Portland Center Stage

PORTLAND CENTER STAGE IS COMMITTED TO INSPIRING OUR COMMUNITY BY BRINGING STORIES TO LIFE IN UNEXPECTED WAYS.

WITH THE SUSPENSION OF IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING, PCS LOOKED TO NEW WAYS TO SERVE OUR AUDIENCES AND SUPPORT ARTISTS, ESPECIALLY THE MYRIAD OF TALENTED ARTISTS IN THE PORTLAND COMMUNITY. FOR 2020-2021, WE OFFERED A VARIETY OF INNOVATIVE VIRTUAL PROGRAMS, WHILE ALSO PREPARING FOR A FUTURE IN WHICH WE COULD SAFELY REOPEN THE ARMORY AND RETURN TO THE STAGE. WE PRODUCED ONLINE READINGS AND PERFORMANCES OF FIVE PLAYS INCLUDING SHAKESPEARE'S "COMEDY OF ERRORS," "LOVE IN THE TIME OF PIATAS," BY BARUCH PORRAS HERNANDEZ, MEREDITH WILLSON'S "THE MUSIC MAN," "HOWARDS END," BY CAROLINE HEWITT, AND ALICE CHILDRESS'S "WINE IN THE WILDERNESS," AS WELL AS OFFERING VIRTUAL STAGE PRODUCTIONS OF "CHARLES DICKENS' A CHRISTMAS CAROL AND DAEL ORLANDERSMITH'S "UNTIL THE FLOOD." CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE OWE ALSO LAUNCHED THE ORIGINAL VOICES" SERIES, COMMISSIONING ARTISTS FROM ACROSS A BROAD SPECTRUM OF CREATIVE EXPRESSION TO MAKE SHORT, INNOVATIVE THEATRICAL PIECES FOR VIRTUAL PRESENTATION, INCLUDING "RENAISSANCE: TECHNICALLY" BY JOSIE SEID, SVILA'S "EARTH WITHOUT BORDERS," THE ENSEMBLE-CREATED "THE BELLS THAT STILL CAN RING," PHIL JOHNSON'S "PROTOCOL: EPISODE 1, AND ASHLEY SONG'S "SUMMERFIELD ESTATES," ALONG WITH THE COMMUNITY VOICES PROJECT, A SERIES OF VIDEOS FROM 17 MOSTLY BIPOC ARTISTS.

PORTLAND CENTER STAGE IS DEEPLY INVESTED IN PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FRESH, DIVERSE, AND POWER THEATRICAL VOICES AND IN DEVELOPING AND PRODUCING NEW WORKS THAT ENRICH THE CONTEMPORARY THEATER REPERTOIRE. ALTHOUGH COMPELLED TO CANCEL OUR 2020 JAW NEW PLAY FESTIVAL DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, WE INAUGURATED A NEW PLAY COMMISSIONS PROGRAM TO LIFT UP SOME OF THE MOST EXCITING VOICES IN AMERICAN THEATER WHILE STAGES WERE DARK, AND TO GENERATE A WELLSPRING OF FRESH THEATRICAL OFFERINGS TO DRAW FROM WHEN THEATERS COULD AGAIN WELCOME THE COMMUNITY BACK INTO THEIR HOUSES. FOUR COMMISSIONS FOR NEW PLAYS WERE AWARDED TO: BRITTANY K. ALLEN, WHOSE WORK "REDWOOD" RECEIVED ITS WORLD PREMIERE AT PCS IN NOVEMBER 2019; CHRISTINA ANDERSON, BEST KNOWN FOR HER PLAYS "GOOD GOODS AND "INKED BABY; CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE OCHRISTOPHER CHEN, WHOSE WORK, "CAUGHT," WON THE 2017 OBIE AWARD FOR PLAYWRITING; AND ANYA PEARSON, PORTLAND-BASED ACTRESS AND PLAYWRIGHT, WHOSE MOST RECENT WORK, "THREE LOVE SONGS," WAS PART OF PCS'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATIONAL "PLAY AT HOME" PROJECT. WE WERE ALSO EXCITED TO COMMISSION OUR FIRST ORIGINAL MUSICAL, "HOMBRES; THE WORK IS BEING CO-CREATED BY CHOREOGRAPHER AND DIRECTOR WILLIAM CARLOS ANGULO, PLAYWRIGHT ISAAC GMEZ, AND COMPOSER AND LYRICIST MICHELLE J. RODRIGUEZ IN A DEVISED, COLLABORATIVE PROCESS CENTERED ON IMPROVISATION TECHNIQUES.

ALTHOUGH THE STATEWIDE PANDEMIC SHUTDOWN MEANT THE SUSPENSION OF IN-THEATER AND IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, PCS CONTINUED TO MEET THE NEEDS EXPRESSED BY YOUNG PEOPLE, TEACHERS, AND PARENTS FOR THEATER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES. WE PROVIDED SCHOOLS WITH FREE ACCESS TO PCS VIRTUAL ORIGINAL WORKS PRODUCTIONS AND PLAY READINGS, AND WERE ALSO PART OF A NATIONAL THEATER CONSORTIUM PRESENTING DAEL ORLANDERSMITH'S "UNTIL THE FLOOD" AS A FREE STREAMING EVENT. IN ADDITION, WE OFFERED VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS LED BY PCS TEACHING ARTISTS THAT FOCUSED NOT ONLY ON PARTICULAR PLAYS AND THEATER SKILLS, BUT ALSO ON THEATER CAREERS AND CREATIVELY CHANNELING ANXIETY AND OTHER EMOTIONS THAT, FOR MANY YOUNG PEOPLE, WERE PROMPTED BY THE PANDEMIC. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE OOUR YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS PROGRAM SERVED FOUR HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOMS OF STUDENTS WHO LEARNED THE BASICS OF WRITING FOR THE STAGE AND CREATED SHORT PLAYS AS THEIR FINAL PROJECTS; A SHOWCASE OF STUDENTS' PLAYS, PERFORMED BY PROFESSIONAL ACTORS, WAS LIVESTREAMED. RESPONDING TO REQUESTS FROM YOUTH AND PARENTS, WE EXPANDED OUR TEEN ACADEMY BEYOND SUMMER INTENSIVES TO BECOME A YEAR-ROUND PROGRAM; IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAFETY PROTOCOLS AND STATE GUIDELINES, CLASSES WERE LIMITED-CAPACITY AND PHYSICALLY DISTANCED. OUR PCS TEEN COUNCIL AND ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS CONTINUED ONLINE, RANGING FROM CLASSES ON ACTING TECHNIQUES AND EXPLORING SHAKESPEARE'S TEXTS TO MONTHLY DROP-IN WORKSHOPS FOR BIPOC WRITERS.

IN PERSON OR ONLINE, PCS OFFERED A WIDE ARRAY OF FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS AIMED AT EXPANDING ACCESS, INCREASING ENGAGEMENT, AND SPARKING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY'S HISTORY, CURRENT ISSUES, AND ASPIRATIONS. A FEW OF THE YEAR'S COMMUNITY PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED: A) A WEEK-LONG EXHIBIT OF DA DE MUERTOS INSTALLATIONS BY LATINX ARTISTS, WITH TIMED AND SAFE PUBLIC VIEWING OPPORTUNITIES FOR 400 ATTENDEES; B) A SERIES OF ONLINE PANEL DISCUSSIONS FOCUSED ON HEALTH AND WELLNESS RESOURCES FOR BIPOC COMMUNITIES; C) COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER ARTISTS, ADVOCATES, ACTIVISTS, AND OTHERS TO DISCUSS CURRENT ISSUES IN THE ARTS FIELD AND BROADER COMMUNITIES, RANGING FROM THE DIY CLOTHING MOVEMENT AND BIPOC ENTREPRENEURSHIP, TO PUBLIC FINANCE AND OREGON'S REVENUE SYSTEM, TO INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY IN PORTLAND THEATER; D) "FIRST THURSDAY" CONCERTS THAT SPOTLIGHTED OREGON MUSICIANS, POETS, AND OTHER ARTISTS; E) "SCRIPT SESSIONS", IN WHICH ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MARISSA WOLF AND ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CHIP MILLER LED A SERIES OF PLAY EXPLORATIONS WITH GUEST ARTISTS; AND F) THE MURAL PROJECT, FOR WHICH PCS COMMISSIONED LOCAL ARTISTS TO CREATE WORKS TO BE INSTALLED ON THE ARMORY'S LARGE WOODEN DOORS ON 10TH AVENUE. FOR THE INAUGURAL MURAL, WE PARTNERED WITH MULTI-DISCIPLINARY VISUAL ARTIST DAREN TODD, WHO PAINTED A COLORFUL PORTRAIT OF THE ICONIC JAMES BALDWIN.

WITH THE SUSPENSION OF IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING, PCS LOOKED TO NEW WAYS TO SERVE OUR AUDIENCES AND SUPPORT ARTISTS, ESPECIALLY THE MYRIAD OF TALENTED ARTISTS IN THE PORTLAND COMMUNITY. FOR 2020-2021, WE OFFERED A VARIETY OF INNOVATIVE VIRTUAL PROGRAMS, WHILE ALSO PREPARING FOR A FUTURE IN WHICH WE COULD SAFELY REOPEN THE ARMORY AND RETURN TO THE STAGE. WE PRODUCED ONLINE READINGS AND PERFORMANCES OF FIVE PLAYS INCLUDING SHAKESPEARE'S "COMEDY OF ERRORS," "LOVE IN THE TIME OF PIATAS," BY BARUCH PORRAS HERNANDEZ, MEREDITH WILLSON'S "THE MUSIC MAN," "HOWARDS END," BY CAROLINE HEWITT, AND ALICE CHILDRESS'S "WINE IN THE WILDERNESS," AS WELL AS OFFERING VIRTUAL STAGE PRODUCTIONS OF "CHARLES DICKENS' A CHRISTMAS CAROL AND DAEL ORLANDERSMITH'S "UNTIL THE FLOOD." CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE OWE ALSO LAUNCHED THE ORIGINAL VOICES" SERIES, COMMISSIONING ARTISTS FROM ACROSS A BROAD SPECTRUM OF CREATIVE EXPRESSION TO MAKE SHORT, INNOVATIVE THEATRICAL PIECES FOR VIRTUAL PRESENTATION, INCLUDING "RENAISSANCE: TECHNICALLY" BY JOSIE SEID, SVILA'S "EARTH WITHOUT BORDERS," THE ENSEMBLE-CREATED "THE BELLS THAT STILL CAN RING," PHIL JOHNSON'S "PROTOCOL: EPISODE 1, AND ASHLEY SONG'S "SUMMERFIELD ESTATES," ALONG WITH THE COMMUNITY VOICES PROJECT, A SERIES OF VIDEOS FROM 17 MOSTLY BIPOC ARTISTS.

PORTLAND CENTER STAGE IS DEEPLY INVESTED IN PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FRESH, DIVERSE, AND POWER THEATRICAL VOICES AND IN DEVELOPING AND PRODUCING NEW WORKS THAT ENRICH THE CONTEMPORARY THEATER REPERTOIRE. ALTHOUGH COMPELLED TO CANCEL OUR 2020 JAW NEW PLAY FESTIVAL DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, WE INAUGURATED A NEW PLAY COMMISSIONS PROGRAM TO LIFT UP SOME OF THE MOST EXCITING VOICES IN AMERICAN THEATER WHILE STAGES WERE DARK, AND TO GENERATE A WELLSPRING OF FRESH THEATRICAL OFFERINGS TO DRAW FROM WHEN THEATERS COULD AGAIN WELCOME THE COMMUNITY BACK INTO THEIR HOUSES. FOUR COMMISSIONS FOR NEW PLAYS WERE AWARDED TO: BRITTANY K. ALLEN, WHOSE WORK "REDWOOD" RECEIVED ITS WORLD PREMIERE AT PCS IN NOVEMBER 2019; CHRISTINA ANDERSON, BEST KNOWN FOR HER PLAYS "GOOD GOODS AND "INKED BABY; CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE OCHRISTOPHER CHEN, WHOSE WORK, "CAUGHT," WON THE 2017 OBIE AWARD FOR PLAYWRITING; AND ANYA PEARSON, PORTLAND-BASED ACTRESS AND PLAYWRIGHT, WHOSE MOST RECENT WORK, "THREE LOVE SONGS," WAS PART OF PCS'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATIONAL "PLAY AT HOME" PROJECT. WE WERE ALSO EXCITED TO COMMISSION OUR FIRST ORIGINAL MUSICAL, "HOMBRES; THE WORK IS BEING CO-CREATED BY CHOREOGRAPHER AND DIRECTOR WILLIAM CARLOS ANGULO, PLAYWRIGHT ISAAC GMEZ, AND COMPOSER AND LYRICIST MICHELLE J. RODRIGUEZ IN A DEVISED, COLLABORATIVE PROCESS CENTERED ON IMPROVISATION TECHNIQUES.

ALTHOUGH THE STATEWIDE PANDEMIC SHUTDOWN MEANT THE SUSPENSION OF IN-THEATER AND IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, PCS CONTINUED TO MEET THE NEEDS EXPRESSED BY YOUNG PEOPLE, TEACHERS, AND PARENTS FOR THEATER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES. WE PROVIDED SCHOOLS WITH FREE ACCESS TO PCS VIRTUAL ORIGINAL WORKS PRODUCTIONS AND PLAY READINGS, AND WERE ALSO PART OF A NATIONAL THEATER CONSORTIUM PRESENTING DAEL ORLANDERSMITH'S "UNTIL THE FLOOD" AS A FREE STREAMING EVENT. IN ADDITION, WE OFFERED VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS LED BY PCS TEACHING ARTISTS THAT FOCUSED NOT ONLY ON PARTICULAR PLAYS AND THEATER SKILLS, BUT ALSO ON THEATER CAREERS AND CREATIVELY CHANNELING ANXIETY AND OTHER EMOTIONS THAT, FOR MANY YOUNG PEOPLE, WERE PROMPTED BY THE PANDEMIC. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE OOUR YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS PROGRAM SERVED FOUR HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOMS OF STUDENTS WHO LEARNED THE BASICS OF WRITING FOR THE STAGE AND CREATED SHORT PLAYS AS THEIR FINAL PROJECTS; A SHOWCASE OF STUDENTS' PLAYS, PERFORMED BY PROFESSIONAL ACTORS, WAS LIVESTREAMED. RESPONDING TO REQUESTS FROM YOUTH AND PARENTS, WE EXPANDED OUR TEEN ACADEMY BEYOND SUMMER INTENSIVES TO BECOME A YEAR-ROUND PROGRAM; IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAFETY PROTOCOLS AND STATE GUIDELINES, CLASSES WERE LIMITED-CAPACITY AND PHYSICALLY DISTANCED. OUR PCS TEEN COUNCIL AND ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS CONTINUED ONLINE, RANGING FROM CLASSES ON ACTING TECHNIQUES AND EXPLORING SHAKESPEARE'S TEXTS TO MONTHLY DROP-IN WORKSHOPS FOR BIPOC WRITERS.

IN PERSON OR ONLINE, PCS OFFERED A WIDE ARRAY OF FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS AIMED AT EXPANDING ACCESS, INCREASING ENGAGEMENT, AND SPARKING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY'S HISTORY, CURRENT ISSUES, AND ASPIRATIONS. A FEW OF THE YEAR'S COMMUNITY PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED: A) A WEEK-LONG EXHIBIT OF DA DE MUERTOS INSTALLATIONS BY LATINX ARTISTS, WITH TIMED AND SAFE PUBLIC VIEWING OPPORTUNITIES FOR 400 ATTENDEES; B) A SERIES OF ONLINE PANEL DISCUSSIONS FOCUSED ON HEALTH AND WELLNESS RESOURCES FOR BIPOC COMMUNITIES; C) COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER ARTISTS, ADVOCATES, ACTIVISTS, AND OTHERS TO DISCUSS CURRENT ISSUES IN THE ARTS FIELD AND BROADER COMMUNITIES, RANGING FROM THE DIY CLOTHING MOVEMENT AND BIPOC ENTREPRENEURSHIP, TO PUBLIC FINANCE AND OREGON'S REVENUE SYSTEM, TO INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY IN PORTLAND THEATER; D) "FIRST THURSDAY" CONCERTS THAT SPOTLIGHTED OREGON MUSICIANS, POETS, AND OTHER ARTISTS; E) "SCRIPT SESSIONS", IN WHICH ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MARISSA WOLF AND ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CHIP MILLER LED A SERIES OF PLAY EXPLORATIONS WITH GUEST ARTISTS; AND F) THE MURAL PROJECT, FOR WHICH PCS COMMISSIONED LOCAL ARTISTS TO CREATE WORKS TO BE INSTALLED ON THE ARMORY'S LARGE WOODEN DOORS ON 10TH AVENUE. FOR THE INAUGURAL MURAL, WE PARTNERED WITH MULTI-DISCIPLINARY VISUAL ARTIST DAREN TODD, WHO PAINTED A COLORFUL PORTRAIT OF THE ICONIC JAMES BALDWIN.