Happy February to our Loyal Patrons!
The definition of fertile:
Producing or bearing many crops in great quantities: PRODUCTIVE
Characterized by great resourcefulness of thought or imagination: INVENTIVE
A fertile mind: PLENTIFUL
There is no better way to describe what you will experience on our stage. We are very proud to share a reading of the 2020 Portland Civic Theatre Guilds New Play Award Winner, Recent Unsettling Events by Andrea Stolowitz. We are also honored to be listed as one of the “Top 10 best bets” for Fertile Ground in Broadway World’s latest publication.
The play centers on a small liberal college which erupts in protests over its required Western Civilization class. As the fights intensify and the entire campus takes sides, the complexities of identity politics, the limits of free speech, and the consequences of preserving the status quo are examined.
Recent Unsettling Events is a Table, Room, Stage commission from Artists Repertory Theatre. In addition to its Portland reading as part of the 2020 Fertile Ground Festival, the play will have a week-long workshop in New York City culminating in a public reading on February 20. This project, directed by WPP Associate Artistic Director Tamilla Woodard, is funded by New Dramatists and the Venturous Theater Foundation. The play has also been named a finalist for the Emerson Stage Works Festival.
Andrea’s plays have been developed and presented nationally at theatres such as The Long Wharf, The Cherry Lane, and New York Stage and Film. She has won the Angus Bowmer Oregon Book Award for drama three times for her plays Antarktikos, Ithaka, and Successful Strategies.
Recent Unsettling Events marks the eighth year of the Portland Civic Theatre Guild’s commitment to Portland area playwrights and new works through the Portland Civic Theatre Guild New Play Award. Each spring the Guild calls for submissions from Portland area playwrights, selects a new script, and provides everything the playwright needs to bring the new work from the page to the audience. The Portland Civic Theatre Guild is also pleased to recognize our four finalists for their outstanding works:
Confabulous by Susan Faust
Descent from the Andes by Rich Rubin
It’s Not Unusual by Brian Shnipper
Of Pine Wood and Mountain Face by Lindsay Partain
Experience a wonderful opportunity for all you budding playwrights!
Three time Oregon Book Award winning playwright Andrea Stolowitz offers a three-hour dramaturgy and writing session on Thursday, February 6, at 6:30pm. Beginning with attending a staged reading of Andrea Stolowitz’s. Recent Unsettling Events on February 5, and then spending the next evening with her discussing new play development and the trajectory of this play. The class culminates with the chance to write your own scenes based on real-life events.
Performance: Wednesday, February 5 7:30pm
LOCATION: Portland Civic Theatre Guild (The Sanctuary, 1785 NE Sandy Blvd.)
Class: Thursday, February 6th 6:30pm-9:30pm
LOCATION: The Zidell Office (3121 SW Moody Ave. Portland, OR 97239)
Visit www.artistsrep.org for cost and registration.Well that is a lot for you to ponder! We hope to see you in the lobby on Tuesday morning, February 4th at 10:00 am for coffee and treats followed by the reading at 10:30 am. We also have an evening performance on February 5th at 7:30 pm. Both shows are at The Sanctuary, 1785 NE Sandy Blvd.
Warmly,
Adair and Darr
