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DramaWatch

DramaWatch: At PSU, a Kabuki farewell

The premiere of a fresh Kabuki adaptation of a 1685 Japanese puppet play is Laurence Kominz’ swan song. Plus “Afropolitical Movement,” openings, closings.

DramaWatch: Beyond grit in ‘Mary Jane’

Endurance, warmth and strength in Amy Herzog’s play; clawing the walls at Shaking the Tree; the casting controversy; is “who wrote Shakespeare” the wrong question?

Nataki Garrett and OSF part ways

The artistic director of the embattled Oregon Shakespeare Festival departs as the company is in the midst of an emergency fund drive to keep its season going.

DramaWatch: Profile and the playwrights

At Profile, a gathering of contemporary voices. Plus: Clowning around at Milagro, Corrib’s gritty solo show, last days for “Come From Away,” Portland Playhouse’s new season and more.

Luisa and Rene talk theater and life

Actor Luisa Sermol and novelist Rene Denfeld sit down for a chat about drama, stories, sexism, making the invisible seen, and working together on the play “Myra’s Story.”   

Hell is auditioning at a certain age

Sharon Maroney’s new musical “Audition From Hell” at Broadway Rose takes a breezy but pointed trip into the perils and pitfalls of backstage life.

DramaWatch: Triangle’s epic ‘Inheritance’

Matthew Lopez’ two-part drama reimagines “Howards End” as a gay New York saga. Plus openings, closings, a big theater bash, and a new leader for Oregon Children’s Theatre.

Bobby Bermea: A trans teen’s life & death

Mikki Gillette’s “American Girl,” premiering at Fuse, is based on the story of Vancouver, Wash., 17-year-old Nikki Kuhnhauser, who was murdered in 2019.

DramaWatch: A new limb on the Tree

Shaking the Tree adds a bright new expansion, Le Salon Rouge takes a bow, cheerleader werewolves land on Earth, “Hairspray” hits town, and more.

A double road trip across America

Center Stage’s premiere of Lauren Yee’s time-tripping “Young Americans” follows three people into the heart and soul of the immigrant experience.

DramaWatch: An American road trip

Lauren Yee’s “Young Americans” at Center Stage takes on the issues of immigration and belonging. Plus: Corrib’s Irish “Trade,” openings and closings.

Review: ‘Welcome to Arroyo’s’

Hip hop and graffiti drive the action in Profile’s production of Kristoffer Diaz’s play about Puerto Rican identity in New York’s gentrifying Lower East Side.

What I Learned in Paris (and America)

Portland Playhouse’s joyously entertaining production of Pearl Cleage’s play offers a feast of great performances by Black artists.

DramaWatch: Re-seeding Fertile Ground

The Portland new-works festival is at a crossroads, seeking to ensure its future. Plus: a new/old face at Center Stage, hip-hop from Profile, “Mad” teens and more.

Getting ready to play at ‘The Judy’

After years of searching for a new home, Northwest Children’s Theater is on the brink of a spring move to expansive digs in the heart of downtown Portland.

DramaWatch: America, and other experiments

PETE’s “The Americans” is as contradictory as the nation itself. Plus Pearl Cleage, the Temptations, Tammy Wynette, giant beavers, Ronald Reagan and AIDS, Lava Alapai and more.

The Temptations, Motown and me

As the jukebox musical “Ain’t Too Proud” rolls into town, Misha Berson revels in memories of sweet sounds from the transistor radio as she was growing up near Detroit.

DramaWatch: Fast Breaks, Snapshots and Cut-Ups

Generations and cultures clash on court and off at Artists Rep, plus Broadway Rose’s Steven Schwartz hybrid revue/musical and The Theatre Company’s video theater stream

DramaWatch: Big shakeup in Ashland

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, beset by pandemic and environmental troubles, slashes leadership and other jobs – and Artistic Director Nataki Garrett adds more duties.

DramaWatch: American hoop dreams

Artists Rep’s premiere of Kareem Fahmy’s “American Fast” does a fast break on sport, faith, and culture. Plus: Sondheim for a new generation.

2022: The year at the theater

Oregon’s theater scene took the year literally in stages, from Covid caution to something resembling (but not quite) full speed ahead.

DramaWatch: Going to the ZooZoo

Imago’s magical menagerie of costumed critters returns to the stage. Plus Dickens and C.S. Lewis and even Neil Simon.

Bobby Bermea: Who is Holly Griffith?

Talking with the new artistic director of the Irish theater Corrib about Dublin and contemporary playwrights and her twisting path to Portland.

DramaWatch: Enter Laughing

Holiday shows dominate December’s theater calendar, with good cheer and comedy and a few dark edges to keep you on your toes.

An ‘Our Town’ for all towns

Fuse Theatre’s new production of Thornton Wilder’s American classic tells the story of love and loss from a queer perspective.

DramaWatch: Shaking the holiday tree

Suddenly it’s time for theatrical good cheer, from Tiny Tim to a Wonderful Life to a PDX musical – plus Corrib’s foray into an intense virtual future.

Letter from Seattle: Back in the swing

From the nouveau-cirque of Teatro ZinZanni to Jane Austen, Mr. Dickens, and some holiday noir, the city’s theater scene is flying high again.

Bobby Bermea: Where the future lives

Two of Oregon’s premier theater schools, Bridgetown Conservatory of Musical Theatre and The Actors Conservatory, are sharing space in the historic Tiffany Center.

Blueprint Choirs Gala and Grand Concert Lloyd Center Portland Oregon
Hallie Ford Museum of Art Willamette University Tom Prochaska Music for Ghosts Salem Oregon
Portland State University College of the Arts
Cascadia Composers A Ligeti Odyssey The Old Madeleine Church Portland Oregon
Lincoln County Historical Society Pacific Maritime Heritage Center The Curious World of Seaweed Newport Oregon
Portland Playhouse The sounds of Afrolitical Movement Portland Oregon
Oregon Bach Festival Musical Wanderlust Eugene Oregon
High Desert Museum Creations of Spirit Bend Oregon
Triangle Productions The Inheritance Part 2 Portland Oregon
Profile Theatre How To Make An American Son Imago Theatre Portland Oregon
Portland Piano International Alexander Korsantia Portland Oregon
Portland Revels Rancho Trinidad Portland Oregon
Artists Repertory Theatre EM Lewis True Story The Armory Portland Oregon
Maryhill Museum of Art Columbia Gorge Washington
Oregon Bach Festival Musical Wanderlust Eugene Oregon
Northwest Dance Project Stravinsky Newmark Theatre Portland Oregon
Oregon Cultural Trust tax credit donate
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