She Grew Fangs in the Woods | Defunkt Theatre

                                                    

Her name was Jean.  We were in the third grade together in some long forgotten elementary school in Philadelphia, but I'll never forget her.  She sat in my row and she was the one who would slam my tiny little fingers in between the desks when I wasn't looking.  This happened on a regular basis.

I can't remember his name, but he was the little boy in elementary school who would make fun of me because I have two N's in my name.  Every day, each day, we went into singing class and he would taunt me because my name was spelled D-e-N-N-i-s-e.

Then there was Steve in high school that decided I was the next one on his target list to receive the intimidating verbal attack, "ditch", each time he walked past me in the halls.  I don't even remember what that word meant, but his saying it to me, I definitely felt its meaning.

We all have our stories of being bullied as a child.  The incidents have left clear marks on our tender spirits.  Now, imagine your mom is rumored to be doing sex on the Internet to make money; that you have no friends; you are a young girl who has fallen for the pretty girl who just started at your school.  Imagine how you have to navigate that life experience in a small town in the middle of Nowhere, USA.

That is one of the stories in the heartbreaking play, In the Forest She Grew Fangs. Lucy is the girl I described above and she, along with Jenny and Hunter, are tiptoeing on a thin razor like line of teenage angst and brutal loneliness as they share each of their stories with us in DefunktTheatre's West Coast premier of this play written by Stephen Spotswood.

Left - Director, Andrew-Klaus Vineyard | Right - Co-Creative Director, Matthew Kern

Opening night was sold out and I attended that performance directed by Andrew Klaus-Vineyard.  I am still trying to process the myriad of emotional responses that the performance conjured up in me and trying to answer a few questions about what I experienced that night.  These are two clear indicators that the playwright, the actors, the director and the crew did their individual work brilliantly and cohesively in my book:  I can't stop thinking about the play.

Defunkt Theatre presents a painful look at a national problem of bullying in our schools.  What was once considered almost a rite of passage growing up has sunk to new depths of cruelty and heartbreak with tragic outcomes that include depression and suicide.  Some of the post performances will also include conversations of support from Lines for Life, a non-profit dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide.  The program offers a confidential support service called Youthline that includes both phone and text help for kids dealing with bullying, depression and other painful issues.

Granted, the play will not have you leaving with a heart filled with giddiness, but it will likely encourage you to start thinking more about what our kids may be negotiating as they grow up.  Perhaps, you may even step up and take action.

The productions run through November 15.  Purchase tickets here.

Opening Night After Party at Defunkt Theatre

Defunkt Theatre is a nationally recognized, non-profit ensemble theatre company dedicated to creating innovative productions that challenge conventional ideals of society and theatre at a reasonable price. They offer fresh and relevant perspectives on issues of race, gender, class. They strive to stretch the minds and comfort zones of our audience.

Love's Labour's Lost | Post Five Theatre

There is nothing like watching a charming Shakespearean production, on a summer night, in a courtyard.  It is a triple whammy for me. The twinkle lights were a clue to some of the magic that we audience members were going to experience as we watched the debut of Loves' Labour's Lost by Post Five Theatre.

The story, if you are not familiar with it, is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as they attempt to foreswear the company of women for three years of study and fasting, and their subsequent infatuation with the Princess of Aquitaine and her ladies. 

The cast:
Jim Vadala as Berowne
Jean-Luc Boucherot as Don Adriano de Arnado
Jessica Tidd as Rosaline
Will Steele as King Ferdinand
Danielle Frimer as Princess
Danielle Chaves as Jaquenetta
Hans Eleveld as Dumaine / Dull
Max Maller as Longaville / Holofernes
Ithica Tell - Boyet
Jordin Bradley - Katherine / Moth
Allison Rangel - Maria / Sir Nathaniel
Jeff Painter - Costard

Directed by Avial Shira

Some of the highlights for me (beyond those twinkle lights) were hearing the sweet voice of Danielle Chaves (as Jaquenetta) singing a forlorn song of romance; Jim Vadala's randy and clever presentation as Berowne (and he is a Philadelphian - that's where I was born, too); and Hans Eleveld as Dull pulling off a respectable bass beat during one magical musical number.

The production runs through August 3 (Thursday - Sunday) which includes pay-what-you-can Sundays for those who are a bit cost sensitive.  General ticket cost is $15.00 which is quite reasonable for such a magical experience and Shakespeare, no less!

All the details (show times and advance tickets) can be found here. Make sure you bring a chair and blanket to sit of for maximum comfort.

The Playboy of the Western World

I don't know about you, but whenever I go to see a play by Shakespeare, my biggest fear is not understanding what the actors are saying.  Those beautiful words, those stunning sentences, can scare the heck out of me. But if the actors are doing a good job in their roles, then you know what is going on and hence, no fear.

That brings us to The Playboy of the Western World. Now, mind you - it isn't a play by Shakespeare. It is by a highly esteemed Irish playwright named John Millington Synge. Bear with me for a moment and I swear, I'll get to my point.

I saw this play for the very first time, last night, at Artist Repertory Theatre. This particular story is a three-act play first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo (on the west coast of Ireland) during the early 1900s. It tells the story of Christy Mahon, a young man running away from his farm, claiming he killed his father. The locals are more interested in vicariously enjoying his story than in condemning the immorality of his murderous deed. He captures the romantic attention of the bar-maid Pegeen Mike, the daughter of Flaherty.

Director, Damaso Rodriguez brought the Artists Rep's presentation to us to enjoy with the help of very talented actors.  After reading his message in the program guide about the play, where he mentions his joy in the Synge's use of 'glorious language', I had been given a clue as to what to expect and I felt a bit nervous. He used this example to illustrate his point:

"Let you wait to hear me talking, till we're astray in Erris, when Good Friday's by, drinking a sup from a well, and making mighty kisses with our wetted mouths, or gaming in a gap or sunshine, with yourself stretched back unto your necklace, in the flowers of the earth."

Mighty kisses?  Wow.  I neglected to mention that Mr. Synge, the fellow who wrote this play, was also a poet.

This play included beautiful words and stunning sentences that often scare me off.  But I didn't float away in spite of that fear; instead, the actors kept me right there with them with every robust expression of curiosity, playful exchange of rousing passion and humor-filled dialog that had me laughing out loud, without hesitation. There were a couple of characters that I especially enjoyed, but I don't dare play favorites.

I had the pleasure of meeting one of those actors, Issac Lamb, at the after party.  He portrays Shawn Keough, a bit of a pansy ass, bumbling fool in the story.  I didn't realize how I recognized Issac until he stood next to a gal in a bright yellow top. And then, I figured it out. 

   

Two treats for the price of one:  a fabulous play and a star sighting - my kind of night out.

The Playboy of the Western World is running until June 22 and I encourage you to check out a performance.  Learn more here!

A family feud and folk music

Another fine weekend of performance!  How lucky are we in Portlandia with all this art, music and culture? Very lucky, I say.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR

I had the opportunity to attend opening night for Lucia di Lammermoor, presented by the Portland Opera.

The plot, not unfamiliar, revolves around forbidden love and the eventual death of the star crossed lovers. A plot we all are drawn to over and over again, aren't we?

As a new fan of opera, I am not familiar with many of the operas put on stage and I find delight in the discovery of the story as it actually unfolds before my eyes.  I use all my senses to experience the opera.

In this case, all elements of this production possessed a "wow" factor that kept me thinking about it for days after witnessing it.

Elizabeth Futral's performance as Lucia was mesmerizing.  Her singing caused the telltale goose bump reaction I always seek when I attend any kind of performance.  I was reminded that I am indeed a fan of opera about six times that evening. When she filled the entire auditorium with her voice, I think each one of us in attendance left with pieces of Lucia.

The lighting and set design were beyond words possessing more then a few letters for me and my guest, Lauren.  We kept saying "Wow." and "Oh my." throughout the night. The image above captured one such moment and we were left with many guesses on how Scott Boleman and Christine Jones - along with the others on the team of technical and design experts - managed to take two, monolithic slabs of some kind of material and bring it to life with a few intentional turns and clever lighting. 

If you were able to get to the final performance in spite of the bizarre weather, you know exactly what I am talking about.

WINTERFOLK

The following night, Lauren, John and I attended the 26th Annual Winterfolk event at the Aladdin Theater.  Tom May, host of River City Folk, coordinates this annual event as a benefit for Sisters of the Road, a local non-profit restaurant that "offers a space to build community, empower ourselves, learn from one another, dine with dignity and organize for justice and human rights for all.

This year's event included performances by Jill Trenholm & Scott Docherty, Hanz Araki & Cary Novotny, Tom May & Chris Kennedy with Donny Wright, Jaspar Lepak, Dan Weber, Brooks Robertton & John Standfer, and David Mallett.

It was a lovely night of music -- it started at 7 pm and lasted a bit past 11 pm, as I recall.  The night ended with a tribute to the late Pete Seeger and had all of us on our feet singing "We Shall Overcome", a fitting way to leave the night. Enjoy this video of Pete singing the anthem.

ArtclecticPDX | November 3 2013

What do masturbation, foxes and Motown have in common?  My weekend. No worries.  This is not a TMI moment.  Bear with me.....

FRIDAY November 1

I’ve never seen a performance on a stage that included masturbation – wait that isn’t quite true.  There was that unfortunate event put on by that god-awful Howard Stern on New Year’s Eve many years ago.

Granted, Salome is a whack job.  Crackpot. Scary crazy bitch, if you ask me.  But somehow, Kelly Cae Hogan pulled off that evil temptress dual personality thing with an exquisite rendition of a Brooke Shield’s Pretty Baby and with a little touch of some psycho you never want to meet.  Yes, she was a wreck, that Salome; the kind you couldn’t take your eyes off because she bitch slapped you around just like a ping-pong ball in a wicked competition between frat boys. 

As Salome flip flopped between love/hate for that other crazy guy, John the Baptist, you could see the train wreck from a mile away.  But man, that girl was determined to have her man and I can appreciate that on a certain level. 

On second thought, I think every character in that opera was a crazy as a loon.

The production put on by the Portland Opera is an interesting jump out of the gate for the new season - a story that clearly doesn’t have a happy ending and whips you through the tragic tale within 90 minutes. 

The set represented the cracked, unbalanced makings of this story, with gaping dark holes of cragged edges and a sloped stage thanks to the talents of Benoit Dugardyn. Comfort could not be found anywhere on that stage and the actors pulled off a story that had all of us uncomfortable and that only seemed fair.

Salome - November 7 & 9 at the Keller Auditorium.

SATURDAY November 2

The following night, I attended opening night of the U.S. premiere of Foxfinder, a play written by Dawn King and directed by Damaso Rodriguez, the relatively new artistic director for the Artists Repertory Theatre. 

I interviewed Damaso Rodriguez in May 2013 and you can listen here.

I specifically chose not to read one gosh darn thing about this play as I wanted to be totally caught off guard and I was pleasantly so.

It could have been a post-apocalyptic English countryside with a scary familiar thread of current day attitudes as it jumped right into the whole quandary of  ‘believing is seeing, right?’.  Or is it? 

Since I had not read anything about the play, I hand no idea what the story was about (and I’m not going to reveal it here either). I practically sat on the edge of my seat as each scene changed and each character revealed themselves throughout the performance.

I think the storyline could be placed anywhere and I didn’t like any of the characters after it was all said and done, to tell the truth, but I ‘get’ why they did what they did.  I guess I found that compassionate side of me I forget I have sometimes. 

There was some bravery in the context of the heavy cloak of fear that filled the pores of all those souls and there was also this brazen sense of survival.  Who knew that such fear could be aligned to one of the cutest of furry creatures, but in hindsight, you could put that ‘face of fear’ on anything if the messaging is done just right.

Foxfinder runs now through December 1 at Artist RepertoryTheatre.

 SUNDAY November 3

My final artistic foray in to the Portland cultural scene was a visit to Polaris Dance.  The dance company has started its eleventh year in the Portland arts community, and today’s production, X-Philes, was a 2-hour look back at some of the productions they shared with the world over the past decade.

This was my first-ever visit to the studio but I now have to wonder if I have actually seen this fantastic ensemble do their stuff at a previous engagement as some of the pieces felt very familiar to me.

One piece I found especially moving was a segment called “Change”  that was first seen in iChange (2010).  It features the music of Arvo Part called “Mirror in the Mirror”, one of my favorite pieces of music.

Listen to it here.

I interviewed artistic director and co-founder, Robert Guitron, in the summer of 2012 and you can listen to it here.

I can’t believe it took me this long to get to one of their performances but I’m sure it will not be my last.  I couldn't help but do my version of a chair dance during the performances done to Cloud Nine and Papa Was A Rolling Stone by The Temptations. 

There next production begins in January called Groovin’ Greenhouse.  The show will serve as the dance hub of the annual Fertile Ground Festival.

X-Philes – November 8 & 10 at Polaris Dance Studios.

Review: Circle Mirror Transformation

The Artists Repertory Theatre presents…

Circle Mirror Transformation

Written by Annie Baker
Directed by Allen Nause

There’s nothing like an evening out with a good friend when it includes good theater.

Lisa and I headed out to opening night of Circle Mirror Transformation presented by the Artists Repertory Theatre last night. I spotted a few of Portland’s cast of characters prior to the show: Barbara from Travel Portland, Lisa Lepine, and Eloise of the Regional Arts & Culture Council. I chatted with Nicole Lane, the marketing & PR director for the theatre. I even had an opportunity to say ‘hello’ to Allen Nause (artistic director) just prior to the performance, which was a treat as I had just interviewed him for my February 5 ArtclecticPDX show on 1071 FM KZME radio.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of the play. I was intrigued by the storyline; five regular people attending an acting class with a look at their individual, as well as collective, discoveries about the influence of past choices and real moment human dynamics that bubbled up during their six weeks together at a community center in Vermont. I was also concerned that sitting in a chair for a one hour and forty five minute performance was going to be a challenge for most of us in the audience, only to discover we were all surprised by how time flew by as we watched the characters navigate those choppy waters of interpersonal experiences.

I was thrown for a loop as the lights came up to see that one of the characters had an uncanny resemblance to a recent paramour of mine who, by the way, is no longer part of my life. It took me a few moments to collect myself but it lingered throughout the performance and long after, during the after party, but enough about me (smile).

I watched as teenage character, “Lauren”, started as a non-interested, surly young girl and transformed into an optimistic, young woman who finds her voice by the closing scene. “Schultz” is a clumsy guy, starving for love. The character is goofy in an adorable way and I could see him in many characters of quite a few of my favorite romantic comedies. I could identify with “Theresa” on some level as she struggled with picking the wrong guys for love and then breaking the heart of one of the good ones. “Marty” is the teacher and holds true to keeping the group focused while she struggles with the realization that leopards do not change their spots after all. “James” is initially a reluctant attendee, and likely has been somewhat coerced by his wife, Marty, to join the group. It was interesting to see him open up his heart during the exercises of self-discovery, perhaps a bit too much, which we discover towards the end of the play.

I really enjoyed this play. We all had several laugh out loud moments, as well as the human drama I relish in a good performance. I saw the characters for who they are, and experienced the joy of witnessing their transformation, which delivered them into their better selves, as they dealt with their painful realities and grew from their experiences.

PERFORMANCE DATES, TIMES & TICKET INFO:
Dates: February 7 - March 11
Performances: Wednesday - Sunday @ 7:30pm; Sunday @ 2:00pm
Wednesday matinee @ 11:00am on February 29

Details at www.artistsrep.org

The Circle Mirror Transformation cast features Beth Harper, Richard Elmore, Jason Glick, Val Landrum and Danielle Purdy.

Welcome to ArtclecticPDX!

ArtclecticPDX came to me last year. Well, the name anyway. I had been doing a cable segment for several months and wanted to come up with a clever name and this one came to me just as I started to fall asleep.

It's mission: to celebrate the arts in Portland, Oregon.

Previous episodes can be heard here: ArtclecticPDX radio show.

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