Two Seans are better than one: Writer/director Sean Brown and actor Sean Marlow talk about their solo show “Death of a Drag Queen.”

When Sean Marlow asked  Sean Brown to write a new show for him, Brown got right to work.

“I was like ‘of course,’ because that’s an honor more than a chore,” says Brown.

Meeting in Brown’s living room, the two Seans and I recently talked about Death of a Drag Queen, which is written and directed by Brown and stars Marlow.

Brown and Marlow had met in college, and Marlow later appeared in Brown’s 2018 film Strictly Professional and then starred in his 2021 Christmas Freak.

The problem with Strictly Professional, Marlow laughs, “was there wasn’t enough me in it.”

“And he was actually right about that,” Brown says.

Working with Marlow on that movie, he says, “was so different from working with everyone else because when you get into the edit room, you want to have a lot of choices, and Sean provided that, whereas sometimes with other actors you have to really Frankenstein the performances together to get something cohesive.”

Marlow was interested in portraying a character who’s emotionally unravelling in their room, somewhat like Lanford Wilson’s The Madness of Lady Bright, inspiring Brown to write about an aging drag queen, Cram Brulée, who has lost everything – work, money and even friends. Her water has been shut off and she’s about to be evicted from her apartment as she faces the ghosts of her past.

The resulting solo show, Death of a Drag Queen, which promises to be “[e]qual parts camp and confession,” opens at Echo Theater Company Dec. 5. 

Brown wrote the play with Marlow’s voice in mind. As a result, he says, “Sean just absorbed this material and inhabits the character, which is essential. You can’t play this character – you have to be this character.”

As for Marlow, becoming Cram has been “exciting and beautiful and terrifying,” he says. “I have to lay it all out there, or anybody with a brain is going to see right through it. I’m a lot more terrified about it than I thought I would be. I’m not this person, but it requires that kind of connection. You know, literally standing there in a bra and pantyhose, just showing yourself to the world is not something that you do every day.”

“It’s not?” Brown quips.

“No, I was told not to do that anymore,” Marlow laughs.

All joking aside, Marlow says he’s honored to play this part. “The importance of this story being told is more important than anything I’m going through, and what happens to this character has to be told. And what happens to this character has to happen in order for people to be changed in some way.”

Brown, too, hopes the play will make an impact.

“Texas and Louisiana are both going through a particular political thing,” he says. “They’re legislating against drag and trans individuals in an alarming way and attempting an erasure from society of a group of people, who are not a threat to society in any way, and a group of people who have always been in society in varying incarnations. It’s not anything new. Nor is its erasure new – it’s cyclical.”

After we talked, Marlow performed the third act of the play for me, slipping into character in Brown’s basement, which was bedecked with the feathered and zebra-striped scenic design Marlow has created. Addressing an audience of one, Cram’s redolent and resilient Southern charm came to life before my eyes.  

“Even though I’m used to the words,” he says, “[rehearsing this show] still hits me emotionally as a viewer, which is indicative of what I think audiences might get. I want them to be affected the way I’m affected. It’s intense and all-encompassing.”

“And funny as hell,” Brown adds. “It’s hilarious.”

The play is set in Shreveport, Louisiana, a place Brown knows well, having gone to high school about 30 miles away. “It’s an interesting area. Not a nightmare. It’s an area that is beautiful and also horrible. And the decay – at least when I was there – you could just smell it. I set it there because it’s not particularly progressive.”

Brown sees Cram as a product of this environment … and somewhat conservative. “She might be a little bit MAGA,” he says.

“She says things, she behaves in ways that might be alienating to younger people. She’s a little crunchy. You know, that’s how a lot of people are. She embodies this in a body that she’s been told is wrong all her life, that she’s wrong, that this person should not exist in the way that she exists – that he exists, before there was more gender fluidity. …”

In the play, Cram was raised in a town called Sorrowful, Louisiana, but some things happen that lead her to move to Shreveport.

Brown says, “We talk [in the play] about how gay people are known and understood in rural America – now this is absolutely my experience – you must stay within a box —”

“Make sure we can see where you are,” adds Marlow.

“— You’ve got to look like we expect you to look, you’ve got to act like we expect you to act,” says Brown. “You can’t vary —”

“Church flowers, play the organ, if you can get into church,” says Marlow, whose family moved around when he was a kid but often visited his extended family in rural Georgia.

Because Cram is neither fully conservative nor fully liberal, Brown sees her as embodying America. “She’s the bridge between these two worlds existing in this contradiction. And that bridge is burning up between the left and right here in America.”

Adding another layer to the play, Cram is turning 60 and has become an outsider in the gay community itself.

Young people today, Brown points out, “haven’t grown up with the same need for gay spaces that previous generations created in order to feel safe: Since the ’90s it’s been a much more mainstream kind of life. Sexual orientation just doesn’t seem to be a thing anymore. That isn’t how it used to be at all.

“We needed our own spaces, and we had them because you get yelled at, you get spit on by the outside world. Well, inside these safe spaces, as you grow older you literally disappear. You get into your 40s, you get into your 50s, and you just no longer are relevant. Young people just don’t see you. It’s not about hooking up. It’s just about humanity. It’s a thing that we all have to come to terms with.” 

Ironically, Brown says, gay people became more seen partly thanks to Ronald Reagan’s  inaction during the AIDS crisis.

“During the Reagan era when everyone was dying, despite I think what Mr. Reagan would have preferred, that ignoring of the crisis led to a groundswell of support and people began to understand that while, yes, they were also very afraid of AIDS, there were more gay people visible,” says Brown. “They were beginning to understand it’s not monsters under the bed like you’d been told.”

Despite finding more mainstream acceptance, Brown says, “Gay people don’t have the societal structure that straight people have built over the centuries in the light of day.”

The play, he adds, doesn’t attempt to solve the general hostility towards aging throughout society; it merely points out that it’s a factor in Cram’s life and career, which she revisits throughout the show, reminiscing with some songs – Brown says audiences will be treated to a bit of a floor show – and some of Cram’s favorite looks.

While Brown has made a few commercials in drag, he claims it was “ugly drag.” Marlow, on the other hand, was always drawn to his grandmother’s jewelry and clothes as a young boy.

His father, who was in the army, made it clear Marlow wasn’t allowed to dress in women’s clothes. His mother, however, didn’t comment, and encouraged him to go to theater school.

“I don’t know if she thought, ‘I don’t know what to do with this kid – maybe get him out of the house before he gets killed.’”

At any rate, he remembers sitting on the closed toilet lid and watching her do her makeup. His grandmother never complained, either. “Maybe she thought I’d grow out of it. I just hoped I’d get better at it.”

He emphasizes that Death of a Drag Queen is a play, not a drag show. He’s working on all the wigs, jewelry, costumes and scenic design, and Brown is also enhancing the set with projected graphic-novel style images that might suggest an alternate version of Cram’s past.

Cram’s world may be crumbling – if it did, in fact, ever exist – but Marlow’s performance continues to make Brown laugh.

Cram tells stories, but she takes the long way around. At one point, she even uses a breathy Marilyn Monroe voice. “The digressions and the jokes are what make this fascinating,” says Brown. “Sean masters the jumping around and asides, comments to the audience and to herself. It’s hilarious.”

Both Brown and Marlow would like the play to move beyond Portland, and with its low cost and portable set, they’re open to taking it on tour. “It will absolutely make some bugaboo in your mind a human being,” says Brown.

“I can do this show till I fall over dead,” says Marlow, who hopes someone who needs to see it will stumble in and find that it makes them a little kinder. “Maybe to gays. But maybe to their wife. Just in general. Stop the cruelty. It’s not serving you, it’s not serving them. It’s not serving humans.”

Aside from hoping to create change, Brown says of the play: “Bottom line, it’s entertaining.”

Death of a Drag Queen  will be onstage Fridays and Saturdays at Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37^th Ave., Dec. 5-20. Ages 16+.  Tickets are $25, 50% off for those who come in drag. A second run of the show will at The Board Room Cabaret, 1785 N.E. Sandy Blvd., Jan. 22–24 and Jan 29-31. Find schedules and tickets for performances at both locations here.

Also opening

The World According to Snoopy at Bridgetown Musical Theatre in Portland (Dec. 4-7) and Salem (Dec. 11-14).

Featuring two separate casts, with performers ages 11-18, Bridgetown Musical Theatre is presenting productions of The World According to Snoopy in both Portland and December this holiday season. “It’s a great musical and works beautifully in the hands of young performers!” says Rick Lewis, artistic director and founder of Bridgetown Conservatory. “I had the good fortune to music direct a production of the original version of Snoopy!!! The Musical in NYC years ago, and the show became one of my favorite musical theatre scores. We’re thrilled to be able to present the revised version with new music!”

Based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, this 2017 show includes a brand new song (“Husband Material”) with music by Larry Grossman and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, composer/lyricist of the additional material in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Revised). The Portland production is directed by Danielle Valentine, with music direction by Ashlynn Pilger. Beth Sobo Turk directs the Salem show, with choreography by LeOnna Small and music direction by Christopher Meade. Portland performances are in the Bridgetown Black Box Theatre, and Salem performances are in the Verona Studio Theater in the Reed Opera House. Find Portland tickets here and Salem tickets here. 

A Gift to Remember at HART, Dec. 6-21.

On Christmas Eve, a snowstorm forces a train of travelers to take shelter in a small New Hampshire depot. Stranded and frustrated, each passenger carries their own reason for needing to reach their destination – some urgent, some deeply personal. As the hours pass and tensions ease, the group begins to connect through shared stories, surprising humor, and some holiday spirit. Joseph Robinette wrote the script, based on a Debbie Macomber novel. Directed by William Crawford.

Northwest Theatre Workshop’s Founders’ Showcase: staged readings of Unmediated and Do That Dance, Dec. 6-14.

After ten years of leadership, Northwest Theatre Workshop’s (NWTW’s) outgoing producing artistic director Ciji Guerin is presenting new work from two of her favorite founding artists.

Unmediated: Investigating crimes surrounding a mysterious cult, reporter Hal Turnin mistrusts his instincts – and his sanity – in this quirky dark comedy. Written by Brad Bolchunos, directed by Ciji Guerin, the show runs Dec. 6-7. 

Do That Dance: While celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary, Dan and Joan, a 30-ish couple with twin boys, wonder how to keep dancing. Described as a “jazzy, poignant, romantic comedy,” with book and lyrics by Wayne Harrel, music by Craig Bidondo; directed by Judy Straalsund. Runs Dec. 12-14.

Both productions will be script-in-hand staged readings at Copewell Commons at Taborspace, 5441 S.E. Belmont St., Portland. Find schedules and tickets for both shows here.

Portland Panto Players’ Beauty and the Beast at Mission Theater, Dec. 11-21.

A family-friendly event filled with slapstick, witty dialogue, music, dancing and a few jokes for the adults. “Panto,” according to the group’s press, “is Interactive Theater and the audience becomes a big part of the show. Everyone is encouraged to sing along with the music, to hiss or jeer at the villain, and to offer a sympathetic ‘awwwww’ to the rejected dame who is desperately seeking love.” All ages, doors open 6:30 p.m. Mission Theater, 1624 N.W. Glisan St. in Portland.

​The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Gallery Theatre, McMinnville, through Dec. 14.

This comedic show follows a couple’s chaotic attempt to put on a church Christmas pageant, only to have it turned upside down by the Herdmans, six unruly kids who’ve never heard the Christmas story. As the Herdmans bring their antics and unconventional ideas to the nativity, the whole town experiences some surprising moments of joy. Based on the bestselling young adult book by Barbara Robinson. Directed by Debbie Harmon Ferry.

Red Octopus Theatre Company’s The Christmas Show in Newport, Dec. 19-21.

Darcy Lawrence’s family-friendly, sketch-comedy-style holiday show is back with a cast of more than 30 performers, fresh sketches, and a new Saturday matinee. Laughter, music, Santa, and snow inside the theater are all promised.

Christmas with C.S. Lewis at the Newmark Theatre, 2 p.m. Dec. 21.

In the early years of his young adult life, C.S. Lewis believed the story of Christ’s birth was nothing more than feel-good myth. In this show, Lewis is at home near Oxford on Christmas Eve hosting a group of Americans who discover that an encounter with his friend J.R.R. Tolkien forever changed Lewis’ Christmas celebrations.

More opening shows (previously listed in the DramaWatch holiday season preview)

The Donnie Show at Triangle Productions, Dec. 4-14.

Surprises are in store as Triangle brings back its variety show, hosted by Donnie (aka Don Horn), with James Sharinghousen. Featuring a different guest each night, who could be a stand-up comedian, singer, or even a popular personality here in Portland. T’Kara Cambell Starr and Olan J. Williams will be the first guests. There’ll be just seven chances to catch the show.

Shaking the Tree Theatre open space residencies, Dec. 4-6 and Dec. 11-13.

With an aim to nurture emerging and mid-career artists who want to explore new works, the Southeast Portland experimental theater is hosting two final resident artists, Monel Chang & Kayla Hanson.

In Take Me to Your Leader, a show about The Seoul of a Clown (Dec. 4-6), Monel Chang (aka Moldy Melon) shapeshifts, becoming a folk diva, a skincare-obsessed disciple, and a dictator throwing themself a birthday party.

SALOME (Dec. 11-13) is a new feature screenplay by Kayla Hanson, adapted from Oscar Wilde’s Salome and excerpts from The Bible, and presented as a staged reading. This adaptation folds in themes of revisionist history, Filipino folklore, comedy, and the all-consuming, deadly power of a teenage crush.

Little Women: A Musical at Magenta Theater in Vancouver, Wash., Dec. 5-21.

The Civil War-era story is brought to musical life in this adaptation by Sean Heartly, with lyrics by Allison Hubbard and music by Kim Oler. Directed by Shannon Cluphf.

A Tuna Christmas at Bag&Baggage, Dec 5-21, previews Dec. 4.

Two actors, Trevor Harter and Samuel Scott Campbell, take on more than 20 roles in this holiday satire set on Christmas Eve in a small fictional Texas town. Written by Ed Howard, Jaston Williams and Joe Sears, this production is directed by Mandana Khoshnevisan.

Christmas in Christmasville at Twilight Theater, Dec. 5-21, previews Dec. 4.

The 2023 show was an absolute hoot, and this new production should be perfect for those who revel in holiday rom-coms … and for those who revel in snickering at them. Written and directed by Chris Byrne.

Recta’s Chris™as CareHOLE at Fuse Theatre Ensemble, Dec. 5-20.

Promising less Christmas cheer and more holiday jeer, Rusty Tennant’s drag clown alter-ego, Recta Borealis, will present a dark adaptation of A Christmas Carol in this genre-defying, anti-fascist solo performance that fuses music with video (and cartoons). Performances are on Fridays and Saturdays.

Holidazed! at Ten Fifteen Theater in Astoria, Dec. 5-20.

When Christmas is too commercial even for Santa, you know there’s a problem. This irreverent show follows Santa as he quits Christmas and sets out to discover its true meaning. Written and directed by Sam Dinkowitz, and featuring an ensemble cast.

LineStorm reading of The Frankenstein Project at Artists Rep, 6-9 p.m. Dec. 7

In 1816, young Mary Shelley grieves for her lost child and dreams of monsters. In the present, Mary Lattimore struggles to write a paper about Mary Shelley’s famous book, and befriends the AI robot her father has created and brought home to train. The reading of E.M. Lewis’s play is directed by Luan Schooler.

The Reser & Reduced Shakespeare Company Present The Ultimate Christmas Show (Abridged) Dec. 10.

Welcome to the Annual Holiday Variety Show and Christmas Pageant at St. Everybody’s Non-Denominational Church of Acceptance, where none of the scheduled acts have arrived and three quick-witted and resourceful members of the Reduced Shakespeare Company are stepping in to perform the entire show themselves. Called “festive, funny, physical family fun.”

The Snow Globe at 21ten Theatre, Dec. 11-21.

The musicians of Musica Universalis, together with Briana Ratterman and Jonathan Cullen, celebrate the season with music, stories, poetry, and freshly baked Christmas cake. The show, which is described as “part play, part concert, part baking party,” was created and is directed by Štěpán S. Šimek. Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 5 p.m.

Portland Revels’ Highland Hearth: A Midwinter Revels, Dec. 12-21.

Portland Revels returns to the Scottish Highlands – and its former home at the Scottish Rite Center – for a celebration of light with music, story and dance. Find schedules and tickets for the show here. Scottish Rite Center, 709 S.W. 15th Ave. in Portland.

Experience Theatre Project’s A Drunk Christmas Carol, Dec. 12-20.

Part scripted, part improvised: Samm Hill, returning for his third year as Scrooge, downs five shots, then performs the iconic role in Dickens’ Christmas story. A troupe of improvisers try to keep the classic story on the rails while the audience makes suggestion,s and the “Wheel of Fate” can change the setting of the tale at any time.

Liberace & Liza: Regifted and Unscripted (A Tribute) at CoHo Theatre, Dec. 18-21.

The sequined show is back onstage at its birthplace, CoHo Theatre, with holiday classics and some surprises. David Saffert returns as Liberace, Jillian Snow is back as Liza Minnelli, and they’ll both sprinkle the show with a snowglobe full of banter.

ZooZoo at Imago Theatre, Dec. 19-Jan. 4.

The amazing menagerie is back – penguins, frogs, aardvark and all – in a show that’s always a winner with kids and adults alike. Original music by Katie Griesar. Directed by Imago co-founders Carol Triffle and Jerry Mouawad.

Posada Milagro 2025, a Christmas celebration, Dec. 21, 2 and 4 p.m.

This family-friendly cultural Christmas celebration includes a performance with a pastorela, ballet folklorico dance, and music. Performances are in the Milagro MainStage Theatre, and tickets are first-come, first-served, starting at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show, Dec. 22.

The popular show is back and promises more comedy, camp, new songs and “wintertime wonder.” Starring drag queens Ben DeLaCreme & Jinkx Monsoon. See it at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. 

Continuing shows

Plan V: The Rise of Reverence at 21ten Theatre, 10 p.m. Dec. 5 & 12.

Doubling down on joy, Eleanor O’Brien has rewritten her solo comedy show once more, taking out the bit about the censorship police that was in its recent iteration. “I found I no longer wanted to perform the ‘war-torn’ ending,” she wrote in a recent email. “I wanted to return to an earlier version of the show, when the play highlighted the joy of pussy worship and sharing stories, and not the dangers of a fascist government. I returned to my motivating quote, ‘The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.’” (Toni Cade Bambara). 

Elemental, three new works at Ethos Music Center, 8 p.m. Dec. 6.

Ethos Music Center launches its upgraded performance space with Elemental, an evening of three innovative new works, including Zoltar Predicts by Jed Sutton, Mountain Woman by Ariel Bittner, and Water Makes Me Honest by Maddy Schultz. Presented by Foxhole Projects.

Corrib Theatre’s Stilt, at Historic Alberta House, through Dec. 7.

This remarkable thriller reimagines the Rumpelstiltskin story as a modern Irish cautionary tale. ArtsWatch reviewed it here.

PassinArt’s Black Nativity, through Dec. 7.

Written by Langston Hughes, Black Nativity tells the story of the nativity from an African-American perspective, including a combination of scripture, poetry, dance, and song with griot-style narration. Directed by Jerry Foster, music directed by JerMichael Riley PhD, choreography by Kemba Shannon. This year, the show will be at Alberta Abbey, 126 N.E. Alberta St. in Portland. ArtsWatch reviewed last year’s roof-raising performance here.

In-laws, Out-laws, & Other People, Pentacle Theatre in Salem through Dec. 13.

It’s 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and the Douglas family is preparing for its annual holiday dinner when the evening takes an unexpected turn. After robbing a neighborhood liquor store, high-strung Tony and his dim-witted sidekick Vinny find themselves in desperate need of a hideout, turning the family’s festive gathering into chaos. Directed by Karen McCarty and written by Steve Franco.

Miracle on 34th Street, Lakewood Theatre Company, through Dec. 14.

Kris Kringle, an older man living in a retirement home, takes a job as Macy’s Santa and spreads goodwill by sending parents to other stores to find the right toys for their kids. Viewed as delusional by Macy’s vocational counselor, Kris finds himself in a court competency hearing, and one girl’s belief in Santa is at risk. Karlyn Love directs Mountain Community Theater’s adaptation of the novella by Valentine Davies, who also wrote the story for the 1947 film.

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Portland Center Stage, through Dec. 21.

This celebration of sisterhood tells the story of a younger writer coming into her own. The production is helmed by director Joanie Schultz in co-production with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Darleen Ortega reviewed it for ArtsWatch here.

Christmas In Door County at Broadway Rose, through Dec. 21.

This musical yuletide revue was written by Dan Murphy and Rick Lewis, with vocal arrangements by Lewis. The show is directed and choreographed by Murphy, with musical direction by Wendy Vece. At the Broadway Rose New Stage, 12850 S.W. Grant Ave. in Tigard. Note: The show is sold out, but you can call the box office at 503-620-5262  in case any seats open up.

Oliver! at Stumptown Stages, through Dec. 21.

Lionel Bart’s iconic musical is based on Dickens’ story about Oliver Twist, a boy who asked for more. The sensational score includes “Food Glorious Food,” “Consider Yourself,” and “I’d Do Anything,” and Stumptown’s equally sensational cast features Kirk Mouser as Fagin. Directed by Patrick Nims, music direction by Barney Stein, and choreographed by Jeff George. Onstage at Portland’5 Winningstad Theatre at Antoinette Hatfield Hall, 1111 S.W. Broadway.

Salt and Sage’s Much Ado Abot Nothing and The Winter’s Tale at Artists Rep through Dec. 21.

This inventive company’s version of the wonderfully witty Much Ado calls out Claudio as a “gullible misogynist groom,” and its fantastical production of The Winter’s Tale promises to “dabble in the repair and healing after trauma, with a magical twist.” With Salt and Sage regulars Alison Anderson, Bobby Bermea and Paul Susi as well as newcomer Nina Pamintuan. Both shows are directed by Asae Dean.

A Christmas Carol at Portland Playhouse, through Dec. 31.

Portland Playhouse’s popular holiday show returns, with La’Tevin Alexander playing Scrooge this time around. Directed by Charles Grant. Dmae Lo Roberts previewed the show for her ArtsWatch Stage & Studio podcast here. Note: Tickets are selling fast, so you might want to reserve your seat as soon as possible.

The Wizard of Oz at Northwest Children’s Theatre, through Jan. 4.

Josie Overstreet and Emma Lombard share the role of Dorothy in this musical journey down the yellow brick road, which is accessible for young theatergoers. NWCT alumna Sophie MacKay, who was transcendent in this fall’s Triangle at Broadway Rose Theatre (read the ArtsWatch review here), plays Glinda. Sophie’s dog, Milo, an 8-pound Havapoo, also appears onstage as Toto. The world of Oz was originally created by L. Frank Baum, and this adaptation by John Kane is based on the 1939 movie, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg and background music by Herbert Stothart. Directed by Sarah Jane Hardy. About 90 minutes including one intermission. Onstage weekends and select weekdays, with shows at 11:30 a.m. & 3 p.m. Most enjoyed by ages 5 and up.

Theater News

A trove of newly discovered plays by William S. Gregory will be presented in a reading series at CoHo Theater this winter.

Oregon playwright William S. Gregory (known as Sam) passed away last year at 55, leaving behind scripts for more than 60 plays, most of which had never been produced, or even read outside of a close circle of supporters. 

Gregory had enjoyed a hit in Portland in 1999 when CoHo Productions premiered his Mary Tudor, a drama about Henry VIII’s elder daughter that earned Drammy Awards for new work, directing, and ensemble acting. CoHo went on to produce two other plays by Sam in subsequent seasons, and a few of his other scripts were the subject of workshops or public readings. But the vast majority of plays on Gregory’s computer were essentially unknown at the time of his death.

A small group of Gregory’s friends and artistic collaborators has been sifting through this trove, and a selection of the plays, together with Mary Tudor, will be presented in a series of staged readings at CoHo Theater Jan. 2 – Feb. 1, 2026. According to a press release, “The purpose of this series is to bring to the attention of audiences in Portland, and beyond, the work of a singularly talented writer whose rich language and sharp wit recall Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, and even Shakespeare – all of whom, by happy coincidence, appear as characters within plays featured in the series.”

The group staging the readings, Talk Soon Productions, includes members whose friendship with Gregory dates back to his school days. One of those members, Maggie Hadley, who will direct the reading of It’s Brilliant Here, says Gregory was the first person to direct her in a play when they were both in high school in Eugene: “I don’t think there was any human throughout time who didn’t interest Sam.”

Among the many plays included in the series is Dreams at the Cadogan Hotel (directed by Paul Redford), a witty, surreal period drama about the struggle to get Oscar Wilde to flee England rather than go to jail; Exultation (directed by Cindy McGean), a mischievous period comedy in which a Renaissance-era Venetian painter tries to sell his unorthodox final masterpiece to a local convent; and Kit Marlowe’s Comical Demise (two readings, directed by Keith Cable and Patrick Lee), a verse comedy in which Shakespeare and other Elizabethan playwrights attempt to stage the “death” of fellow dramatist Christopher Marlowe to allow him to escape the Royal Spymaster.

Readings will take place on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. at CoHo Theater, 2257 N.W. Raleigh St. in Portland, Jan. 2– Feb. 1, 2026. Find the complete schedule, along with ticket information and a roster of actors, here.

Profile Theatre names new managing director.

Portland’s resident playwright-focused theater company has hired Suzanne Raether as its new managing director, a position made possible through a three-year, $263,000 capacity-building grant from the Murdock Trust.

Raether comes to Profile Theatre with nearly 15 years of experience in stewarding nonprofit organizations toward sustainable futures, having raised more than $16 million across 26 organizations since 2011. Originally from Louisiana, Raether led the New Orleans-based organization The Roots of Music as executive director and worked to expand music education programming across the city.

“I know first-hand how effective the arts are in weaving communities together,” says Raether. “I saw it for myself in New Orleans’ continued post-Katrina rebuilding. Portland of 2025 has its own unique challenges, but Profile has the same opportunity to harness the power of theatre to bring people back together and foster a sense of belonging.”

Josh Hecht, Profile’s artistic director, adds, “Like many organizations, the pandemic and the years immediately following have been among the most precarious in our theater (and the sector’s) history. In 2025, we’ve finally begun to see audiences return to pre-pandemic levels (Witch was 95% sold out!). Now with Suzanne’s experience and leadership by our side, the future is bright indeed for Profile, and I feel more hopeful than I’ve felt in years.”

Applications are open for the 2026 Ashland Fringe Festival

Back for a second year, Ashland Fringe is open for artist applications for the 2026 festival through Jan. 2. Artists of all disciplines are invited to apply for the opportunity to showcase their work at this innovative event.

In its first year, the 2025 Ashland Fringe Festival hosted 42 artists, hailing from Ashland, Medford, Eugene, Portland, Idaho, and Georgia, who helped bring in more than 2,000 audience members to experience free performances, art installations, workshops and community events.

Artists of all experience levels and from all backgrounds and communities are encouraged to apply. In a town vibrant with art, Ashland Fringe provides visibility, offering space for risk-taking, experimentation, and voices that might otherwise go unheard. The 2026 Ashland Fringe Festival will take place May 15-17 in Lithia Park and downtown Ashland. Check here for more information or to apply.