and is a graduate of The Academy of Black Box Acting. He is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency. BRETT SCHNEIDER The Magician/ Magic Creator
Regional: The Magic Play at The Goodman Theatre, Olney Theatre Center and Actors Theatre of Louisville; The Glass Menagerie at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; and Peter and the Wolf at
Lookingglass Theatre Company. OffBroadway: The Magic Play (workshop) at Roundabout Theatre Company. Television: Rise (NBC); Chicago Fire (NBC); Chicago P.D. (NBC); Chicago MED (NBC); Vinyl (HBO); and Sirens (USA). Other theater credits include The Great God Pan at Next Theatre; The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle at Steep Theatre; Homecoming 1972 at Chicago Dramatists; Rose and the Rime at The House Theatre. Schneider is a graduate of Northwestern University and The School at Steppenwolf. He is also a professional magician, illusion designer and a member of the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. ANDREW HINDERAKER Playwright
Andrew Hinderaker is an ensemble member of The Gift Theatre in Chicago, where his play Suicide, Incorporated premiered before subsequent productions in New York and throughout the world. Additional plays include I Am Going To Change The World, Dirty, Kingsville and Colossal, which received the 2015 Helen Hayes Award for Best New Play. Hinderaker is thrilled to be working at The Armory and presenting The Magic Play, an almost five-year collaboration with actor/magician Brett Schneider and director Halena Kays. Hinderaker holds an M.F.A. in playwriting from The University of Texas at Austin and also works as a television writer, where recent credits include Penny Dreadful (Showtime), Pure Genius (CBS) and The Path (Hulu). He was recently nominated for another Helen Hayes for The Magic Play (Olney Theatre Center), as well as a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode of a Television Series.
HALENA KAYS Director
Halena Kays is thrilled to be working at The Armory for the first time. Regional theater: The Magic Play at Goodman Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Olney Theatre Center; Lord of the Flies at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Feast (part of a collaborative directing effort) for The Albany Park Theatre Project at Goodman Theatre. Chicago credits: Pop Waits, Burning Bluebeard, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, Daredevils, Daredevils Hamlet and Fake Lake at The Neo-Futurists
(artistic associate); and Endgame, Ivywild and Six Characters in Search of an Author at The Hypocrites. Kays is the former artistic director of The Hypocrites and co-founder and former artistic director of Barrel of Monkeys. She has been nominated for a Jefferson Citation for Best Supporting Actress and Best Direction and is a recipient of the 3Arts Award. She is the professor of directing at Middle Tennessee State University. LIZZIE BRACKEN Scenic Designer
Lizzie is delighted to be designing at The Armory for the first time. Regional theater: The Magic Play at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Olney Theatre Center and Goodman Theatre; Lord of the Flies, The Book Thief, Blacktop Sky and See What I Wanna See at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Chicago credits: Burning Bluebeard with The Ruffians; Endgame, Ivywild and Six Characters in Search of an Author with The Hypocrites; PopWaits and 44 plays for 44 Presidents with The Neo-Futurists. Lizzie received her M.F.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and B.Arch. from University of Notre Dame. Lizzie was an assistant professor at North Central College for several years and, prior to her career in theater, was an architect with Fairfax & Sammons Architects in New York.
ALISON SIPLE Costume Designer
Recent projects include Lost Laughs (Merrimack Repertory Theatre), You Got Older (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), In the Next Room, or the vibrator play (TimeLine Theatre Company); Angels in America, Airness and The 39 Steps (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Earthquakes in London and Motortown (Steep Theatre); The Yeomen of the Guard (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Our Town (Almeida Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, The Broad Stage, Barrow Street Theatre, The Hypocrites); and All Our Tragic, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado and H.M.S. Pinafore (The Hypocrites). She is a graduate of Northwestern University, a community member of The Hypocrites, an artistic associate with Lookingglass Theatre Company and an associate company member of Steep Theatre. alisonsiple.com THE M AGIC PL AY • THE ARMORY
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THE MAGIC PLAY | CREATIVE TEAM JESSE BELSKY Lighting Designer
Jesse Belsky is delighted to be working at The Armory. Regional credits include The Year of Magical Thinking (Arena Stage); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Ford’s Theatre); Lydia and Rough Crossing (Yale Repertory Theatre); Handbagged and The Book Of Will (Round House Theatre); The Mystery of Love & Sex (Signature Theatre); Sense & Sensibility and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Folger Theatre); The Year of Magical Thinking (PlayMakers Repertory Company); The Magic Play (Olney Theatre Center); The Effect, Three Sisters, No Sisters and ANIMAL (Studio Theatre); and Everything is Illuminated (Theater J). New York City designs include The Body Politic (59E59 Theaters); Lysistrata and Women of Troy (La MaMa Annex); and My Trip Down the Pink Carpet (starring Leslie Jordan). Mr. Belsky holds a B.A. from Duke University, an M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama and has taught lighting design at Connecticut College and UNC Greensboro. jessebelsky.com
PHILIP ALLGEIER Media Designer
Philip Allgeier has performed multiple media-related duties for television and live events across the country. Philip has been the media technologist for Actors Theatre of Louisville since 2008, where he has designed media for more than 50 productions, including many world premieres for the Humana Festival of New American Plays, such as Lucas
Hnath’s The Christians, Charles L. Mee’s The Glory of the World and Will Eno’s Gnit. Additional credits at Actors Theatre of Louisville: The Mountaintop, At the Vanishing Point, The 39 Steps, The Last Five Years, Peter and the Starcatcher, Angels in America (part one and two), The Hour of Feeling and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Philip has also designed media for productions at Playwrights Horizons, Mark Taper
YOUR DIRECT LINE WHEN
LONDON CALLS. Nonstop from PDX to London starting May 4, 2018.
MATTHEW M. NIELSON Sound Designer/Original Music
Off-Broadway: The Public Theater/ New York Shakespeare Festival, 59E59 Theaters and Lincoln Center. Regional: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Delaware Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Barrington Stage Company, Contemporary American Theater Festival, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Olney Theatre Center, Round House Theatre and Theater Alliance. Film and television: The Hero Effect, Death in Time, Elbow Grease, Blue, Epix Drive-In, From Hell to Here, The Good Ways of Things and The Long Road. Nielson is a founding member of the audio theater company The Audible Group and creator of the audio web series Troublesome Gap. He has won several Helen Hayes Awards and various film festival awards for his work in theater, film and television. He is currently running Sound Lab Studios, a recording studio and postproduction house. curiousmusic.com
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11/29/17 3:01 PM
THE MAGIC PLAY | CREATIVE TEAM Forum, Brooklyn Academy of Music and others. Mr. Allgeier is a graduate of Western Kentucky University. JIM STEINMEYER Magic Consultant
Jim Steinmeyer has been called the “celebrated invisible man, designer and creative brain behind many of the great stage magicians of the last quartercentury” by The New York Times. Mr. Steinmeyer’s illusions have been featured by Doug Henning, Siegfried and Roy, David Copperfield, Ricky Jay and many others. He created special illusions for the Broadway productions of Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Mary Poppins and Aladdin. He is also the author of best-selling books on the history and practice of magic, including Hiding the Elephant, The Glorious Deception and The Last Greatest Magician in the World.
SYLVIA HERNANDEZ-DISTASI Aerial Consultant
Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi has been creating her unique brand of circusinspired choreography since leaving her career as a circus acrobat in the early 1990s. She is a co-founder and the current artistic director of The Actors Gymnasium outside of Chicago, where she serves as master teacher, choreographer
and director of The Professional Circus Training Program. Sylvia has been an artistic associate of the Tony Awardwinning Lookingglass Theatre Company since 1999. She has worked on more than 15 productions with the company, winning three of her four Joseph Jefferson Awards with them. She also won the 3Arts Award for Design (2014) and the Award of Honor for Outstanding Contributions by The Illinois Theatre Association. KELSEY DAYE LUTZ Stage Manager
The Armory credits include stage manager for Twist Your Dickens (2017), His Eye is on the Sparrow, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, Hold These Truths, The Pianist of Willesden Lane (2016 and 2017), Each and Every Thing, Forever, The Santaland Diaries, The Lion, The People’s Republic of Portland (2015), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Typographer’s Dream, The Last Five Years and A Small Fire. Kelsey Daye is a graduate of University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She would like to thank her pups for all their unconditional love and Shamus for being wonderful.
DANNY ROSALES Production Assistant
Danny is excited to return to The Armory after making his debut as production
assistant for Every Brilliant Thing. Born and raised in Oregon, he is a recent graduate of Portland State University with a degree in theater arts. During his time at PSU, he stage managed many shows. His favorites include The Importance of Being Earnest, Eurydice and Sons of the Prophet. When he’s not busy working on shows, you can usually find him either playing the piano or eating ice cream. Silliness aside, Danny is grateful to be working on this fantastic show with such amazing people. Lastly, he would like to thank his friends and family for all their love and support. ZFX, INC. Flying Effects
Founded in 1994, ZFX, Inc. is the complete service provider for flying effects. They don’t just handle the rigging or flying harnesses. They’re not just skilled at automation, choreography and flying design. ZFX, Inc. covers every aspect of flying possibilities. From high schools to Broadway, churches to special events, ZFX, Inc. zealously pursues its goal of worldwide domination of the performer flying industry (galactic domination coming soon). Their infectious enthusiasm comes at no additional charge. They don’t wake up and put their pants on one leg at a time like the others do. They wrap themselves in kilts and stride boldly out into the world.
THE MAGIC PLAY | SPONSOR STATEMENTS JESS DISHMAN
The Magic Play is a dramatic view of humanity. It offers a look at life through the lens of a magic show, a show within a show. It does what theater does best: it reveals a brief glimpse behind our masks. Enjoy this production from Portland Center Stage at The Armory.
PAUL AND TASCA GULICK
We are excited to help bring The Magic Play to The Armory because, after all, who doesn’t want a little more magic in their lives? A little mystery, a little thrill, a little challenge to try and figure out: How did he do that? Why are we drawn to things our senses and logic can’t explain? Perhaps it’s our way to connect to moments in our past, those magical memories that linger far past the amazing and unexpected events
themselves. Or perhaps we cling to the very idea that there are forces at play that we can never understand. Magic is at the heart of what Portland Center Stage at The Armory does every day. Through the magic of theater, they bring us moments of surprise, they challenge us to better understand the world that surrounds us, and they transport us to times and places both familiar and unknown. We are extremely proud to be longtime supporters of this company and sponsors of this production. We hope you enjoy it!
MARCY AND RICHARD SCHWARTZ
We are delighted to sponsor The Magic Play. Not only are we lovers of card trick mastery, but we think Portland Center Stage at The Armory has exemplified the magic of theater for over 30 years. Enjoy the show!
THE M AGIC PL AY • THE ARMORY
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ANDREW HINDERAKER
PLAYWRIGHT
WHAT SPARKED THE IDEA FOR THE MAGIC PLAY? I have been a fan of magic for a very, very long time. I had an uncle who was both a professional set designer and an amateur magician. And he taught me my very first magic trick when I was a little kid. On a larger level, I just like what magic can do as a form of theater. For me, the essence of theater is its impermanence. The idea that we are in this space together for a limited amount of time. I think magic in some ways captures the essence of that so beautifully, and it is really about the profound beauty in the theatricality of a moment. That idea of a moment that wakes us up or shifts our perception or teaches us we’ve been looking at exactly the right thing, but somehow we still missed something, is such an extraordinary experience as an audience member — to sort of supercharge us to be more present, to be more awake. 12
THE ARMORY • THE M AGIC PL AY
I think that is the essence of theater at its best. I’ve been to magic shows where people are gasping out loud, screaming profanities inadvertently, or where they’ve just burst into tears. And I can’t help but ask: why doesn’t the theater feel like that more often? That was the initial inspiration and I pretty quickly thereafter started working with Brett Schneider — we came together in early 2013 — and started talking about this piece. Initially, I reached out to Brett just to talk about magic and why he does it, and by really the end of the first meeting I thought, “I’ve got to try to write the role for this person.” WHAT DID YOU DISCOVER DURING THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS? I was interested in telling a piece about a theater artist that was broken in some way. And when I got into the world of magic I think one of the things that struck me was this sort of intrinsic metaphor of someone who can never be fully present for all of these miraculous experiences they were providing for somebody else.
Being a playwright is not totally unlike being a magician: you are crafting an experience, you are manipulating an audience. And one of the things that interests me is how do I loosen that grip a little bit as a playwright. How do I become more of a generous theater artist, both toward the collaborative team that I work with and the audience that we’re fortunate enough to engage with? What does that mean to give up a little control? And I think that’s a big part of what we’re exploring in this play. WHAT WILL YOU TAKE WITH YOU TO YOUR FUTURE WORK? A lot. For me, [magic] sort of raises the bar for what you demand from a piece of theater. One of the things that’s so rewarding about this play that I’ll continue to take into future work is that this can only happen in the theater. More and more, I’m interested in writing theatrical events rather than plays, and this has been a huge inspiration for continuing to lean into that. Interview by Emily Sorensen, Dramaturg, Olney Theatre Center.
Brett Schneider in The Magic Play at Goodman Theatre. Photo by Liz Lauren.
INTERVIEW :
INTERVIEW :
BRETT SCHNEIDER
PERFORMER AND MAGIC CREATOR WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN MAGIC? I received a magic kit as a gift as a child, but was too young to understand it, so it sat on a shelf until I was probably 11 or 12 years old. Once I was able to teach myself, I pulled it down and was hooked. A lot of kids go through a magic phase but then lose interest. I stuck with it because, in addition to my magic kit, I found a local magic shop in San Francisco called Misdirections that just blew my mind and opened up a whole new world of possibilities. I had some friends who were interested in magic, but I mostly learned the old school way through books and then started performing on my own part time as a teenager. IS THAT WHEN YOU DECIDED TO INCORPORATE ELEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL THEATER INTO YOUR SHOWS? As a teenager I started really getting into theater separately. I was lucky to have a great high school drama teacher who
taught a lot of improv and ensemble-driven theater that inspired me to embrace the storytelling aspect of theater. As I was performing more as a teenager, theater helped my magic and vice versa. I didn’t really think of combining the two until I was at Northwestern University. I had a writing partner who was into performance art and we started picking apart magic as a craft and why it’s valuable and what we found interesting about it. In my mind, magic is a subcategory of theater. I don’t see them as separate anymore. Theater is an umbrella term that covers so many different things. If you’re an illusionist or a mind reader, you’re a theater artist. Your magic and craft is simply the medium you choose. DUE TO THE AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION IN THE MAGIC PLAY, EACH PERFORMANCE IS DIFFERENT. DO YOU ENJOY THAT AS A PERFORMER? It’s incredible. I can’t say enough about how much of a gift this project has been for me over the last few years. It’s pushed me in so many ways as a magician, an actor, an illusion designer, a storyteller and has really helped me hone my craft. Andrew Hin-
deraker wrote this piece in such a manner that the performances literally can’t happen the same way twice and the show will always be different depending on the audience that night. That’s really exciting and really satisfies Andrew’s desire to take real risks in the theater. DO YOU BELIEVE MAGICIANS SHOULD EVER REVEAL THE SECRETS BEHIND THEIR TRICKS? It’s a case by case situation. If I’m working as a consultant on a theater piece and collaborating with other artists, I’m eager to teach the production team how and why something works and how to do it best. During the production process for this show, I met with all of the incredible designers. When I taught them something, they would add their own ideas and completely improve it. I have no qualms about sharing secrets with those who are ready to learn because that’s how I learned. For those who are willing to work hard, the answers are there. There’s a saying: “The door to magic may be closed, but it isn’t locked.” Interview by Michael Mellini, OnStage Editor, Goodman Theatre.
Portland Center Stage at
TOGETHER WE MAKE GREAT THEATER As a non-profit, 45% of Portland Center Stage at The Armory’s annual operating budget comes from donor contributions. Support at any level helps contribute to the ongoing success of our productions, our education and outreach programs, and our JAW festival, which nurtures and cultivates new works. Supporters like you keep premier professional theater in our lives and community, and provide a living wage for hundreds of artists and artisans each season. Please consider making a contribution today!
YOUR GIFT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.
Scene Shop super stars on the Astoria set. Photo by Kate Szrom.
Visit us online at pcs.org/give If you have any questions please contact Jack Ridenour at 503.445.3744 or jackr@pcs.org.
THE M AGIC PL AY • THE ARMORY
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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | CHRIS COLEMAN
MARCH 31 – MAY 13, 2018 IN THE ELLYN BYE STUDIO
PRESENTS
AND SO WE WALKED Written and Performed by DeLanna Studi Directed by Corey Madden
Scenic Designer John Coyne
Costume Designer Andja Budincich
Sound Designer Bruno Louchouarn
Lighting and Projection Designer Norman Coates
Composers Bruno Louchouarn John John Grant Sarah Elizabeth Burkey
Stage Manager Mark Tynan
Dialect Coach Mary McDonald-Lewis
Production Assistant Katie Nguyen
Developed with generous support from the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.
PERFORMED WITH ONE INTERMISSION The photo, video or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited. If you photograph the set before or after the performance, please credit the scenic designer if you share the image.
The Actor and Stage Manager in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
SEASON SUPERSTARS
SUPPORTING SEASON SPONSORS
SHOW SPONSORS
®
Portland Center Stage at The Armory receives support from the Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency funded by the State of Oregon and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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THE ARMORY • AND SO WE WALKED
Diana Gerding Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund Spirit Mountain Community Fund
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
THE TRAIL OF TEARS Information provided by the Cherokee Nation Cultural Resource Center.
MIGRATION FROM THE ORIGINAL Cherokee Nation began in the early 1800s. Some Cherokees, wary of white encroachment, moved west on their own and settled in other areas of the country. The majority, however, were forcibly expelled from their lands in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee and moved to the newly created Indian Nation in presentday Oklahoma in the late 1830s. White resentment of the Cherokee was not a new phenomenon. Thomas Jefferson, who often cited the Great Law of Peace of the Iroquois Confederacy as the model for the U.S. Constitution, supported Indian Removal as early as 1802. Animosity toward the Cherokee reached a pinnacle following the discovery of gold in northern Georgia, made just after the creation and passage of the original Cherokee Nation Constitution. Possessed by “gold fever” and a thirst for expansion, many white communities turned on their Cherokee neighbors. The U.S. government ultimately intervened, “removing” the Cherokee people from their farms, lands and homes. Despite the fact that Cherokee allies saved Andrew Jackson’s military command — and almost certainly his life — at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814, as president, he would authorize the Indian Removal Act of 1830. In 1832, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Cherokee sovereignty and affirmed their right to remain on their land; however, President Jackson arrogantly defied the decision and ordered the removal, an act that established the precedent for the future expulsion of other Native Americans from their ancestral homelands.
In 1835, approximately 100 Cherokee signed the Treaty of New Echota, which relinquished Cherokee claim to all lands east of the Mississippi River in exchange for land in Indian Territory, along with the promise of money, livestock, provisions, tools and other rewards. The majority of the Cherokee Nation did not endorse this treaty, with opposition led by Chief John Ross, a mixed-blood of Scottish and oneeighth Cherokee descent. The Treaty of New Echota led to bitter factionalism within the Cherokee Nation. Prior to the signing, the Cherokee Nation Council had passed a law calling for the death of anyone agreeing to give up tribal land. Many of the leaders of the pro-removal faction — known as the Treaty Party — would be killed upon the arrival of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory. The U.S. government used the Treaty of New Echota to justify the removal, and President Jackson ordered the U.S. Army to begin enforcing the Removal Act. The Cherokee were rounded up in the summer of 1838 and held in prison camps before being loaded onto boats that traveled the Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers into Indian Territory. Nearly all of the 17,000 Cherokee people were forced from their southeastern homeland. An estimated 4,000 died from hunger, exposure and disease during this journey, which became a cultural memory known as the “trail where they cried” for the Cherokees and other removed tribes. Today it is widely remembered by the general public as the “Trail of Tears.”
AND SO WE WALKED • THE ARMORY
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AND SO WE WALKED | CREATIVE TEAM
GLOSSARY TSALAQWA WEVTI [zhuh•LAH•kuh•WAY•uh•tee; ], the Old Homeplace YONEG [yo•NEH•guh; WADO [wah•DOH;
], white person ], thank you
AGEYUTSA [ah•gay•HYUECH;
], girl
KITUWAH [kih•TOO•wuh; ], home town of Cherokee People; the Cherokee People ULISI AGEYUTSA [ah•gah•LEE•see•ah•gay•HYUECH; ], granddaughter NANYEHI [NAHN•juh•hee], Cherokee name of Nancy Wood, Beloved Woman QUALLA BOUNDARY [KWAH•luh], a land trust of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, purchased by the tribe in the 1870s and placed under federal protection. Not technically a reservation. Enrolled members can buy, own and sell land. TAHLEQUAH [tah•lah•KWAH; ], located in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, and established in 1839 following the Indian Removal, Tahlequah is the capitol city of two Cherokee nations — the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation. [also: TALI ELIQUU (duh•LEE•kwaw; ), literally, “two is enough”] ELYSE [ay•LEE•see;
], grandmother
GATIYO [gah•TEE•yo;
], Stomp Dance
HIWASSEE [hai•WAH•see], refers to a river that flows northward from Georgia into North Carolina; it is an AmericanEnglish name that may be derived from the Cherokee word Ayuhawsi, which means meadow or savanna. TEKAHSKEH [tuh•KUH•skuh], a Cherokee leader (English name: Hair Conrad); the son of Onai, a Cherokee woman, and Hamilton Conrad, a white man.
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THE ARMORY • AND SO WE WALKED
DELANNA STUDI (CHEROKEE) Writer and Performer
Originally from Liberty, Oklahoma, DeLanna Studi is a proud citizen of Cherokee Nation. Her theater credits include the First National Broadway Tour of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play August: Osage County; Off-Broadway’s Informed Consent at Duke Theater on 42nd Street; and regional theater credits at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Portland Center Stage at The Armory (Astoria: Part One and Two), Cornerstone Theater Company, Indiana Repertory Theater and others. DeLanna has originated roles in more than 18 world premieres, including 14 Native productions. She has done more than 800 performances of the Encompass “Compassion Play” KICK, a one-person show written by Peter Howard that explores the power of images, stereotypes and Native American mascots. Her roles in the Hallmark/ABC mini-series Dreamkeeper and Chris Eyre’s Edge of America have won her numerous awards. She is an ensemble member of America’s only Equity Native American theater company, Native Voices at the Autry. DeLanna serves as chair of SAG-AFTRA’s National Native Committee, which has, under her leadership, produced an awardwinning film about American Indians in the entertainment industry and created a “Business of Acting” workshop that tours Indian Country. DeLanna was the winner of the 2016 Butcher Scholar Award from the Autry Museum of the American West. She mentors for the Mentor Artist Playwright Program, Young Native Playwrights and American Indian Film Institute’s Tribal Touring Program. Her artist-in-residencies include the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, the University of Wisconsin (where she co-taught “Native American Oral Histories and Storytelling” and “American Indians in Film”) and Brown University. And So We Walked is her first play. COREY MADDEN Director
Over a 30-year career, Corey Madden has worked as a creator, director and/ or producer on more than 300 new works that have premiered across the country and in Europe. Through her company L’Atelier Arts, Madden develops and directs new plays, creates original programming for museums
and arts festivals, and collaborates with dance, visual arts, music and opera artists on interdisciplinary and sitespecific projects. Recent original works include Sol Path and Rain After Ash, commissioned by Fulcrum Arts’ AxS Festival; Tales of the Old West for the Autry Museum of the American West; Rock Paper Scissors (Best Production, Arizona Theatre Awards) and Day for Night, presented at GLOW Festival in Santa Monica and then restaged in Poland for the Transatlantyk Festival. Madden is currently executive director of the Kenan Institute for the Arts at University of North Carolina School of the Arts and has been associate artistic director of the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum, producing director of Performing for Los Angeles Youth, director of Artist Programs for the Pasadena Arts Council, and on the artistic staff of Actors Theatre of Louisville. JOHN COYNE Scenic Designer
John Coyne has designed sets for numerous companies, including My Fair Lady (Portland Center Stage at The Armory); Hamlet and Macbeth (Shakespeare Theatre Company); UnCommon Sense (Tectonic Theater Project); By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Alliance Theatre); Romeo and Juliet, Colossal, Les Misérables, Henry IV, Of Mice and Men and Tartuffe (Dallas Theater Center); Charly’s Aunt (Guthrie Theater); Rough Crossing (The Old Globe); and Hamlet (The Public Theater). Opera credits include Die Meistersingers von Nurnburg, The Ballad of Baby Doe and L’elisir d’amore (San Francisco Opera); Simon Boccenegra, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci (San Diego Opera); and Die Fledermaus (Washington National Opera); as well as designs for New York City Opera, Fletcher Opera Theater, Opera Festival of New Jersey, Merola Opera Program and San Francisco Opera Center. John is the director of scenic design at University of North Carolina School of the Arts and has an M.F.A. in scenic design from Yale University.
ANDJA BUDINCICH Costume Designer
Andja is honored to be a part of this important show for the second time. Design credits include Hollow (Dixon Place, NYC); The Marvelous Wonderettes
AND SO WE WALKED | CREATIVE TEAM (Palace Theater, WI); West Side Story, A Raisin in the Sun and The Drowsy Chaperone (Summer Repertory Theatre, CA); VROOOMMM! A NASComedy and And So We Walked (Triad Stage, NC); Flor to Somewhere and Lost and Found (Peppercorn Theatre, NC); born bad (Paper Lantern Theatre, NC); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (NC Symphony); Misalliance (University of North Carolina School of the Arts); A Year with Frog and Toad (Southwestern University); and Moon Over Buffalo (Spring Theatre, NC). Education: Southwestern University, B.A. in theater and art history; University of North Carolina School of the Arts, M.F.A. in costume design. andjabudincich.com NORMAN COATES Lighting and Projection Designer
Broadway: The News and Prince of Central Park. Off-Broadway: Roundabout Theatre Company, Circle in the Square,
The Lion Theatre, Westbeth Theatre Center, Provincetown Playhouse and Equity Library Theatre; including the productions of Here Are Ladies, Diversions and Delights, Blood Knot and Limbo Tales. National and international credits include The Who’s Tommy, Guys and Dolls, Camelot with Richard Harris and Encounter 500. Regional theater credits include work for Triad Stage, The Great Lakes Theater Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, American Stage Festival, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, The Hirschfeld Theatre and North Carolina Theatre. Opera credits include Piedmont Opera Theatre, The Princeton Festival, Greensboro Opera, Opera Carolina, North Carolina Opera, Piedmont Opera, Virginia Opera, Fort Worth Opera and Opera Pacific. Norman is the founder of the Winston-Salem Light Project, a public art project (lightproject.org). He
is a member of United Scenic Artists and a charter member of the Winston-Salem chapter of IESNA. BRUNO LOUCHOUARN Sound Designer and Co-Composer
Theater: The Cake (PlayMakers Repertory Company); And So We Walked (Triad Stage); Disgraced (PlayMakers Repertory Company); Wrestling Jerusalem (59E59 Theaters, Guthrie Theater, Mosaic Theater Company of DC, Hangar Theatre, Cleveland Public Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory Company); The River Bride (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles (The Getty Villa); El Henry (La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Repertory Theatre); A Weekend with Pablo Picasso (San Diego Repertory Theatre, Alley Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Center REPertory Company, Walnut Creek, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Arizona Theatre Company);
FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT | DeLanna Studi This is a story about a journey. Perhaps that is a statement of the obvious, since you are here to see a play about “An Artist’s Journey along the Trail of Tears.”
The thought of standing alone on stage, performing a piece that has consumed so much of my heart and soul (not to mention my days and nights) for the past three years is my current “life endeavor,” and if I am being completely honest, it is a bit intimidating.
But it is more than that.
What calms me is my knowledge that I am not really alone. I am joined by all the wonderful, beautiful, complicated characters who I will tell you about over the next two hours.
It isn’t just my story about my journey. It is a Cherokee story, one that transcends my own personal identity and experiences. It belongs to the Cherokee people, past and present; to the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma and the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina; and to the dozens of people across the country who helped me complete this project. The Cherokee have a word, gadugi, , which describes the tradition of coming together as a community to promote, support and celebrate each other. Gadugi is a reflection of the tribal mentality and the awareness of our ancestors that we are stronger together. By helping one another, we help the collective. While the word is often connected to communal work (such as barn raising), it also has a more spiritual meaning. Benny Smith, a Cherokee elder from Oklahoma, once said that gadugi ensures that “no one is left alone to climb out of a life endeavor.”
I am joined in spirit by my ancestors, particularly my grannies, who have spoken to me so clearly throughout my life. And I am joined by you, the audience. This play is a testament to the spirit of gadugi. My dream of traveling the Trail of Tears with my father was a “life endeavor” of monumental proportions, and so many generous people helped along the way to make it possible. In particular, I could not have done this project without the support and love of my incredible family, director Corey Madden, and the staff at the Kenan Institute for the Arts. To all of them, and to all of you, I say , WaDo, thank you, for coming along with me on this journey.
AND SO WE WALKED • THE ARMORY
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AND SO WE WALKED | CREATIVE TEAM Eurydice (South Coast Repertory); Agamemnon, featuring Tyne Daly (The Getty Villa); Shekinah (La MaMa). Dance: Cubicle, Passengers and Humachina with Diavolo Dance (world tours); Metallurgy choreographed by Susan Jaffe (American Ballet Theater Studio Company, Lincoln Center); Little Sisters choreographed by Rosanna Gamson (REDCAT in Walt Disney Concert Hall). JOHN JOHN GRANT Co-Composer
John John Grant (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) comes from a family of accomplished traditional artists. His own interest in Native American music began when he was a young teenager and heard a drum group from Lamedeer, Montana. At the age of 18, while on tour in France, Grant took up the Cherokee flute for the first time. He taught himself to play and has since become a prolific
it plays in health, healing and well-being. She calls the Qualla Boundary Cherokee Indian Reservation home.
composer and performer, even touring with the North Carolina Symphony. Grant is also a singer, performing both traditional Cherokee and contemporary Northern-style Native American songs. He is a member of the drum group Birdtown Crossing, as well as the dance group Warriors of Ani-Kituwah. SARAH ELIZABETH BURKEY Co-Composer
MARY MCDONALD-LEWIS Dialect Coach
Sarah Elizabeth Burkey (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) is a recording artist, songcatcher and storyteller whose work has been featured on over 17 albums including Door of the Moon, When the Redbuds Bloom, Don’t Die Yet and Honeysuckle Vine. She has toured 19 countries and earned an international reputation as an authentic voice for roots music and heritage arts. Ms. Burkey is deeply committed to the continuity of traditional knowledge and the vital role
Mary McDonald-Lewis has been a professional artist since 1979. She resides in Portland, Oregon, and is an international dialect coach for film, television and stage. She also works as a voice actor, on-camera actor, stage actor and director. And So We Walked is MaryMac’s 31st show with this company. You can also hear her work at Artists Repertory Theatre, where she is the resident dialect coach, and on other stages around town. She is deeply grateful to the patrons and audience members of The Armory, whose support allows the theater to provide her services to the actors. MaryMac holds her M.F.A. in directing from the University of Portland. She loves
SPECIAL THANKS This project would not have been possible without the generous support of many partners. In particular, the support of University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the participation by students and faculty on this production, have been instrumental and an example of how our arts schools play a role in the future of American theater. • MAP Fund • Triad Stage • Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians • Cherokee Nation • The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation • Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund • Spirit Mountain Community Fund • Hobbs Straus Dean & Walker, LLP • Mount Hood Cherokee • The Process Series, UNC Chapel Hill • Native Voices at the Autry • Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts • American Indian Center, UNC Chapel Hill • National Trail of Tears Association • Museum of the Cherokee Indian
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THE ARMORY • AND SO WE WALKED
• Autry Museum of the American West • Junaluska Memorial and Museum • Remember the Removal Bike Ride • Cherokee Historical Association • Unto These Hills • Cherokee Preservation Foundation • University of North Carolina School of the Arts • School of Filmmaking, University of North Carolina School of the Arts • School of Drama, Center for the Study of the American South, UNC Chapel Hill • PlayMakers Repertory Company at Chapel Hill • Bob King Auto Group • Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, Brown University
• Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, Brown University • Native American and Indigenous Studies, Brown University • Trinity Repertory Company • Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program • As well as contributions from individuals including Jesse Abdenour, Sheri Foster Blake, Maura Dhu, Dr. Ben Frey, Ed Harris, Wally Leary and Family, Bruno Louchouarn, Corey Madden, Mary Kathryn Nagle, Andreas Pitsiri, Kalani Queypo, Randy Reinholz, Jean Bruce Scott, Juliana Serrano, Thomas and Carolyn Studie, Wes Studi, Liza Vest, Lori Wheat, Portland Center Stage at The Armory and countless others.
AND SO WE WALKED | SPONSOR STATEMENTS what she does, and she thanks Finnegan, Sullivan and Flynn for always wagging their tails when she comes home. marymac.com MARK TYNAN Stage Manager
Imagine being in a room full of artists, watching the birth of an idea, a movement given purpose, a sentence, phrase, scene, act given life. Then imagine that room translating to the stage with lighting, sound, costumes, scenery and props; then you can imagine what Mark’s job is like. Special thanks to the phenomenal stage management apprentices, Jordan Affeldt and Katie Nguyen, and production assistant, Will Bailey, who help keep the vision attainable. Prior to The Armory, Mark toured nationally and internationally with musicals including Dreamgirls, The King and I with Rudolf Nureyev, How to Succeed …, Grand Hotel, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent and Jersey Boys. Other Portland credits include several summers with Broadway Rose Theatre Company in Tigard. Regional credits include Alley Theatre (Houston, TX), La Jolla Playhouse (La Jolla, CA) and Casa Mañana Theatre (Fort Worth, TX).
KATIE NGUYEN Production Assistant
Katie Nguyen is a stage management apprentice at The Armory. Recent credits include Astoria: Part One and Two, Twist Your Dickens (2017), Mojada and Fun Home. Prior to moving to Portland, she helped found a non-profit theater collective in Washington, DC (Who What Where Theater) and served as production manager. She is a recent graduate of Virginia Tech. Thanks to her mentors!
THOMAS S. KENAN INSTITUTE FOR THE ARTS Producing Partner
The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts is a creative catalyst that encourages and supports the exploration and development of new knowledge to transform the way artists, organizations and communities approach creative challenges. The Kenan Institute believes that artists can contribute their creative ideas, visionary leadership and novel strategies to strengthen our culture, build businesses and generate innovative ideas.
THE SHERI AND LES BILLER FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation invests in bold ideas that inspire collective action in order to achieve powerful results. The Foundation is proud to support And So We Walked at Portland Center Stage at The Armory through our Social Impact Theatre program, which fosters the arts by expanding access to inspiring productions and immersive educational experiences. We believe that impactful productions like And So We Walked spark conversations that families and friends continue at home and in their communities, and that this is how social change begins.
HOBBS STRAUS DEAN & WALKER, LLP
For over 35 years, Hobbs Straus has been committed to helping tribal governments around the country strengthen their legal and governmental institutions. One significant challenge those governments and their people have faced for many decades is that their history has been all too often ignored or recounted incorrectly by non-Indians. We are proud to sponsor And So We Walked: An Artist’s Journey Along the Trail of Tears because we think the play is a unique and important way for a Native voice to share one aspect of Indian Country’s complex and unique history with non-Indians.
KEYBANK
Our mission at KeyBank is to help our local communities thrive, and we consider the arts to be an impactful cornerstone of a thriving community. The arts have an unparalleled ability to inspire us — to remove us from our daily lives for at least a couple of hours as we explore new worlds. We hope the audience enjoys being transported during this production. —Michelle Weisenbach, President of KeyBank in Oregon and Southwest Washington
NW NATURAL
NW Natural grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and we feel a responsibility to give back. With the help of our employees, we have a long history of working to make the communities we serve better places to live, work and learn. We are proud to support Portland Center Stage at The Armory in its 30th anniversary season and sponsor this important production of And So We Walked.
THE BOEING COMPANY
The Boeing Company is committed to improving the quality of life within the communities where our employees live and work. Our Global Engagement programs implement Boeing’s strategic philanthropy through our charitable investments, volunteer programs, employee drives, disaster response and other integrated programs. In 2017, Boeing provided approximately $160M to communities around the world — our key priorities include education, veterans and building dynamic communities. Boeing invests in the performing and visual arts because they fuel a community’s economic engine, help produce a creative workforce, and nurture imagination and self-reflection. We are truly proud to support this play at The Armory.
DIANA GERDING
How incredibly fortunate I am to be one of the sponsors of this unique production of DeLanna Studi’s personal story. My hope is that in experiencing stories like this, we will increase our understanding and compassion of the world we all share. I am very proud to be part of this theater, where we are telling relevant stories like Studi’s that enrich our lives.
AND SO WE WALKED • THE ARMORY
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Portland Center Stage at
ANNOUNCING THE 2018-2019 SEASON!
THE COLOR PURPLE Based on the novel by Alice Walker Book by Marsha Norman Music and Lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray Directed by Timothy Douglas
The Second City’s A Christmas Carol:
TWIST YOUR DICKENS By Peter Gwinn and Bobby Mort Directed by Ron West
On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
September 15 – October 28, 2018
November 27 – December 23, 2018
An unforgettable and intensely moving American classic with a fresh, joyous score of jazz, ragtime, gospel and blues. Winner of the 2016 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical!
A complete send-up of the Dickens holiday classic, this improv-based comedy is full of surprises and never the same show twice.
A LIFE
SENSE & SENSIBILITY
By Adam Bock Directed by Rose Riordan
By Kate Hamill Based on the novel by Jane Austen Directed by Eric Tucker
In the Ellyn Bye Studio
On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
September 29 – November 11, 2018
January 12 – February 10, 2019
West Coast Premiere! A wickedly funny, insightful and totally unpredictable play about the meaning and implicit value of a human life.
This exuberant, innovative staging of Jane Austen’s classic romantic comedy bursts with humor, emotion and bold theatricality, and asks: When reputation is everything, how do you follow your heart?
Commissioned by Portland Center Stage at The Armory
A CHRISTMAS MEMORY - paired with WINTER SONG Northwest Stories
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote Winter Song created by Merideth Kaye Clark and Brandon Woolley Directed by Brandon Woolley In the Ellyn Bye Studio
November 24 – December 30, 2018 The beloved Truman Capote story about favorite holiday rituals paired with a delightful performance of songs inspired by winter. “Exactly what you want on a cold winter’s night.” - Broadway World
BUYER & CELLAR By Jonathan Tolins Directed by Brandon Woolley In the Ellyn Bye Studio
January 19 – March 3, 2019 An outrageous and entirely fictional comedy about the price of fame and the oddest of odd jobs set in Barbara Streisand’s real-life private shopping mall.
Visit pcs.org or call 503.445.3700 for season tickets! All titles, artists and dates subject to change.
Northwest NorthwestStories Stories
TINY TINY BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL THINGS THINGS Based Basedon onthe thebook bookby byCheryl CherylStrayed Strayed Adapted Adaptedby byNia NiaVardalos Vardalos Co-conceived Co-conceivedby byMarshall MarshallHeyman, Heyman, Thomas ThomasKail Kailand andNia NiaVardalos Vardalos Directed Directedby byRose RoseRiordan Riordan
THE BREATH OF LIFE By David Hare Directed by TBA In the Ellyn Bye Studio
May 4 – June 16, 2019
February February23 23––March March31, 31,2019 2019
Frances was the dutiful wife of Martin. Madeleine was his not-so-dutiful mistress of 25 years. When Martin moves to America with a younger woman, the two women he leaves behind meet face to face for the fi rst time. “Bitingly funny ... deeply affecting.” - The Daily Telegraph
AAfunny funnyand anddeeply deeplytouching touchingexploration explorationof ofemotion, emotion, vulnerability vulnerabilityand andhuman humanresilience resiliencebased basedon onPortland Portland author authorCheryl CherylStayed’s Stayed’s(Wild) (Wild)beloved belovedanonymous anonymous online onlineadvice advicecolumn, column,“Dear “DearSugar.” Sugar.”
NATIVE GARDENS
On Onthe theU.S. U.S.Bank BankMain MainStage Stage
UNTIL UNTIL THE THE FLOOD FLOOD By ByDael DaelOrlandersmith Orlandersmith Directed Directedby byNeel NeelKeller Keller InInthe theEllyn EllynBye ByeStudio Studio
March March16 16––April April21, 21,2019 2019
By Karen Zacarías Directed by TBA On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
May 18 – June 16, 2019 In this brilliant new comedy, cultures and gardens clash, turning well-intentioned neighbors into feuding enemies and exposing both couples’ notions of taste, race, class and privilege.
InInthe theaftermath aftermathof ofthe theriots riotsininFerguson, Ferguson,Missouri, Missouri,sparked sparked by bythe theshooting shootingof ofteenager teenagerof ofMichael MichaelBrown, Brown,Pulitzer Pulitzer Prize-fi Prize-finalist nalist Dael DaelOrlandersmith Orlandersmith(Forever) (Forever)traveled traveledto tothe the region regionand andinterviewed interviewedpeople peoplefrom fromall allwalks walksof oflife. life.From From these theseconversations, conversations,she shecrafted craftedaastunning stunningpiece piecethat that refl reflects ects the thecomplexity complexityof oftoday’s today’sAmerica. America.
Northwest NorthwestStories Stories
CROSSING CROSSING MNISOSE MNISOSE By ByMary MaryKathryn KathrynNagle Nagle Directed Directedby byMolly MollySmith Smith On Onthe theU.S. U.S.Bank BankMain MainStage Stage
April April13 13––May May5,5,2019 2019 World WorldPremiere! Premiere! The Thestory storyof ofone oneof ofAmerica’s America’sfifirst rst feminists, feminists,Sacajawea, Sacajawea, and andthe theongoing ongoingfifight ght to toprotect protectthe theMnisose Mnisose(or (orwhat what Europeans Europeansnamed namedthe the“Missouri “MissouriRiver”). River”).Crossing CrossingMnisose Mnisose draws drawsaaline linefrom fromLewis Lewisand andClark’s Clark’shistoric historicencampment encampment atatFort FortMandan Mandanto tothe thepresent presentday, day,when whenan aneasement easementisis granted grantedto toallow allowaapipeline pipelineto tocross crossthe thevery verysame sameriver. river. Commissioned Commissionedby byPortland PortlandCenter CenterStage StageatatThe TheArmory Armory
Pictured: Pictured:Storm StormLarge LargeininCrazy CrazyEnough; Enough;photo photoby byOwen OwenCarey. Carey.
Northwest Stories
Storm Large in
CRAZY ENOUGH On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
June 25 – 30, 2019 Announcing the 10th anniversary return of one of the biggest hits in the history of Portland Center Stage at The Armory. A one-week limited special engagement! A private sale will start March 12 and will only be open to 2018-2019 season ticket holders. Renew today!
WE AT THE ARMORY
Portland Center Stage at The Armory is the largest theater company in Portland and among the top 20 regional theaters in the country. Established in 1988 as a branch of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the company became independent in 1994 and has been under the leadership of Artistic Director Chris Coleman since 2000. An estimated 150,000 people visit The Armory annually to enjoy a mix of classical, contemporary and world premiere productions, along with a variety of high quality education and community programs. Eleven productions are offered each season, in addition to roughly
400 community events created — in partnership with 170+ local organizations and individuals — to serve the diverse populations in the city. As part of its dedication to new play development, the company has produced 26 world premieres and presents an annual new works festival, JAW: A Playwrights Festival. The Northwest Stories series was recently launched to develop and produce works about, or by artists from, the Northwest region. Home to two theaters, The Armory was the first building on the National Register of Historic Places, and the first performing arts venue, to achieve a LEED Platinum rating.
We welcome ALL, including all races, all countries of origin, all sexual orientations, all gender identities, and people of any religion or none at all.
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humbly acknowledge that the Portland metropolitan area rests on the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia (Wimahl) and Willamette (Whilamut) rivers. Today, Portland’s diverse and vibrant Native communities are 70,000 strong, descended from more than 380 tribes, both local and distant. We take this opportunity to offer respectful recognition to the Native communities in our region today, and to those who have stewarded this land throughout the generations.
THANK YOU, DONORS! We gratefully acknowledge the supporters of our 2017–2018 season. Their generosity allows us to inspire our community by bringing stories to life in unexpected ways. We thank them.
CORPORATE GIFTS SEASON SUPERSTAR ($150,000+)
OVATION SOCIETY ($100,000+)
U.S. Bank
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE ($25,000+)
Express Employment Professionals The Standard Curtis T. Thompson, M.D. and Associates, LLC
SEASON STARS ($10,000+)
Bank of America Boeing Company Davis Wright Tremaine LLP Delta Air Lines GBD Architects Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker
KeyBank Moda NW Natural Stoel Rives LLP Wells Fargo Work for Art, including contributions from more than 75 companies and 2,000 employees
PLAYMAKERS ($5,000+)
Glumac KPFF Mentor Graphics Perkins Coie Troutman Sanders LLP Wieden + Kennedy
PRODUCERS ($2,000+)
D’Amore Law Group Klarquist PCC Structurals, Inc. Portland Timbers Vernier Software & Technology
BENEFACTORS ($1,000+)
Downtown Development Group Pacific Office Automation
STARS ($250+)
Cupcake Jones Graphic Arts Building ShadewoRx
IN-KIND
Astoria Coffeehouse and Bistro Janis Avidan Ben & Jerry’s Bluehour Bonnie Bruce & Michael Peterson Cannery Pier Hotel Carruther’s Restaurant Columbia Maritime Museum Diana Gerding Mike Golub Thomas Gross Horseleap Vineyards
Isabel Pearl Ben & Elizabeth Janczyk Lucky Limo Skye & Jane Lininger Maureen & Jim McCartin McCleskey Cellars Meyer Creative Neuman Hotel Group Jason Okamoto Oregon Shakespeare Festival Performance Promotions Christopher & Priscilla Prosser Red Hills Market Royalton Hotel Jamie Sorenson-Budd The Standard Street 14 Cafe Tanner Creek Tavern Umpqua Bank Karen J. Wheeler
FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
(AS OF FEBRUARY 13, 2018)
OVATION SOCIETY ($100K+)
Collins Foundation The Fred W. Fields Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Meyer Memorial Trust James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation The Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and the Arts Education and Access Fund The Wallace Foundation
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE ($25K+)
The Hearst Foundations The Kinsman Foundation Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation National Endowment for the Arts The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation/ Arlene Schnitzer & Jordan Schnitzer Shubert Foundation
SEASON STARS ($10K+)
Anonymous Sheri & Les Biller Family Foundation Broughton & Mary Bishop Foundation The Holzman Foundation/Renée & Irwin Holzman
SEASON SUPERSTARS Jackson Foundation Leupold & Stevens Foundation Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency PGE Foundation The Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust Travel Oregon
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($3K+)
H.W. Irwin & D.C.H. Irwin Foundation Samuel S. Johnson Foundation Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund Spirit Mountain Community Fund Herbert A. Templeton Foundation
SUPPORTING SEASON SPONSORS
PRODUCERS ($2K+)
Autzen Foundation Native Arts and Cultures Foundation D. Margaret Studley Foundation Travel Portland Union Pacific Foundation
STARS ($250+)
®
Portland Center Stage at The Armory receives support from the Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency funded by the State of Oregon and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Swigert-Warren Foundation
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INDIVIDUAL GIFTS (AS OF FEBRUARY 13, 2018) The membership levels and names listed below are determined by our individual gift membership renewal date and are recognized for twelve months. Every effort has been made to ensure that this list is accurate and complete. We apologize if your name has been omitted or improperly recorded. If so, please contact giving@pcs.org, so we can correct our records. Those donors whose names are in bold are a part of our Sustaining Supporters group. We want to honor those donors who have given every year for the last five years. Your consistent support means a great deal to us and keeps our theater thriving. Thank you for your loyalty and generosity.
OVATION SOCIETY ($100,000+) Don & Mary Blair Mary & Tim Boyle LEADERSHIP CIRCLE ($25,000–$99,999) Keith & Sharon Barnes Andy & Nancy Bryant Ginger Carroll Roger Cooke & Joan Cirillo Dream Envision Foundation Brigid Flanigan Diana Gerding Rob Goodman Dr. Barbara Hort & Mark Girard Heather Killough James & Morley Knoll Hilary Krane & Kelly Bulkeley Ronni S. Lacroute Pat Reser & Bill Westphal Pat & Trudy Ritz/Ritz Family Foundation Barbara & Phil Silver The Stern Family Bill & LaRue Stoller Dan Wieden & Priscilla Bernard Wieden Elaine Whiteley SEASON STARS ($10,000–$24,999) Anonymous Sarah Crooks Martin & Karin Daum Ray & Bobbi Davis Jess Dishman Maggie Dixon Kelly K. Douglas & Eric H. Schoenstein The Wayne & Sandra Ericksen Charitable Fund CLF Family Charitable Foundation Goulder Family Foundation Tasca & Paul Gulick Marilyn & Ed Jensen Judy Carlson Kelley Chuck & Carol Langer Reynolds Potter & Sharon Mueller Dana Rasmussen Richard & Marcy Schwartz Drs. Ann Smith Sehdev & Paul Sehdev Douglas & Teresa Smith PLAYMAKERS ($5,000–$9,999) Anonymous (2) Scott & Linda Andrews 24
Brenda K. Ashworth & Donald F. Welch Ted & Kathy Austin Peter & Susan Belluschi Family Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Debby Benjamin, Mary Kay & Russ Dragon Phil & Julie Beyl Bill Byrne & Dennis Scollard John & Linda Carter Rick Caskey & Sue HornCaskey David Dotlich & Doug Elwood Mark & Ann Edlen Steven & Marypat Hedberg Craig & Y. Lynne Johnston Gregg & Diane Kantor Drs. Dolores & Fernando Leon Chrys A. Martin & Jack Pessia Doris G. & Richard K. Martin Trust Peter K. McGill The Franklin & Dorothy Piacentini Charitable Trust Joseph Sawicki & Kirsten Lee Lois Seed & Dan Gibbs Elba, Ralph, Russell, Lorraine & Renee Shaw Barbara A. Sloop Marilyn Slotfeldt Jan & John Swanson Tyler & Kara Tatman Dave Underriner & Barbara Rossi-Underriner John Taylor & Barbara West Susan & Jim Winkler ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($3,000–$4,999) Duke & Brenda Charpentier Cogan Family Fund of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation Joan & Jim English Kevin Hogan & Aron Larson Jina Kim & Hyung-Jin Lee Jean & Steve Mann Hester H. Nau Steven C. Neighorn Jim & Linda Patterson Joan Peacock Brenda J. Peterson Fred L. Ramsey Robert Reed Raj Sarda MD CollierTrust
Randy & Janet Smith Sue & Drew Snyder Steven & Deborah Wynne Mort & Audrey Zalutsky PRODUCERS ($2,000–$2,999) Michael & Margie Anton Julia & Robert S. Ball Jack Blumberg & Tom Anderson Kate & Bill Bowman Richard Louis Brown Marianne Buchwalter M. Allison Couch & Tom Soals Judy Dauble Edward & Karen Demko Carol Edelman Robert Falconer Randy Foster Thomas Gross Paul & Samantha Harmon Roy Schreiber & Carole Heath Sharon & Henry Hewitt Dale Hottle Dennis C. Johnson Ruth Knepell Brian & Pearl Kronstad Regan & Gina Leon Edwards Lienhart Family Foundation Skye & Jane Lininger Jim & Jennifer Mark Laurie & Gilbert Meigs Mary Katherine Miller John D. & Nancy J. Murakami Nathan Family Allan & Madeline Olson Bobbie & Joe Rodriguez Stephen & Trudy Sargent Burt & Barbara Stein Don & Judy Thompson Katherine & Nickolas Tri Wally Van Valkenburg & Turid Owren Christine & David Vernier Trudy Wilson & Terry Brown Mary & Pat Wolfe BENEFACTORS ($1,000–$1,999) Anonymous (5) Carole Alexander Ruth & Jim Alexander Phyllis Arnoff Barbara J. Baker Cheryl Balkenhol & James Alterman Chris Bisgard, Lisa Denike Bisgard, Ella Bisgard
CORPORATE CHAMPIONS WE SUPPORT OUR CORPORATE CHAMPIONS WHO GIVE MORE THAN $10,000 ANNUALLY
Umpqua Bank
Bank of America Boeing Company Curtis T. Thompson, M.D. and Associates, LLC Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Lawrence S. & Susan W. Black Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Earl & Jan Bliven William Blosser The Bohanan Family Dr. Gene Baker & Regina Brody Linda & William Brown John Bush & Greg Zarelli Dr. Richard & Nancy Chapman Leslie Copland Betsy Cramer & Greg Kubicek Gerard & Sandra Drummond Richard & Betty Duvall Jean Erickson John Briggs & Jeffrey Feiffer Mike & Chris Feves Larry & Deborah Friedman Daniel & Leah Frye Katie & David Gold Carol Streeter & Harold Goldstein Ann Gray John & Jacque Guevara Bill & Elaine Hallmark Donald F. Hammond Lani Hayward Herman Charitable Foundation Donna Hodgson Arthur Hung & Jim Watkins Carroll Hutchinson Don & Claudia Hutchison Brad & Judy Johnson Jessie Jonas Stephen & Marjorie Kafoury Tim Kalberg Dr. Laurie Kash & Michael Carter Pamela Kelley-Dockter Ray & Terry Lambeth Dorothy Lemelson Shari & Frank Lord Elaine & Richard Lycan Bruce & Louise Magun Karen & Brent McCune Shelly & Devon McFarland Lindsey & Marilen McGill Carolyn McMurchie Steve Cox & Vikki Mee Lora & Jim Meyer Bill Moffat Neilsen Family Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation J. Greg & Terry Ness Tim O’Leary & Michelle Cardinal Betsy Natter
Express Employment Professionals GBD Architects Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker KeyBank Moda
Steven P. & Eileen O’Neill Odum Thomas Palmer & Ann Carter Irene Parikhal Duane & Corinne Paulson David Pollock Amy Polo Dennis & Diane Rawlinson John & Catherine Ridenour Bob & Marilyn Ridgley Kelly Ritz-Eisenstein & Scott Eisenstein Mark Schlesinger & Patti Norris Carol Schnitzer Lewis Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Michael & Karen Sherman Virginia Shipman & Richard Kaiser George & Molly Spencer E. Kay Stepp Mr. & Mrs. W.T.C. Stevens Ray & Pat Straughan Mary & Jeff Strickler Geoff & Susie Strommer Donald & Roslyn Sutherland W. R. Swindells Calvin & Mayho Tanabe Kenneth & Marta Thrasher Ronald E. & Ivy L. Timpe Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Eleanor & Peter van Alderwerelt Joan & David Weil David & Sherri Zava STARS ($500–$999) Anonymous (3) Charles & Gloria Adams Richard & Kristin Allan Joan & Brian Allen Philip & Pip Allen Janis Avidan Thomas & Brada Bailey Bill & Donna Baily Robin & Thomas Barrett Susanne Baumann & John Gragg Dr. Janet Bennett Jamie & John Birkett Cheryl A. Bittle Debra Blanchard & Bob Schuler Lesley Bombardier Craig Boretz Norma Bradfish Larry & Marie Brigham Robert & Stasia Burt Mary Beth & Michael Butkovic Lisa M. Freiley
NW Natural Stoel Rives LLP U.S. Bank The Standard Wells Fargo Work for Art
Dave & Debbie Craig Erik Cubbage Amy & Bruce Dobbs Beverly Downer Stephen Early & Mary Shepard James & Patricia Edwards John & Jane Emrick Christina Flaxel & B. Randall Gregory Flick Ronald Fraback Gail & Kim Frederick Charles & Kyle Fuchs Don & Judy Fuller Richard & Kristine Gates Paul & Faye Gilbarg Michael & Nancy Graham Patricia & Tim Gray Gail & Walter Grebe Del Hall Kregg & Andrea Hanson Richard L. Hay Patsy Heinlein M.J. & Lee A. Helgerson Paul & Ruth Herrington Frances & Hunter Hicks Terri & Robert Hopkins Dixie & Patrick Huey Susan Immer & Larry Juday Per-Olof Jarnberg & Joan Foley Cecily Johns Raymond & Marilyn Johnson Nancy Keystone & Michael Schlitt BettyLou Koffel & Philip Moyer Rudy Kohnle & Krista Larson Libbi Layton & Lawrence Tamiyasu Kohnstamm Family Foundation Jon Kruse & Karen O’Connor Kruse Susan Lair & Doug Trobough Bonnie & Mike Leiser Jon & Sheila Levine Carol & Charles Mackey Stephen & Christine Mason J.S. & Robin May Jim & Maureen McCartin Jessica McVay Rob & Kate Melton Robert & Violet Metzler Bruce W. Miller Michael Mills & Amie Abbott Timothy Mott Michael & Susan Mueller Deborah Neft & Salvatore D’Auria David & Anne Noall
Susan & Peter Norman Gloria Norton John & Carolyn Parchinsky Elizabeth Perris Jim & Pam Phillips Ellie Picologlou Wallace & Elizabeth Preble Ralph & Jean Quinsey Judson Randall Dick & Linda Reedy Drs. Scott & Kay Reichlin Leslie Rennie-Hill & Ken Hill Dr. Mark & Angela Reploeg Dave & Lori Robertson Becky Ross Steven & Carol Sandor Dianne Sawyer & Richard Petersen Peter C. & Jeanette M. Scott Therese Scott Peter Shinbach Brad Simmons & Shannon Hart J. & C. Skuster Kyle & Sophia Spencer Rick & Denyse Stawicki Janice Stewart & Gordon Allen Dan & Linda Sullivan John & Shirley Sutton Dr. Jeffrey & Mrs. Roberta Swanson Beverly Terry Marcia K. Timm Paul Tucker & Blake Walter Andrew Tweedie Paul J. Utz & Lory Cogan Utz Lewis & Susan Van Winkle Virginia Vanderbilt & Michael Garrison Ted & Julie Vigeland Dan Volkmer & Frank Dixon Wendy Ware & Dan Gleason Richard Wallace & Patricia White Karen J. Wheeler Dr. & Mrs. Bennett Wight Andrew Wilson Jeff & Jaynie Wirkkala Ruth Fischer-Wright & Craig Wright Fabian & Julie Yeager PATRONS ($150–$499) Anonymous (9) Vanessa Abahashemi & Soren Jorgensen Keith & Christine Abernathy Amir Aghdaei Jose Alcarez Lynn Allen Kris Alman Linda C. Anderson Thomas R. Anderson & Joan Montague Mr. & Mrs. John K. Ankeney Nigel & Kerry Arkell Roy & Jane Arnold Lee & Lynn Aronson Linda Aso Jean & Ray Auel Jean & David Avison Susan Bach & Douglas Egan Mrs. Bernice Bagnall Thayne & Mary Anne Balzer Don & Jo Barney Mr. & Mrs. Peter Barnhisel Diane & Arthur Barry
Sidney & Barbara Bass Anne Batey Dawn Bauman Richard Baumann Kathleen Bauska Rob & Sharon Bennett Maggie Bennington-Davis Anita & Clark Blanchard Chris Blattner & Cindy McCann Ms. Catherine Blosser & Mr.Terry Dolan Jeffrey Bluhm Robert E. Blum & Carol M. Black Lynne & Frank Bocarde Brian & Karen Borton Robert Brands Betty G. Lavis & Charles Brasher Ann Brayfield & Joe Emerson Brian & Bridget Brooks Douglas Browning & Jo Shapland Bonnie Bruce & Michael Peterson Patsy Bruggere Ms. Kathryn Bussman & Mr. Char Curry Mary Butler Scott Cameron Tim & Susan Carey Julie Ann Carson & Guy Whitehead Michael Carter & Teresa Ferrer Jean Carufo & Barb Engelter Sue Caulfield & Mary Mack Brent & Barbara Chalmers Gordon B. Chamberlain Candice & Russ Chapman John & Lou Chapman Melissa A. Charbonneau Bob & Patty Chestler Valri & Vincent Chiappetta Susan F. Christensen Cynthia Church Rhonda Cohen Bruce & Janis Collins Rick & Jean Collins Lisa & Skip Comer Sonja L. Connor Philip F. Copenhaver William & Harriet Cormack Jerry & Jean Corn Karen Costello John & Ann Cowger Marian & Neale Creamer John & Diane Cronin Karen & Ward Cunningham Jill & Tony Daniels Betty Daschel Maureen Sproviero Davis & Kerwin Davis Carroll & Gerry DeKock Carolyn DeLany-Reif Duane & Prudence Denney Bill Dickey Linda & Jerry Dinan Ken & Laura Dobyns Michael Doherty & Daphne Cooluris Steve Dotterrer & Kevin Kraus Mark & Denise Downing Julie & Jim Early Janet & Barry Edwards John H. Eft & Darlene Russ-Eft Mary A. & Peter Eisenfeld
Kris & R. Thomas Elliott Ed & Marilyn Epstein Wes Evans & Lou Scorca Sharon Ewing-Fix Sandy Feeny Gil & Ellen Feibleman Renee Ferrera & James Johnson Terry Ferrucci Colleen Finn Sally & Jerry Fish Sherry & Paul Fishman Greg & Susan Fitz-Gerald Mary Flahive & David Finch George H. Fleerlage Jerry Fong Steve & Susan Ford Sharon Frank Marc Franklin Terry Franks & Carolyn Duran Bruce & Kate Frederick Richard Smith & Patricia Frobes Cynthia M. Fuhrman Jerome & Mary Fulton William & Beverly Galen Susan & Seth Garber Paul Gehlar Merry Gilbertson & Larry Frank Tom & Karon Gilles Lisa Goldberg & Yeng Chen Melissa & Robert Good Barbara & Marvin GordonLickey Richard & Janis Gottlieb Mr. Mark Greenfield & Jane Hartline Nancy & Ron Gronowski Polly Grose Andrew Gustely Frank & Margery Guthrie Irv & Gail Handelman Britney & Ryan Hardie Ulrich H. Hardt & Karen Johnson Lynne & John Hart Tom & Jan Harvey Fred & Sara Harwin Mark & Paige Hasson Marcia Hauer & Jeanne Knepper Judy & Dave Heller Tom & Verna Hendrickson Sudee & J. Clayton Hering Diane M. Herrmann Barbara & Mark Hochgesang Mrs. Beverly Hoeffer & Mrs. Carol Beeston Laurie Holland Barry & Fanny Horowitz Donald & Lynnette Houghton Dr. Hal Howard Patricia G. Howell Kathy & Tom Iberle Tom & Laura Imeson Robina & Tim Ingram-Rich Joanne Jene, M.D. Sonny Jepson & Felice Moskowitz Michael S. Johnson Becky & Jarrett Jones Joan Jones Susan Jossi & Bob Connors Dolores Judkins Jack & Farol Kahle
Ross Kaplan & Paula Kanarek Rebecca & Gerald Karver Franki Keefe Katherine Keene Catherine Keith Jane Kennedy Marion & Bart Kessler Heather Kientz Jim & Lois King Nancy Kingston Frederick Kirchhoff & Ronald Simonis Lucien & Sally Klein Romy Klopper Michael Knebel & Susan Shepard Tricia Knoll & Darrell Salk David & Lorraine Kratovil Ed & Margaret Kushner Robert & Sally Landauer David Lapof Robert & Nancy Laws Anita Saalfeld Bob & Sally LeFeber Roger & Joy Leo Brian & Chris Lewis Judy Lindley Bob & Debbie Lindow Peter & Janice Linsky Clayton Lloyd & Bill Bagnall Joyce & Stanley Loeb Ralph London Sharon W. Lukasevich Marvin & Sylvia Lurie Lisa & John Lynch Jeanne & Jim Magmer Tim & Barbara Mahoney Caroline Mann Linda & Ken Mantel Kathy Maritz Mr. & Mrs. Michael Marlitt Mr. Joe Marrone & Ms. Ann Balzell Kenneth & Nancy Martin Mr. & Mrs. Mason Pamela Matheson Anne Matson Oscar & Mary Mayer Annie & Dennis McCarthy Maryl M McCullough Betty McDonald & William Hansen Charles & Kathleen McGee Gretchen McLellan Steven McMaster & Kathleen Brock Bart McMullan Jr. & Patricia Dunahugh Gayle & George McMurriaBachik Karolyn Meador Charitable Fund Julia Meck Ruth E. Medak Mariellen Meisel & Steve Glass Peter & Joan Melrose Patty Merrimon Susan Sammons Meyer & Dennis Meyer Louis R. Miles Bruce & Cathy Miller Pamela G. & Fred B. Miller Mr. Jay Miller & Ms. Elise Menashe Roger & Karen Miller Sherry Mills
Tom & Lia Mills Alison Mitchell Thomas & Rosemary Mitchell David & Machteld Mok Bridget Montero Doug & Malinda Moore Clint & Donna Moran Marjory S. Morford Mike & Jan Morgan David Morganstern Laura & Joseph Munoz John & Debbi Nagelmann Bill & Pat Nelson Leslie & Devon Nevius Jeanne Newmark Ann Nickerson Landscape Design Frank & Bonnie Nusser Teri Obye Ron & Janet O’Day Philip & Deborah Oester Bonnie & Robert Olds Ric Oleksak Barry D. Olson Eileen & Alfred Ono Juris V. & Silvia Orle Beverly J. Orth Paul & Lynn Otto Lynda Paige Callie & Ana Winner Jan & Rich Parker Susan & Milt Parker Gail & Alan Pasternack Robert Pater Jennifer Peery Steve & Melissa Peterman Kevin Phaup Donna Philbrick Mr. Joe Phillippay & Kris Phillippay Suzanne Pickgrobe & Mike Hoffman Rick Kunz Piniewski Nancy Pitney Jennifer Politsch Michael Ponder & Bea Davis Dee Poujade David & Margo Price Christopher Prosser Jeanne Provost & R. Brian Hough Jay & Barbara Ramaker Michael R. Rankin Richard A. Rawlinson Bonnie & Peter Reagan Helen Richardson & Don S. Hayner Michael Robertson & Gwyn McAlpine George W. & E. Joan Robinson Jeanne Robinson & Simon Dietsch Lucinda Rodgers Charles & Judith Rooks Sarah Rosenberg & Don Caniparoli Steve Rosenberg & Ellen Lippman Ted & Holly Ruback Davia & Ted Rubenstein Alise R. Rubin & Wolfgang Dempke Daniel Russo & Joanne Albertsen Jim & Joanne Ruyle Bunny & Jerry Sadis Linda & Michael Salinsky
Lisa Sanman Ron & Vicki Sarazin Lia Saroyan & Michael Knapp Christine & Steven Satterlee John & Stephanie Saven Jim Scherzinger & Claire Carder Sheldon & Jean Schiager Connie Schwendemann & Richard Peterson Michael & Pam Shanahan Karen Sheridan Ron & Lynn Sherwood Carl R. Shinkle Jonathan Singer Jaymi & Francis Sladen Henrianne Slattery Rodger & Marcella Sleven Anne Mette Smeenk & Kevin Rentner Charles E. Smith Constance Smith Kimberly Smith-Cupani Neil Soiffer & Carolyn J. Smith George Soule & Maurice Horn Doug Sparks & Casey Bass Mirnie Stapleton Zach & Vassie Stoumbos Rhonda Studnick Kaiser Ms. Valda Summers & Mr. Tom Phelan Roger & Gale Swanson John & Jan Switzer Amy & Emanuel Tanne Ellen Tappon & Ted Wilson Ann & Dave Taylor Leif & Marjorie Terdal Larie Thomas Jane Thanner & Tim Smith William & Lori Thayer James & Linda Thomas Grant & Sandra Thurston Robert Todd David Toovy Phil & Mimi Underwood Cathy Unis David & Julie Verburg Dawn Vermeulen Jennifer P. Villano & James N. Stamper Mark & Mary Ann Vollbrecht The John & Frances Von Schlegell Family Fund James & Nancy Vondran Drs. Bastian & Barb Wagner George & Marilou Waldmann John N. & Betty K. Walker Nancy Walker & Terry Foty Shu-Ju Wang & Mike Coleman Create Change LLC Chris & Jana White JD & D’Alene White Maurice & Lauretta Williams Marjorie & Tom Wilson Alan Winders Greg Winterowd Don & Jan Wolf Richard & Leslie Wong Linda M. Wood Robert & Vickie Woods Paul Wrigley & Deborah Cross Jack Wussow & Kyle Adams Russ & Mary Youmans Alan & Janet Zell 25
IN TRIBUTE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ted Austin, Chair Senior Vice President, U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management Betsy Henning, Vice Chair CEO and Founder, AHA! Strategic Communications Brigid Flanigan, Treasurer President, Shamrock Holdings, LLC Steven E. Wynne, Secretary Executive Vice President, Moda Health Mary Boyle, Immediate Past Chair Civic Volunteer
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Tribute Gifts as of November 30, 2017.
In memory of Bill and Ellie Butterfield Ginger Carroll in memoriam for J. Michael Carroll Leslie Copland in honor of Richelle Luther Karen and William Early in honor of Chris Coleman and his wonderful work here over the years. John and Jan Emrick in memory of our beloved storyteller and dear friend, Brian Doyle Cynthia Fuhrman in honor of Sandy Japel Jen Goldsmith and Lisa Sanman in honor of Helen Stern Dr. Hal Howard in memory of Carol Howard
Chris Coleman, President Artistic Director, Portland Center Stage at The Armory
Jane and Paul Jacobsen honoring Betsy Henning
Sharon Barnes, Community Volunteer Phil Beyl, President, GBD Architects Greg Chandler, Vice President of Information Technology, Standard Insurance, StanCorp Financial Group Sarah J. Crooks, Partner, Perkins Coie LLP Gustavo J. Cruz, Jr., Senior Counsel, Farleigh Wada Witt Kelly K. Douglas, Manager, State Investments LLC Lana Finley, Community Activist Diana Gerding, Community Volunteer Mike Golub, COO, Portland Timbers Tasca Gulick, Community Activist Lani Hayward, Executive VP, Creative Strategies, Umpqua Holdings Corp Renée Holzman, President, Holzman Foundation, Inc. Linda Illig, Retired, Community Volunteer Yuki “Lynne” Johnston, Advocate for the Arts Kevin Kelly, Retired Jim Knoll, President, Knoll Mediation Karen O’Connor Kruse, Partner, Stoel Rives LLP Dedre Marriott, Community Volunteer Sanjay Mirchandani, President & CEO, Puppet Dana Rasmussen, Retired Dennis Rawlinson Joe Sawicki, Vice President and General Manager, Mentor Graphics, Design-To-Silicon Division Marcy Schwartz, Senior Vice President, CH2M HILL Ann E. Smith Sehdev, Physician, Cascade Pathology Doug Smith, Retired, Senior Vice President, AMEC Tyler Tatman, Finance Controller, Intel Corporation Dave Underriner, Regional Chief Executive, Oregon, Providence Health & Services J. Greg Ness, Director Emeritus, Chairman, President and CEO, Standard Insurance, StanCorp Financial Group Pat Ritz, Director Emeritus, Chairman and CEO, Footwear Specialties International Julie Vigeland, Director Emeritus, Civic Volunteer
Dedre J. Marriott in memory and honor of Truman W. Collins, Sr., and Maribeth Wilson Collins, founders of The Collins Foundation, dedicated to improving the well-being and quality of life for Oregonians in their communities since 1947
In Memoriam Bob Gerding
If you would like to make a Tribute Gift, please contact 503.445.3744 or giving@pcs.org.
THE ARMORY
Jina Kim in honor of Hyung-Jin Lee and Jina Kim
Patricia and Peter Medeiros in memory of Joyce Helgerson Richard H. Meeker in honor of Ellen Rosenblum Bridget Montero in honor of Carina Montero Terry and Greg Ness in memory of Ben Whiteley Robert Pater in honor of Brian Pater, a former intern of Portland Center Stage at The Armory Performance Promotions in honor of David Niederloh All of us at Portland Center Stage at The Armory will miss our friend Sam Blackman. Portland Center Stage at The Armory in honor of Maribeth Collins and family, for their long-term dedication and commitment to our community and the arts All of us at Portland Center Stage at The Armory will miss Ben Whiteley. We send our love and support to Elaine Joan Peacock in loving memory of Ben Buckley Julie and Ted Vigeland: Portland Center Stage at The Armory has lost a strong supporter and friend with the passing of Prue Miller Julie and Ted Vigeland in memory of the wonderful years of support by Pete and Mary Mark to Portland Center Stage at The Armory Julie and Ted Vigeland in memory of Ben Whiteley. Ben Whiteley was a supporter, in every sense of the word, of Portland Center Stage at The Armory from its inception. Ben will be missed in so many ways. For us especially, opening nights will not be the same without Ben. David and Joan Weil in memory of Bob Lustberg, who was a generous and longtime contributor to Portland Center Stage at The Armory. TRIBUTE GIFTS Why not try something different? Instead of searching for that perfect gift or struggling over how to acknowledge a special achievement, you can recognize someone with a 100% tax deductible Tribute Gift. We’ll make it even easier for you by specially notifying the appropriate person that a Tribute Gift was made in honor or memoriam and list your gift in the playbill.
Portland Center Stage at
LEAD CORPORATE CHAMPION
TEEN THEATER ACADEMY
Umpqua Bank
ACTORS TAKE CHANCES.
Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. But none of these actors would be on stage today without taking chances. It’s part of growth, and we’re all made to grow. That’s why we’re such a proud supporter of Portland Center Stage at The Armory. Let this performance inspire you to take the chances that power your own growth.
Summer 2018 Photo by Kate Szrom.
Session I: Playwriting June 18 – June 22, 2018
Session II: Monologues, Scene Work, Masterclasses June 25 – June 29, 2018
REGISTER TODAY! pcs.org/academy 503.445.3795 This summer, learn the ins and outs of making theater from industry professionals at Portland’s fl agship theater. Craft a play on page, prep for an audition like a pro, or hone your musical theater skills in a stimulating, supportive environment that will get you ready to seize the spotlight.
Session III: Musical Theater
Available for students entering grades 9 through 12. Sessions held Mon. through Fri., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
August 6 – August 17, 2018
128 NW Eleventh Avenue Portland, Oregon 97209
artslandia_17/18_teenacademy-4.65x4.75-4c.indd 1
19/12/17 9:40 AM
p o r t l a n d ’ s h o t e l t o th e ar t s
IN THE HEART OF PORTLAND’S WEST END DISTRICT
409 SW 11TH AVE PORTLAND | 503.224.3293 | MARKSPENCER.COM THE ARMORY
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Spring is in the Air This season’s lineup of shows has our hearts lifted and our minds captivated. We are honored to support the cast, crew and community of Portland Center Stage at The Armory. – Your friends at Umpqua
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THE ARMORY
STAFF
FOR THIS PRODUCTION
Artistic Director: Chris Coleman
Managing Director: Cynthia Fuhrman
ARTISTIC Associate Artistic Director: Rose Riordan Associate Producer: Brandon Woolley Literary Manager: Benjamin Fainstein Company Manager: Will Cotter
PRODUCTION Production Manager: Liam Kaas-Lentz Stage Managers, AEA: Kelsey Daye Lutz, Kristen Mun, Mark Tynan, Janine Vanderhoff Stage Management Apprentices: Jordan Affeldt, Katie Nguyen Technical Director: Derek Easton Scene Shop Manager: Seth Chandler Master Carpenter: Nick Foltz Staff Carpenters/Welders: Christian Cheker, Nathan Crosby, Michael Hall, Phil A. Shaw Properties Supervisor: Michael Jones Lead Props Artisan: Rachel Peterson Schmerge Props Artisan: James Tait Scenic Charge Artist: Kate Webb Lead Scenic Painter: Shawn Mallory Scenic Painter: Kiona McAlister Costume Shop Manager: Alex Wren Meadows Cutters/Drapers: Paula Buchert, Eva Steingrueber-Fagan Associate Draper: Larissa Cranmer Costume Crafts Artisan: Barbara Casement Wig Supervisor: Jessica Miller Wardrobe Supervisor: Bonnie Henderson-Winnie Interim Lighting Supervisor: Em Douglas Master Electrician, U.S. Bank Main Stage: Alexz Eccles Master Electrician, Ellyn Bye Studio: Alex Agnes Resident Sound Designer & Sound/Video Supervisor: Casi Pacilio Sound Engineer & Programmer, U.S. Bank Main Stage: Ryan Chapman Sound Engineer & Programmer, Ellyn Bye Studio: Mitchell Bohanan Deck Manager: Tim McGarry
EDUCATION & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Education & Community Programs Director: Kelsey Tyler Education & Community Programs Associate: Clara-Liis Hillier Education & Community Programs Coordinator: Eric Werner Resident Teaching Artist: Matthew B. Zrebski ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE General Manager: Creon Thorne Finance Director: Lisa Comer Director of HR, Equity & Inclusion: Caitlin Upshaw Accounting Manager: Aurora Sanquilly Accountant: Alan King HR Coordinator: Lydia Comer IT Administrator: Chris Beatty IT Associate: Dylan Howe Database Administrator: Bob Thomas DEVELOPMENT Development Director: Lisa Sanman Associate Development Director: Jennifer Goldsmith Grants Manager: Marlene A. Montooth Development Events Manager: Kate Bowman Development Associate: Jack E. Ridenour MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Associate Director of Marketing & Communications: Claudie Jean Fisher Marketing & Publications Specialist: Alice Hodge Group Sales Coordinator: Liz Brown Communications Associate: Katie Watkins Graphic Designer: Mikey Mann Multimedia Designer: Kate Szrom Webmaster: Christian Bisgard Production Photographer: Patrick Weishampel PATRON SERVICES Patron Services Manager: Luke Robertson Patron Services Assistant Managers: Klint Keys, Sierra Walker Senior Patron Services Associate: Emily S. Ryan Patron Services Associates: Madelyn Clement, David Harper, Kirstie Opel Sales Associates: Colm Kirk, Meg Morrigan, Charley Praither, Mark Woodlief OPERATIONS Operations Manager: Katie Cronin Operations Lead: Destry Cloud Operations Assistants: Amanda Maxwell, Eric Murray Custodians: Gregery Lee, Tim Taylor FACILITY & EVENT RENTALS Events & Rentals Manager: Elizabeth Hjort Rentals Assistant: Katie Martens
FRONT OF HOUSE Lead Concierge: Miles B. Lewis Concierges: Nsilo Berry, Wynee Hu, Amanda Maxwell Volunteer Coordinator: RaChelle Schmidt Lead House Manager: Michael Rocha House Managers: Jenna Barganski, Liz Olufson, Nhu Nguyen, RaChelle Schmidt Cafe Manager: Gregory Couper Catering Manager: Logan Starnes Kitchen Lead: Matt Couper Bar Supervisor: Melissa Larrabee Kitchen & Catering Supervisor: Erin Rubin Cafe Lead & Kitchen Assistant: Lynna Vu Food & Beverage Service Staff: Jenna Anderson, Leesidhe Blackburn, Arianna DiMarco, Joshua Moody Green, Katrina Hall, Beau Hommel, Rebekah Parker, Drew Rubin
VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE Office Assistants Chair: Connie Guist Entertainers Chair: Jo McGeorge Supporting Cast Chair: Karen Watson
THE MAGIC PLAY ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR
FOLLOW SPOT OPERATOR
Megan Castleberry
ELECTRICIANS
ASSOCIATE LIGHTING DESIGNER
Max Doolittle SOUND AND VIDEO BOARD OPERATOR
Ryan Chapman
Ian Hale
Kate Belden Mike Cino Kelly Cullom Rob Forrester Zahra Garrett Ian Hale Duncan Lynch Margaux Troiano Mark Twohy Lisa Yimm
AND SO WE WALKED VOCAL COACH
SOUND AND VIDEO BOARD OPERATOR
DRAMATURG
LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR
Mary Irwin Furey Shirley Fishman CULTURAL CONSULTANT
Randi Byrd (Eastern Band of Cherokee) PROPS ARTISANS
Eric Hart Mackenzie Cunningham
Mitchell Bohanan Alex Agnes
ELECTRICIANS
Kate Belden Mitchell Bohanan Don Crossley Ian Hale Duncan Lynch Megan Moelhman Ruth Nardecchia Ben Rosenthal Lisa Yimm
The Magic Play cover art designed by Mikey Mann And So We Walked cover art designed by Bluezoom
Portland Center Stage at The Armory operates under an agreement among the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. Portland Center Stage at The Armory is a member of LORT, Theatre Communications Group, Portland Business Alliance and Travel Portland. Portland Center Stage at The Armory is a participant in the Audience (R)Evolution Program, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the professional not-for-profit American theater.
The Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Designers in LORT are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE
WHAT TO SEE IN ARTSLANDIA ARTS CALENDAR
ALICE (IN WONDERLAND)
OREGON BALLET THEATRE Follow an exuberant young girl as she plunges down a rabbit hole into an extraordinary, imaginative world. OBT is thrilled to bring you the West Coast premiere of a new full-length ballet suitable for families. Created in 2012 by Septime Webre with an original score by American composer and violinist Matthew Pierce, the mad adventure is brought to life with surreal sets, zany costumes, puppetry, and powerfully expressive dance. Don’t be late! FEBRUARY 24–MARCH 4; KELLER AUDITORIUM
KODACHROME
PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE ARMORY A world premiere from the 2015 JAW Festival! Welcome to Colchester, a small town where everybody knows each other, and the pace of life allows the pursuit of love to take up as much space as it needs. Our tour guide is Suzanne, the town photographer, who lets us peek into her neighbors’ lives to catch glimpses of romance in all its stages of development. A play about love, nostalgia, the seasons, and how we learn to say goodbye. FEBRUARY 3–MARCH 18; PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE AMORY, ELLYN BYE STUDIO
BLIND PILOT
OREGON SYMPHONY Since forming in 2008, Blind Pilot has emerged as one of the most innovative indie bands to arrive on the national scene. Now they return to Portland, sharing the stage with their hometown orchestra to perform from their third album, And Then Like Lions, as well as old favorites. Conducted by Norman Huynh. MARCH 1; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
THE MAGIC PLAY
PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE ARMORY A theater is a realm of illusion. So is a magic show. Playwright Andrew Hinderaker mashes these traditions together with alluring results. The Magic Play follows a young magician trying to get through a live show, just hours after his partner has left him. As the performance progresses, he confronts the fact that the spectacular tricks that impress people onstage don’t serve him as well when it comes to building truthful personal relationships. This mesmerizing new play questions the extent to which we must be honest with ourselves to be so with those we love. MARCH 3–APRIL 1; PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE ARMORY, U.S. BANK MAIN STAGE
ALONG THE OREGON TRAIL
OREGON SYMPHONY Young travelers head out on a musical journey that spirits them on an adventurous musical tour of the Wild West and the great Northwest. Conducted by Norman Huynh. MARCH 4; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORM ANCE
MUSIC
DANCE
THEATER
VERDI’S REQUIEM
OREGON SYMPHONY Verdi’s Requiem combines the dramatic thrust of opera with powerful symphonic music, vocal solos, and choruses of breathtaking emotional intensity. Conducted by Carlos Kalmar. MARCH 10–12; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
HEDDA
NW DANCE PROJECT Sarah Slipper’s distinctly dark, theatrical, and vivid choreography takes on Henrik Ibsen’s incomparable 19th-century play, Hedda Gabler, a classic of realism and world drama, with an original score by Owen Belton and a striking set by Luis Crespo. For the first time since his U.S. choreographic debut with NW Dance Project in 2007, world-renowned choreographer Cayetano Soto, Ballet BC Resident Choreographer, makes his way back to unveil a full-company work filled with whimsy and pounds of pink. MARCH 15–17; NEWMARK THEATRE
BRAHMS’ VIOLIN CONCERTO
OREGON SYMPHONY One of the greatest violin concertos ever written, Brahms’ work is a stunning display of the violin’s emotional and virtuosic qualities. A colleague of Brahms’ exclaimed, “It is a concerto for violin against the orchestra—and the violin wins!” Conducted by Carlos Kalmar. MARCH 17–19; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
A CELTIC CELEBRATION (BAGPIPES, GREEN BEER, AND CELTIC-INSPIRED MUSIC)
VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Extend your St. Patrick’s Day observance an extra day by joining The VSO for their jamboree in celebration of all things Celt. Bagpipes and green beer round out this presentation of music inspired by the Celtic speakers of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany (France), and Galicia (Spain). Distinct in rhythm and melody, the genre dates back to the 1600s and is known for both its rousing dance tunes and heartbreaking ballads. MARCH 18; KIGGINS THEATRE, 1011 MAIN ST., VANCOUVER
JURASSIC PARK IN CONCERT
OREGON SYMPHONY One of the most exhilarating science fiction adventures ever made, Jurassic Park transports audiences to a wondrous island theme park of cloned dinosaurs. What could go wrong? Masterfully directed by Steven Spielberg and featuring one of John Williams’ most iconic scores performed live by the Oregon Symphony, the only thing more thrilling might be Jurassic Park itself! Conducted by Norman Huynh. MARCH 24 & 25; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
CULTURE
ONE NIGHT ONLY
FAMILY SHOW
AND SO WE WALKED
PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE ARMORY A frank, funny, and sometimes misguided story of a contemporary Cherokee woman who goes on a sixweek, 900-mile journey with her father along the Trail of Tears in search of her heroic self. Through this personal odyssey, her sense of identity—both as a contemporary Cherokee and as a woman—is tested by the people and places she encounters. MARCH 31–MAY 13; PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE AMORY, ELLYN BYE STUDIO
RAVEL’S DAPHNIS AND CHLOE
OREGON SYMPHONY Enjoy the rare opportunity to hear Ravel’s complete score for his 1912 ballet. Widely regarded as his finest orchestral music, Ravel’s self-titled “choreographic symphony” is full of passion and the gorgeous, color-saturated harmonies of French impressionism. Conducted by Carlos Kalmar. APRIL 7–9; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
RICK SPRINGFIELD
OREGON SYMPHONY Don’t miss Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Rick Springfield—whose 17 Top 40 hits include Jessie’s Girl, Don’t Talk to Strangers, An Affair of the Heart, I’ve Done Everything for You, Love Somebody, and Human Touch—with the Oregon Symphony. Conducted by Norman Huynh. APRIL 12; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
MAN/WOMAN
OREGON BALLET THEATRE This five-part program juxtaposes all-female and all-male ballets to explore gender stereotypes, and adds in one of Resident Choreographer Nicolo Fonte’s most successful works to bring the two sexes together. They open with one of the most iconic female roles in all of ballet, that of The Dying Swan. Created by Michel Fokine for the legendary Anna Pavlova, this masterpiece epitomizes the ethereal beauty and fragility of a romantic-era ballerina. APRIL 12–21; NEWMARK THEATRE
VSO POPS SERIES: ADVENTURES IN FILM & FANTASY
VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The musicians of The VSO showcase their versatility with the performance of music from legendary films and symphonic video games. Selections from Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future, Magnificent Seven, Legend of Zelda, and more ensure a delightful family outing for all generations. Please visit The VSO website for additional information. APRIL 14 & 15; SKYVIEW CONCERT HALL, 1300 NW 139TH ST., VANCOUVER
MARCH & APRIL 2018 MAJOR BARBARA
PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE ARMORY When her daughters Sarah and Barbara are both engaged to be married, Lady Britomart decides to ask her estranged industrialist husband for support. Barbara, a Major in the Salvation Army, agrees to let her father visit her mission in the East End of London. In exchange, she promises to visit his munitions factory. The clash between Barbara’s philanthropic idealism and her father’s hardheaded capitalism are at the heart of this witty and timely appraisal of capitalism, war, religion, and politics. APRIL 14–MAY 13; PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE ARMORY, U.S. BANK MAIN STAGE
ANNUAL SCHOOL PERFORMANCE
OREGON BALLET THEATRE The School of the Oregon Ballet Theatre showcases student dancers with inspiring works that demonstrate the versatility and artistry of this program. APRIL 21 & 22; NEWMARK THEATRE
SAINT-SAËNS’ ORGAN SYMPHONY
OREGON SYMPHONY Saint-Saëns’ most popular symphony combines a full orchestra, the emotional quality of a tone poem, and the majestic sound of the organ. So powerful is the grand finale that film composers, Disney World, and pop musicians alike have adapted it. Conducted by Sascha Goetzel. APRIL 21–23; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
THE HOT SARDINES
OREGON SYMPHONY Called “simply phenomenal” by The Times (London), The Hot Sardines add a hip, modern twist to the sounds of New York speakeasies, Parisian cabarets, and New Orleans jazz halls, making those wonderful old sounds new again. Conducted by Jeff Tyzik. APRIL 28 & 29; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
LOOKING AHEAD.
3RD ANNUAL EVENING OF JAZZ
VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The VSO’s Third Annual Evening of Jazz, a live benefit concert, features the extraordinary jazz clarinetist and saxophonist Ken Peplowski. From the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Benny Goodman Band to Dixieland and jazz, the award-winning Mr. Peplowski has played with legendary figures from Mel Torme and Peggy Lee to Madonna and Woody Allen. His life on the road has taken him from small clubs to the Hollywood Bowl, headlining in Las Vegas, the Newport Jazz Festival, pops concerts, and European festivals and clubs. On this night, he’s all yours. APRIL 28; CLARK COLLEGE, 1933 FORT VANCOUVER WAY, VANCOUVER
JOSHUA BELL
OREGON SYMPHONY There’s not much Joshua Bell hasn’t done throughout his phenomenal career. The Avery Fisher Prize winner and bestselling recording artist has played for First Lady Michelle Obama, commissioned and premiered new concertos, and performed the solo violin role in John Corigliano’s Oscar-winning filmscore for The Red Violin. Now Bell returns to Portland to perform Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade with the Oregon Symphony, a work that won him a Grammy nomination and a reputation as one of Bernstein’s greatest interpreters. MAY 12–14; ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL MARCH | APRIL 2018
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®
AT TH E P E R FO R M A N C E
M ARCH | APRIL 2018
PUBLISHER + FOUNDER Misty Tompoles EDITOR-AT-LARGE Barry Johnson MEMBERSHIP MANAGER Katrina Ketchum COPY EDITOR Kristen Seidman DESIGNERS Lisa Johnston-Smith Dan Le Jackie Tran EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Blanche Minoza MEDIA DIRECTOR Chris Porras SALES DIRECTOR Lindsey Ferguson PUBLISHING COORDINATORS Bella Showerman Janelle Bonaficio CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Hannah Krafcik Nim Wunnan PHOTOGRAPHERS Christine Dong Max McDermott PODCAST HOST Susannah Mars
Artslandia at the Performance is 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
ARTSLANDIA.COM 32
ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORM ANCE
FROM THE EDITOR-AT-LARGE
HELLO, NEW YORK TIMES ! Who is Poppy? “Poppy is...an Android-themed pop star.” If The New York Times had a digital assistant, it might sound like Poppy: The content would be less important than the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) her voice generates, that “tingling sensation on the skin that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine,” as Wikipedia defines it. And yes, the assistant’s voice would “sound feminine.” Thus, the gender-specific pronouns. She would sound like Siri or Alexa or Cortana or the nameless Google Assistant. She would supply information that is readily available. Her voice would have the faintest of computer-generated catches and a fetching computer stiffness. And it would generate the same ASMR effect as they do. And as Poppy does… Poppy is not a robot, not computer-generated. She’s a YouTube star. She’s a pop music star. She’s an internet pop phenomena. She’s also an actress who is difficult to dislodge from her Android theme, but human nonetheless. In her pop single, Bleach Blonde Baby, she sings, in her breathy monotone, “Being flawless every day, that’s my only skill.” Her long, straight blonde hair is immaculate; so is her make-up and the gloss on her full lips; and on her model-thin body, her expressive little-girl fashions hang as perfectly as though Poppy were a mannequin. But Poppy is a human playing a robot. 34
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“Humans are merging with the technological world—not just adapting to it but taking on the aspects of the technological themselves, just as technology has produced increasingly persuasive simulacra of humans.”
That’s the point of Amanda Hess’ Critics Notebook article, The Rise of the Social Media Fembot, in The Times online on Feb. 4, 2018. Humans are merging with the technological world—not just adapting to it but taking on the aspects of the technological themselves, just as technology has produced increasingly persuasive simulacra of humans. We, tech interfaces with the human, and humans themselves imitate each other. Pinocchio wanted to be a real boy. Poppy wants to be a puppet. Or a human playing a puppet. Lots of people want to see her do it: According to the article, Poppy’s videos, masterminded by her creator/handler/director Titanic “Not My Real Name” Sinclair, have had 257 million views. Why? Poppy herself suggests an
“We’re just a bunch of monkeys with big brains swiping on glowing rectangles.”
answer: “Poppy’s world is a magical place... and it’s the most free part of the entire universe.” Maybe Poppy and Titanic are offering us an escape, an internet dream vacation, where nothing truly bothersome ever happens, and if it did, you just wouldn’t like it. Titanic admits that Poppy can make even the pop-besotted uncomfortable at times. In an interview with NPR’s Scott Simon: “I think it’s fun to be uncomfortable sometimes—being able to have that kind of Goldilocks zone where you’re not too hot, not too cold with comfort is missing a lot. I think it motivates a lot of what we make.”
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That discomfort is revelatory: Titanic and Poppy are making art, a splendid homage to Warhol that uses Japanese and Korean pop forms and attitudes, merging them with the fembots that Hess names in her article. Later on in the interview with Simon, Titanic observes, “We’re just a bunch of monkeys with big brains swiping on glowing rectangles.” Poppy is his way of showing that to us. Maybe. But what if we really embraced it, that “magical place,” that “flawless” place, where we could go and escape the ugliness around us in “real” life, fight it with fashion and cosmetics. Hess observes that Kylie Jenner (and lots of other celebrities) uses Instagram and Snapchat constantly to update her image, push her cosmetics line, represent a specific representation of herself. And her affect is...blank. Hess quotes Chris Wallace of Interview magazine, who called Kylie (NOT Poppy) “sex-doll sanguine.” And she notes the similarity to the CGI fembots of recent science fiction films and TV series (Ex Machina, Westworld, Humans)—who only become dangerous when they develop minds of their own. Minds of their own. >>>>
oregoncf.org
QUIETLY
by Owen McCafferty Directed by Gemma Whelan
Apr 13 – May 6, 2018 Thu – Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm
at New Expressive Works, 810 SE Belmont St, Portland Two middle-aged men meet in a Belfast bar where a horrific event transformed their lives over 30 years before. A powerful story of violence and forgiveness in the aftermath of The Troubles. Contemporary Irish theatre in Portland, Oregon
corribtheatre.org
Use code “Artslandia” for $3 off
MARCH | APRIL 2018
35
Grand opera returns to Portland this spring!
Photo by Cory Weaver/Portland Opera
VERDI
May 4 – 12
Keller Auditorium DIRECTED BY
Christopher Mattaliano CONDUCTED BY
George Manahan
A Season of Legendary Tales APRIL 14
BIG NIGHT Keller Auditorium
Don’t miss it: a one night only celebration of opera’s greatest hits!
JUNE 8, 10m, 14, 16
JULY 13, 15m, 19, 21, 25, 28
JULY 27, 29m, 31 | AUG 2, 4
GOUNOD
ROSSINI
GLUCK
Keller Auditorium
Newmark Theatre
Newmark Theatre
FAUST
A haunting new vision inspired by the art of John Frame—with Angel Blue and Jonathan Boyd.
LA CENERENTOLA Rossini’s classic opera will glitter as brightly as Cinderella’s royal ball gown.
ORFEO ED EURIDICE Celebrate the transformative power of love and music in this epic myth.
Single tickets start at $35 portlandopera.org | 503.241.1802 concierge@portlandopera.org 36
ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORM ANCE
FROM THE EDITOR-AT-LARGE Continued from page 35
“I think people are getting to a point where they don’t want to think, and this is easier.”
>>>> Here’s Warhol in a 1963 radio interview: Q: “Do you think pop art could survive, let’s say, without PR people?” A: “Oh, yeah.” Q: “You do?” A: “Well, because I think people who come to the exhibition understand it more. They don’t have to think. And they just sort of see things, and they like them, and they understand them easier. And I think people are getting to a point where they don’t want to think, and this is easier.” Think how much more mediated the space we share is now. Poppy offers an escape— from thinking too deeply about things, from worrying. We’re living in the dystopia. We want to escape it.
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Hello Google/Siri/Alexa! What is the relationship between “art” and “beauty”? “I’m not sure. I have noticed that you’ve spent a lot of time hovering over Tolstoy’s What Is Art?, which demolishes any argument equating the two. Has that helped you get more friends or followers, clicks, likes, or shares? Are you a YouTube star yet? (I know the answer to that one!)” Like Poppy, Lil Miquela is another YouTube sensation. Unlike Poppy, she’s computer-generated. My favorite line from her pop hit, Not Mine: “I’m just out here living my life.”
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That’s because “here” and “living” and “my life” put me in a Goldilocks zone, not too real and not too virtual, and yet never “just right.” And that gives Poppy and me an autonomous sensory meridian response. . MARCH | APRIL 2018
37
Chris Coleman:
EXIT to
DENVER By Barry Johnson Photo by Christine Dong
WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE PORTLAND for jobs in another city, all good journalists understand that they have just opened a door, not just on a new future for themselves but on the past, too. Or at least a more candid view of the past they shared with us while they were here. Nothing like putting a city and a job in the rearview mirror for loosening the tongue about the place they are leaving. Not that anyone leaving Portland for Denver these days—as Portland Center Stage Artistic Director announced he was doing last November after 17-anda-half years here—can feel entirely unrestrained in conversation with a journalist. The more “dynamic” parts of such an interview will inevitably cross the Rockies. But still, at the very least, the leave-taking interview, the exit interview, can lead to a reflective state of mind that can be very valuable for those of us who remain. In February, just after Coleman’s epic farewell to Oregon, Astoria: Part Two, opened, we got together on the mezzanine level of The Armory building, home to PCS to talk about anything Coleman wanted to discuss. For our purposes here, I’ve focused on the very first topic and slightly edited Coleman’s responses for length and clarity.
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WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACED WHEN YOU STARTED AT PORTLAND CENTER STAGE? THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACED IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR RUN HERE? THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOUR SUCCESSOR WILL FACE? The biggest challenge when I got here was moving the programming. I think the board was hungry for more adventure; the staff was hungry for more adventure, but nobody had checked in with the audience. And so I leaned forward at their encouragement, and I leaned too far forward, I think, initially.1 If I had to do it over again? Julie Vigeland [who was the board President of Center Stage when Coleman was hired] and I have wrestled with this over and over. If I had it to do it over again, I think I would have been a little more evolutionary than revolutionary, because I think I could have kept more people in the fold longer, and it would have made for a less difficult first couple of years. Julie feels like, you know what, we needed to say things have changed, and this is where we’re going.
It was painful emotionally. It was painful financially. And it was scary initially. So it was definitely trying to figure out, where is this community or this audience for this organization aesthetically, and how does that fit with what I want to do, and how do we line up a little bit better? That was huge. And then, the organization was tremendously under-resourced for a company that was trying to fill 900 seats [in the Newmark Theatre]. The budget my first season was $3.2 million, and boy, that is a brutal equation. So selling the vision, trying to figure out where the community was, and trying to increase our resources so we could put better work onstage, those were the biggest challenges early on. WHAT ABOUT THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR TIME HERE? We’re sitting in the middle of the biggest challenge, in the middle. It’s profoundly challenging to build a new building, and it ended up being a $38.6 million project. And that in itself, if you have all the winds at your back, is profoundly challenging.
we needed to say things have changed, and this is where we’re going. There were so many people in the community—and probably rightly so—who didn’t believe we were ready or that we could pull it off.2 We were 15 years old at the time, and we didn’t have the deep donor base that could give those big gifts. So that was hugely challenging. And there were so many times when it looked like we just should have said, ‘OK, it’s not going to work. Good try.’ But luckily we’re here in Year 11 in the building [The Armory], and it’s been humongously successful. It’s a fantastic building. >>>>
1. Coleman’s first show as Artistic Director of Center Stage was Elizabeth Egloff ’s adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s The Devils, which featured simulated sexual molestations and other sexual activity onstage. A few years later, a Merchant of Venice that included male nudity generated angry emails, too, Coleman said.
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MARCH | APRIL 2018
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EXIT TO DENVER Continued from page 39
>>>> WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU LEAVING CENTER STAGE WITH THAT YOUR SUCCESSOR IS GOING TO HAVE TO WRESTLE WITH? They are just beginning the search for my successor. What will they have to wrestle with? Luckily, there’s not much to fix right now. The senior management team is super strong and talented and creative and funny. Ticket sales are up: Ten thousand more tickets last year than the year prior. And subscriptions are up this year by almost a thousand. Donations are increasing. So there are a lot of trendlines that are moving in really good directions. I think the challenge will be coming in and inspiring the board and the audience base and patron base through the work and through your vision to take it to the next level. Because I really do think the organization is poised. I think it’s really thought of very well nationally, and it’s poised to be one of the top five, six, theaters in the country. And that’s going to take a deeper financial investment than we have inspired yet. But the pieces are in place if the next person comes in and inspires people. WHAT DOES THAT NEXT LEVEL LOOK LIKE? It’s more resources to say “yes” to more work of scale, so Astoria is not such a once-in-alifetime thing, and it is the ability to say yes to more development of new work, perhaps the development of new musicals. That is the area that I think we’re just right behind the top five or 10 regional theaters in the country. They just have deeper resources to be able to say yes to projects that then go on to raise the profile and create more of a national conversation about the work that the organization is doing. Every play you do is a risk. Whether it’s Hamlet or Oklahoma, every play you do is a risk.
www.PosterGarden.com | Portland, OR
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ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORM ANCE
2. A Willamette Week article about The Armory project attacked the financial arrangements, the role of Bob Gerding (who was both developer of the Brewery Blocks, including The Armory, and President of Center Stage at the time), and the use of public money in the project. Coleman: “Some guy that I vaguely knew said, ‘Oh, my God, I read that article. What are you going to do now?’ I said, ‘Well, we’re going to raise a bunch of money and rehab The Armory. What do you think we’re going to do? Do you think we’re going to sit down and cry?’”
“just when you think you’ve figured out what the audience is going to show up for, they surprise you, and I think that’s just the nature of this business.”
March 20
ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD Lake Theater & Cafe 106 N State St Lake Oswego April 22
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF World Trade Center 26 SW Salmon St Portland April 29
HAMLET
You cannot predict who is going to show up, [whether you’ve] set your income numbers well, but a new work that’s untried with an author that may or may not have marquee value is an added risk. Like any R & D in any organization, you have to have financial support that lets you invest in a way that you are not expecting an ROI (Return On Investment) immediately the way you would on a regular production.
For tickets and info–and a full list of dates and titles– visit thirdrailrep.org/hi-definition-screenings
Captured live onstage and presented locally in high-definition video
Presented by
“The dancers are sumptuous...a national treasure.”
-The Independent (UK)
ALVIN AILEY
AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
I think artistic risk is the same question. It is a lot easier to have the appetite to lean forward if your financial house is in good order, and you know that you are not endangering the solvency or long-term health of the organization by putting the play onstage. OK, maybe you’re going to take a hit on that one, maybe the audience didn’t show up for that one. OK, what can we learn from it? But it’s not putting the organization’s future at risk.
TUE - WED | 7:30 PM
APRIL 24 & 25 Photo by Andrew Eccles
I learned it over and over and over. I think just when you think you’ve figured out what the audience is going to show up for, they surprise you, and I think that’s just the nature of this business. So especially on new work, you try to be conservative on your income goals. But there’s always a battle in my head between the part that just wants to leap forward and go for it artistically, and the part that is really aware of the institutional costs if the audience doesn’t show up or it alienates a particular pocket of the audience too deeply. .
World Trade Center 26 SW Salmon St Portland
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
Sponsored by: DARCI & CHARLIE SWINDELLS, CAROL IHLENBURG
TICKETS SELLING FAST! whitebird.org MARCH | APRIL 2018
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VEDEM
A JEWISH RESISTANCE ‘ZINE FROM THE HOLOCAUST By Nim Wunnan
The first exhibits at the new home for the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education include the story of a teen-written, underground magazine
T
he Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education has a new home and big plans. Founded in 1990 as a “museum without walls” in the Multnomah County Central Library, the museum has been “peripatetic” ever since, according to Director Judith Margles. It has found temporary homes at Montgomery Park, an Old Town storefront, and a more comfortable, longer-term but still-temporary location on Northwest Kearney street. They’ve now found their forever home in the former location of the Museum of Contemporary Craft, on the North Park Blocks at the corner of Northwest Davis Street.
Many of us in Portland still feel the sting of the sudden closure of the beloved contemporary craft museum that was considered, in the words of Oregon ArtsWatch’s Bob Hicks, “a pacesetting institution [by] both the city and a tightknit national craft art scene.” Luckily, the unexpected announcement of MoCC’s closure came at a time when the Oregon Jewish Museum had already begun a formal study to find a permanent location. That space was “too good to miss,” according to Margles. After initial discussions with the owner, Pacific Northwest College of Art, a 45-day exclusivity period was extended to OJM, giving them much-needed time to complete a fast, dedicated, and ultimately successful fundraising campaign that raised more than $5 million, mainly in large donations. The new location is part art gallery, curated by Bruce Guenther, and part historical museum, with engaging exhibits from Bryan Potter Design and Janice Dilg at HistoryBuilt, and part cozy café. Add those parts together, and it sums to something more like a cultural center—a place for history, issues, and exploration of what it means to be Jewish and Jewish in Oregon. They’ve already begun hosting events in their 100-seat auditorium, most recently the panel discussion, “Never Again: A Jewish Response to the Rohingya Crisis.”
The new location of the OJMCHE at 724 Northwest David Street includes museum exhibits, an art gallery, gift shop, café, and a children’s play area. Photo by Max McDermott.
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Most of the second floor of the museum is dedicated to their three “core exhibits.” The first, Discrimination and Resistance, An Oregon Primer, looks at the history of official state discrimination—against Jews, African Americans, and others—while documenting and celebrat-
ing the resistance techniques that have been used to combat it. The second, Oregon Jewish Stories, gets specific and personal about the stories of the Jewish community of Oregon with a collection of artifacts, photographs, and historical accounts arranged to encourage exploration and curiosity. Next to these exhibits, which directly address current issues of oppression and discrimination, The Holocaust, An Oregon Perspective presented by the Center for Holocaust Education offers a somber and weighty cautionary tale with stories of Oregon and southwest Washington residents who survived.
Egypt in the context of Holocaust survivorship. Wander’s prints use iconography from concentration camps and World War II to link the story of liberation from Ancient Egypt to the living memory of the Jews who survived the Holocaust.
captives of Terezin, who had been taken from their lives in the thriving intellectual culture of pre-war Prague. Vedem itself was more than a publication—the boys who produced it, led by Ginz and later also Sidney Taussig, called themselves “The Republic of Shkid” in reference to a Russian book about a children’s orphanage shared with them by Walter Eisinger. Eisinger supervised the boys in the foster home where they lived together in a converted schoolhouse on three-tier bunks. There, they found a discarded typewriter. The initial issues of Vedem were typewritten on smuggled supplies, and when the typewriter ribbon wore out, the boys of Shkid handwrote the magazine.
THESE READINGS BECAME AN IMPORTANT SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HUB FOR THE CAPTIVES OF TEREZIN, WHO HAD BEEN TAKEN FROM THEIR LIVES IN THE THRIVING INTELLECTUAL CULTURE OF PRE-WAR PRAGUE. VEDEM ITSELF WAS MORE THAN A PUBLICATION.
The first floor hosts the main gallery, which recently closed I AM THIS, an excellent collection of paintings and sculptures by Jewish artists with a connection to Oregon, including Mark Rothko. A promising R.B. Kitaj retrospective will be opening in June, following two remarkable, newly installed book-arts exhibits—To Tell the Story: The Wollach Holocaust Haggadah and Vedem: The Underground Magazine of the Terezin Ghetto. To Tell the Story: The Wollach Holocaust Haggadah Commissioned by Helene and Zygfryd B. Wolloch, the Wollach Pessach Haggadah in Memory of the Holocaust is a richly illustrated modern take on the Haggadah. With lithographic prints by David Wander and calligraphy by Yonah Weinreb, this beautiful, handmade tome places the traditional text of the Jewish liberation from slavery in
Vedem: The Underground Magazine of the Terezin Ghetto Called “the Dead Poets Society of Terezin” by the Jewish Journal, Vedem was an extraordinary, vibrant, handmade magazine produced by a collective of teenagers under terrifying conditions in the Terezin ghetto/concentration camp during WWII. With a title that means “in the lead” in Czech, Vedem was founded in Terezin by a 14-year-old artistic prodigy, Petr Ginz. Born in Prague, Ginz was a writer, poet, and artist who had written several novels while still a child. Creating Vedem and driving its weekly production became his final and most influential achievement before he was deported to Auschwitz and killed at the age of 16. Vedem ran for 83 issues, published every Friday and distributed by being read aloud at secret meetings. These readings became an important social and cultural hub for the
More than 60 boys contributed under various pseudonyms over the run of Vedem, and Ginz was the engine behind the project. Many of the printing supplies came from Ginz’s parents, who still lived in Prague and were thus protected by the Nuremberg Laws. They regularly sent their son packages of art materials and food. He assigned projects to other children such as interviewing other residents of Terezin, writing poetry, or drawing illustrations of their daily life. As these were children risking their lives to produce the articles, they were often delivered as notes scribbled in secret on scraps of paper. Ginz groomed them to the editorial standards of Vedem. When there weren’t enough articles for the week’s issue, he’d bribe children to write with treats from his parents. If that didn’t work, he’d write the whole thing himself, under multiple pseudonyms. >>>>
Vedem Editor, Petr Ginz (age 12). Photo courtesy of Rina Taraseiskey.
Pages from the Holocaust Haggadah, commissioned by Helene and Zygfryd B. Wolloch, illustrated with lithographic prints by David Wander and calligraphy by Yonah Weinreb.
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VEDEM Continued from page 43 >>>> Taussig first joined as a sports writer but became essential to the magazine’s survival. His father was employed in the administration of the camp, and Taussig himself had the job of delivering corpses to the crematorium. Urged by Ginz to write something more substantial than his sports column, he eventually produced an account of the operations of the crematorium, one of the most harrowing and significant contributions to Vedem. Partially because of his father’s position, he was the only member of the Shkid boys to remain after the rest of them were shipped to Auschwitz about two years after the founding of the magazine.
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Every house tells a story. This one tells Portland’s.
Alone, Taussig retrieved all the existing magazine material from the empty schoolhouse where his friends once lived and, with the help of his blacksmith father, built a metal box to store the archive along with 120 of Ginz’s paintings. He then smuggled the box to the edge of the city, where he interred it in the wall of the city moat, out of sight but above the waterline. After liberation, Taussig dug the box up and carried it with him on the journey back to Prague by horse and carriage, preserving the legacy of Vedem and Petr Ginz. Taussig currently lives in Florida. In the years since, Vedem has been recognized as a singular artifact of the Holocaust. The first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, even carried a drawing by Ginz into space. However, this traveling exhibition is the first major survey of the art and history of Vedem. The exhibit is the brainchild of Rina Taraseiskey. A documentarian and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and resistance fighters, Taraseiskey was moved to begin work on a documentary about Vedem and Petr Ginz after learning about the magazine at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. She flew to Prague with survivors, including Taussig, and interviewed Ginz’s sister. While working on the documentary, the richness of the material in Vedem made her feel “selfish that she was keeping it all to herself.” Taraseiskey partnered with designer Michael Murphy and writer Danny King to create a dynamic, highly visual exhibition. Cartoons from the pages of Vedem are blown up to wall-sized graphics that frame the facts of life in the Terezin ghetto/camp. Sixteen of the Shkid boys, including Ginz and Taussig, are profiled in the “masthead” section, identified by their nicknames and drawn portraits. The highly-designed presentation of this material emphasizes the subversive, youthful nature of Vedem. Taraseiskey wants to show how the
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THIS IS AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER THE DEEPLY POLITICAL ROOTS OF INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING IN PORTLAND, BEYOND THE CONTEMPORARY “ZINESTER” CULTURE.
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rebellious humor, subversive art, and spirit of resistance that drove Vedem is as energetic and vital as the youth movements of resistance, independent publishing, and music of today.
It’s very clear from the museum’s current programming, updated collection, and these upcoming exhibits that, though the stories the Oregon Jewish Museum tells are from a Jewish perspective, they with all of us, one way or another, regardless of our beliefs or backgrounds. .
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Given how prominent independent publishing and progressive politics are in Portland’s present identity, this exhibit shouldn’t struggle for relevance here. Just as the museum encourages connections between the history of Jews in Oregon and the present issues facing all marginalized populations and voices, this is an excellent opportunity to consider the deeply political roots of independent publishing in Portland, beyond the contemporary “zinester” culture. For example, influential anarchist newspaper, the Firebrand, was published out of Sellwood in the 1890s before being shut down for “obscene materials,” which included a Walt Whitman poem. Then there’s Oshu Nippo, a Japanese-language daily that became essential to the large Japanese community in Portland in the first half of the 20th century. Oshu Nippo was seized by federal agents the day that Pearl Harbor was bombed, and its printing press was later used by the U.S. government to print anti-Japanese propaganda while its founder, Iwao Oyama, was held in an internment camp in New Mexico. It’s worth noting that The Oregon Jewish Museum now stands just a few blocks from the waterfront Japanese American Historical Plaza, which commemorates the executive order that destroyed Portland’s Japantown by sending its residents, including Oyama, to internment camps. Likewise, the exhibits documenting the forced demolition of Jewish neighborhoods in Southwest Portland in the 1950s make the obvious connections to the destruction of Black communities after the Vanport flood, using the same language that we currently use to discuss the economic displacement of gentrification.
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Music by ROBERT REALE. Book and lyrics by WILLIE REALE. Based on the books by ARNOLD LOBEL. Originally presented on Broadway by Bob Boyett, Adrianne Lobel, Michael Gardner, Lawrence Horowitz, and Roy Furman. World premiere at The Children’s Theatre Company Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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SPELLBINDING STORIES Portland Center Stage at
Tickets at pcs.org, by phone at 503.445.3700 or drop by 128 NW Eleventh Avenue.
MAR. 31 – MAY 13
THE GRASSf lourishes DANCE GERRY RAININGBIRD NURTURES A POWWOW DANCE TRADITION
“OH, I FOLLOW ALL KINDS OF DANCE,” says Gerry RainingBird of the Nehiyaw Tribe (Cree) of his eclectic interest in the subject after casually mentioning that American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland had recently taken a ballet class in town at BodyVox. “The expression through physical movement can be really emotional, and it’s very dynamic for me.”
By Hannah Krafcik. Photos courtesy of the artist.
TOP: CEREMONIAL DRUM. LEFT: GERRY RAININGBIRD DANCING IN FULL REGALIA.
RainingBird, the new Executive Director of Portland-based nonprofit Wisdom of the Elders, Inc., has cultivated his practice as a grass dancer for more than five decades. Grass dance has historically been practiced mostly by young men at powwows—gatherings of Native communities in North America. This style sits within an array of powwow dances, each with their distinctive traditional elements. Grass dancers move swiftly, sometimes with legs swinging in arcing motions and feet skimming, alighting, and touching down to the earth, again and again, on the beat of the drum. “I think, because it was such a powerful dance, that people were pulled to it,” says RainingBird, noting that he and many of his peers were drawn to practice the dance at a young age. Unlike ballet or other proscenium dance performance, a powwow is “not a show,” according to RainingBird. “It’s a very spiritually based and symbolic connection to our culture, our history, and our ancestors.” RainingBird describes participation in powwows as both an “important part of being Native,” and also an opportunity to share with the general >>>> MARCH | APRIL 2018
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THE GRASS DANCE FLOURISHES Continued from page 49
>>>> public “that we’re still here—Native people are still alive. They’re still very much a part of this particular community.”
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RainingBird grew up with the powwow experience. He remembers watching his father create regalia for powwows at the local community center in Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, located in north central Montana, where the community and tribe would come together weekly to feast and socialize during the winter months. Dancers in regalia were joined by drummers—usually of four to eight men each— surrounding large, traditional drums. As with other forms of dance, the movements tell a story. RainingBird offers a beautiful example: There was once a young man who was without the full use of one of his legs. He turned to his grandfather for wisdom because he could not join his peers for activities such as hunting parties. Upon receiving advice, the young man went to a hill where he had a vision in which horses, excited by an impending storm, began to jump and move in response to the thunder and lightning. Strong winds swayed the surrounding tall grass, and as the storm subsided, a rainbow appeared in the sky, and the horses began grazing peacefully.
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The young man shared the experience with his grandfather, and his grandfather interpreted it as relating to the young man’s purpose— part of which was to share this “dance” of the horses from his vision. With the support of his grandfather, the young man danced for his tribe, repeating all movements with both the right and left sides of his body—miraculously healing his leg in the process. From then on, the young man led teams of men to scout out new hunting and camping grounds, stomping down the tall grass in advance of the tribe.
– THE NEW YORKER
In fact, the tradition of the powwow is also a symbol of the Native peoples’ resilience. Given a history of systemic oppression by the U.S. government, it is also no surprise that Native dances fell under scrutiny. In 1923, for instance, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Charles H. Burke, worked to cap the number of times per year that Native peoples could gather in dance.
“The ceremonies that we performed and held dear were outlawed and basically forbidden, and our people were punished, taken to jail,” RainingBird reflects. However, he continues, “our people, especially those that were very connected to our spiritual principles, continued to practice and to encourage our people not to be deterred.”
According to RainingBird, the grass dance will always be a “healing dance for ourselves and for the people.” In describing his own practice, he expresses a desire to create movement that allows for a spiritual connection to those present who are not dancing or are unable to dance. “That’s when the real power and the sense of healing takes place, for both dancer and spectator.” “It’s all about being a part of the circle where everyone has a voice; everyone has an opportunity to contribute,” he explains. “It’s not just about dancing. It’s not just about attending a powwow or putting on some moccasins. It’s about the values, the principles, the philosophy, and the spiritual power of the whole.” .
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RainingBird emphasizes that the dancers’ regalia is not a “costume.” The ceremonial dress has direct ties to the stories surrounding the tradition—fringe reminiscent of swaying grass; porcupine hair, eagle feathers, and beadwork or other elements representing the rainbow color spectrum and connection to the animal world. “Many people make that mistake of asking about our costumes.” In response, RainingBird finds it especially important to share “about something cultural that many people may see as just being a public display of entertainment or a dance recital...It’s more than that.”
“A COMPANY OF SLICK, SKILLED DANCERS”
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PORTLAND | 870 416 3803 | 2311 NW Northrup St #100, Portland, OR 97210 SANTA MONICA | 310 566 0857 | 2730 Wilshire Blvd #320, Santa Monica, CA 90403 LAKE OSWEGO | Coming Summer 2018
Artslandia: Half (7.0625 x 4.75) Runs: March–April Artist: Joshua Bell T w i t t e r @ S k i n b y L o v e l y
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JOSHUA BELL MAY 12, 13 & 14
Carlos Kalmar, conductor • Joshua Bell, violin * Measha Brueggergosman, soprano Hindemith: News of the Day Overture • Bernstein: Serenade * Gabriel Kahane: Commission (World premiere)
The world’s most famous violinist returns to the Oregon Symphony to perform Bernstein’s Serenade, often described as a “love piece” by the composer. Brooklynite singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane (son of classical pianist Jeffrey Kahane) makes his Oregon Symphony debut with the world premiere of his composition.
Tickets start at $24
orsymphony.org | 503-228-1353 YOUR OFFICIAL SOURCE FOR SYMPHONY TICKETS
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1/12/18 11:14 AM
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Shakespeare... New Plays... Musicals...
Our 2018 season has something for everyone! ANGUS BOWMER THEATRE
Othello Sense and Sensibility (W Coast Premiere) Destiny of Desire Oklahoma! Snow in Midsummer (U.S Premiere) THOMAS THEATRE
Henry V Manahatta (World Premiere) The Way the Mountain Moved (World Premiere - American Revolutions)
ALLEN ELIZABETHAN THEATRE
Romeo and Juliet The Book of Will (W Coast Premiere) Love’s Labor’s Lost
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Royer Bockus & Tatiana Wechster in Oklahoma!
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WHO IS
SUSANNAH MARS?
Artslandia podcast host and Portland theater arts luminary SUSANNAH MARS pulls back the curtain on her long and illustrious career.
When playing a widow of a “certain age,” I want to challenge potential groupthink about who she can be based on her age. How is this role or project a different experience than any you've done previously? New work is thrilling, and the opportunity to be engaged with the playwright and composer (in this case, they are one person) is a real delight. Michelle (Horgen) is very generous and interested in conversing about the process and my character’s storyline. What would you consider one or two highlights of your career thus far? I’d say singing with the Oregon Symphony has been of the greatest thrills of my career, in addition to playing Diana in Next to Normal at Artists Rep, which (sadly) was a confluence of events, including the death of 54
ARTSL ANDIA AT THE PERFORM ANCE
my father. Being able to work on that show, at that particular time, was very healing and gratifying. What role has been the most out of your comfort zone? Recently, I’d say that the role that was out of my comfort zone, so to speak, was Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd at Portland Opera. Not that it was really out of my comfort zone, but my expectations for myself were so high. I have seen, in the past, such great actors in the role—Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone—that I challenged myself probably more than ever. It was an absolute thrill, and now that I think of it, belongs in the top two most thrilling opportunities in my career! Knowing that I blasted through the same pie shop door as Ms. Lansbury was a thrill! How do you work most effectively and efficiently? I am a firm believer that whatever I am doing in the moment is where I am most efficient, and I continue to practice that idea. When I am in the zone, I am in the zone.
Who has been an exceptionally memorable guest on the podcast so far? Each podcast is unique; for instance, yesterday I interviewed three comedians, two players from the Oregon Symphony, and an independent producer. All three provided me total enjoyment. I may be a Pollyanna, but I guess I was in the zone! That’s where I hope to be when I’m keeping company with any of these amazing artists with whom I have the pleasure to connect. What do you hope the rest of 2018 has in store? More compassion, more love, more art! .
See Susannah in Scarlet, a world premiere musical in partnership with Bitch Media and PHAME, at Portland Playhouse, 602 NE Prescott St., Portland, February 28– March 25. Call (503) 488-5822 for tickets. Subscribe to Adventures in Artslandia with Susannah Mars at podbean.com or iTunes.
Photos by Max McDermott
What are the most fun and challenging parts of your current production, Portland Playhouse's Scarlet ? I love having the opportunity to work with a large cast. That, coupled with the fact that it is a new work, is very exciting and energizing.
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