Nation’s Top Contemporary Playwrights on Deck in Artists Rep’s 2018/19 Season

Kicking off with two shows in September, Artists Rep’s 2018/19 season features seven compelling contemporary plays in their subscription series, plus two bonus shows. These plays are highly entertaining theatrical experiences, written by some of the nation’s most acclaimed playwrights.

“Theatrically exhilarating, yet grounded in emotional truth, these nine timely plays require bold acts of imagination from audiences and artists alike,” said Dámaso Rodríguez, Artists Rep’s Artistic Director. “At Artists Rep, our aim is to be a vivid example of what theatre can do—be welcoming to all, challenge assumptions, explore new ideas, and invite artists and audiences to collaborate in the shared experience of live performance.”

Penned by an array of accomplished playwrights with insightful and vivid stories to tell, Artists Rep audiences can expect to experience the joys, vulnerabilities, and challenges of the human condition. The artistic voices behind the 2018/19 season—beginning with the playwrights’ and including directors, actors, and design teams—represent a wide range of theatre-makers, with diverse and dynamic artistic styles, and bold points of view.

Artists Rep’s productions feature the work of the Resident Artist company alongside guest artists from Portland’s professional theatre community and beyond. Comprised of more than two dozen theatre practitioners, Artists Rep’s Resident Artists represent some of Portland’s finest talent.

Single tickets go on sale August 1. From August 1 through 8, all single tickets will be sold at a discounted $40 per ticket—single tickets are normally $60. Student tickets are available for $30 per ticket. Artists Rep also participates in Arts for All, a program that offers members $5 tickets at participating arts organizations; and the Multnomah County Library’s Discovery Pass Program, where library card holders can obtain free tickets. Full season subscriptions are on sale now by calling the Artists Rep box office at 503.241.1278 or emailing boxoffice@artistsrep.org.

2018/19 ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE SEASON

SKELETON CREW 2018/19 SEASON PRODUCTION
by Dominique Morisseau
directed by William (Bill) Earl Ray~
September 2-30, 2018
Morrison Theatre

It’s 2008, and one of the last auto plants in Detroit is dying on the vine. The factory workers that remain are living paycheck-to-paycheck but amidst the backbreaking work and brutally long shifts, they have somehow shaped themselves into a makeshift family. Faye, a factory lifer, is the glue that holds everything together. But with less than six months before she can retire with a full pension, Faye learns that management has a plan that could threaten her whole existence, leaving her torn between loyalty to her coworkers or her own survival. Heartbreakingly tense with moments of ethereal beauty, SKELETON CREW reveals the struggle to stay relevant in a society that constantly changes.

Awards for Dominique Morisseau: 2016 OBIE Award (for SKELETON CREW)

RESIDENT ARTIST CAST: Vin Shambry*^

UNEXPLODED ORDNANCES (UXO) LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
by Split Britches
Performed by Lois Weaver & Peggy Shaw
Written by Lois Weaver, Peggy Shaw & Hannah Maxwell
Created in collaboration with Jo Palmer, Claire Nolan, Matt Delbridge, Alex Legge, Edythe Woolley & Meghan Hodgson
Directed by Lois Weaver
Co-presented with PICA’s Time-Based Art Festival
September 8-12, 2018
Alder Theatre

Adopting the personas of a bombastic general and an ineffectual president, this playfully urgent interactive piece encourages discussion about our political landscape. In the Situation Room, 12 audience members are invited to become a ‘Council of Elders’ and discuss the global issues of the day, as the company weaves in satirical insights and humor. Combining a DR. STRANGELOVE-inspired performance with a daring forum for public conversation, UNEXPLODED ORDNANCES (UXO) explores aging, anxiety, hidden desires, and how to look forward when the future is uncertain.

SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS 2018/19 SEASON PRODUCTION
by Bess Wohl
directed by Shawn Lee
October 7-November 4, 2018
Alder Theatre

Tired of not living their ‘best life,’ six broken individuals gather at a wellness center in the middle of the woods for a weeklong silent retreat to breathe and reset. As the voice from an omniscient guru drones on in broken self-help speech, the attendees struggle to find their inner calm while awkwardly combating their mental and physical desires. Over the course of five days, the group inexpertly attempts to navigate through hurt feelings, crippling faux pas, and exposed vulnerabilities to reach enlightenment. Absurdly funny and profoundly poignant, SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS encourages us all to put down the phone and just be in the moment.

Awards for Bess Wohl: Drama Desk Award-winning playwright

RESIDENT ARTISTS CAST: Ayanna Berkshire*^, Susannah Mars*^, Michael Mendelson*^, John San Nicolas*^

EVERYBODY 2018/19 SEASON PRODUCTION
by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
directed by Jessica Wallenfels & Dámaso Rodríguez~
November 25–December 30, 2018
Alder Theatre

Death tells Everybody that their time is up. But Everybody doesn’t want to greet Death alone, so Everybody seeks the company of their friends Stuff, Kinship, Friendship, Cousinship, and Love to make the trip bearable. From the scintillating mind that brought you AN OCTOROON, EVERYBODY is an audacious riff on the 15th century morality play EVERYMAN. Nine brave actors will play a multitude of roles with their characters chosen by lottery onstage every night—with a possible 120 combinations—as they fight to cheat Death.

Awards for Branden Jacobs-Jenkins: MacArthur Fellowship “Genius” Grant, 2018 Pulitzer Prize finalist (EVERYBODY)

RESIDENT ARTISTS CAST: Sarah Lucht*^, Michael Mendelson*^, John San Nicolas*^

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY HOLIDAY OFFERING
by Joe Landry
directed by Beth Harper
December 6-30, 2018
Performances at Northwest Children’s Theater

The beloved holiday staple comes to life as a live 1940s radio broadcast with the story of George Bailey. George grew up in picturesque Bedford Falls, but dreams of leaving his small town behind to see the world. Obligations and unforeseen circumstances get in the way of his aspirations and he is tied to his hometown forever as he takes over the Building & Loan from his father and his uncle. When a terrible mistake leaves George on the verge of disaster, he considers ending his life one Christmas Eve until he meets a fateful friend named Clarence. Made complete by your favorite local talent and an onstage Foley artist, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY is a fun, heartwarming delight for the whole family.

RESIDENT ARTISTS CAST: Chris Harder*^, Susannah Mars*^

TEENAGE DICK 2018/19 SEASON PRODUCTION
by Mike Lew
directed by Josh Hecht~
January 6-February 3, 2019
Morrison Theatre

High school is hard enough, but when you have a power-hungry 17-year-old threatening to overthrow anyone in his way to becoming junior class President, it can be downright murderous. Richard is the king of insults and after alienating the only friend he has, he relies on himself to snatch the crown while securing the heart of the ex-girlfriend of the popular high school quarterback. As Richard struggles to keep all of his plots from going awry, he gains an ally in the most unlikeliest of suspects. Touchingly hilarious, TEENAGE DICK is the modern comedic retelling of Shakespeare’s RICHARD III, and ponders if it is better to be loved or feared.

Awards for Mike Lew: PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation Theatre Award

RESIDENT ARTIST CAST: Ayanna Berkshire*^

A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2 2018/19 SEASON PRODUCTION
by Lucas Hnath
directed by Luan Schooler
January 27-March 3, 2019
Alder Theatre

Fifteen years after Norwegian housewife Nora Helmer walked out on Ibsen’s Torvald, she walks back in the front door in the sequel to the 1879 social drama. In the ensuing years of her departure, Nora has become an incendiary writer—which isn’t a profession that married women could perform without permission. Since her husband didn’t sign the divorce papers, Nora has returned to the house she desperately sought to vacate to gain her freedom. With a quick wit and razor-sharp tongue, A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2 imagines the continuation of the house of Helmer as a deliciously gleeful trek through the complicated waters of relationships.

Awards for Lucas Hnath: 2016 Tony nominee for Best Play (for A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2), Steinberg Playwright Award, Windham-Campbell Literature Prize in Drama, Whiting Award

RESIDENT ARTISTS CAST: Linda Alper*^, Michael Mendelson*^, Vana O’Brien*^

WOLF PLAY 2018/19 SEASON PRODUCTION
by Hansol Jung
directed by Dámaso Rodríguez~
March 10-April 7, 2019
Morrison Theatre

In a world where people struggle to have children, one American couple decides to ‘un-adopt’ their young Korean son because they have a newborn at home. After an internet chat room search for the right family, the father ‘re-homes’ the boy with a lesbian couple, where one half is desperate for a child and the other half is fighting for her career. As the boy—who thinks he’s a wolf, but is really a puppet—adjusts to his new life, he forms bonds with the unlikeliest of culprits while the adults squabble about what is ‘best for the child’. WOLF PLAY is a messy, funny, and moving theatrical experience that grapples with where family allegiance lies.

A World Premiere Table|Room|Stage Commission

Awards for Hansol Jung: Whiting Award

THE REVOLUTIONISTS 2018/19 SEASON PRODUCTION
by Lauren Gunderson
directed by Lava Alapai
April 28-May 26, 2019
Morrison Theatre

Who runs the world? GIRLS! In 1793, during France’s Reign of Terror—a playwright, an assassin, a former queen, and a Caribbean spy walk into a room and attempt to save the soul of France while avoiding the edge of the guillotine’s blade. Olympe De Gouges is desperate to pen the perfect piece of revolutionary art for her generation while Charlotte Corday is determined to become an assassin. Prophetic Marie Antoinette is happy to reminisce about her time in the palace while Marianne Angelle gathers intelligence to send home to the Caribbean. In a blisteringly funny portrayal, THE REVOLUTIONISTS depicts four badass women who fight for the equality of all women and for the love of their country.

Awards for Lauren Gunderson: Steinberg Playwright Award, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Finalist, most-produced American playwright of 2016

RESIDENT ARTISTS CAST: Ayanna Berkshire*^, Amy Newman*^

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
# The scenic, costume, lighting, projection & sound designers are represented by United Scenic Artists
~ Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
^ Artists Rep Resident Artist
ABOUT ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE
Artists Repertory Theatre’s mission is to produce intimate, provocative theatre and provide a home for artists and audiences to take creative risks. Artists Rep is Portland’s premiere mid-size regional theatre company, and is led by Artistic Director and Interim Managing Director Dámaso Rodríguez. Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the longest-running professional theatre company in Portland. Artists Rep became the 72nd member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) in 2016 and is an Associate Member of the National New Play Network (NNPN).

Artists Rep’s 2018/19 season of play selections for the company’s 36th anniversary season can be found here.

Artists Rep has become a significant presence in American regional theatre with a legacy of world, national, and regional premieres of provocative new work with the highest standards of stagecraft. The organization is committed to local artists and features a company of Resident Artists, professionals of varied theatre disciplines, who are a driving force behind Artists Rep’s creative output and identity.
RESIDENT ARTISTS—Artists Rep productions feature the work of a core group of over two dozen multidisciplinary theatre professionals. Hailing from around the country, the Resident Artists are nationally renowned and award-winning actors, directors, writers, designers, and educators who have chosen to make Portland and Artists Rep their artistic home. Working together and independently, they create inventive and theatrically rich experiences for audiences while playing a major role in defining Portland’s cultural landscape.

TABLE|ROOM|STAGE—Established in 2015, Table|Room|Stage (T|R|S) is Artists Rep’s new play program that offers development opportunities for local and national playwrights, and ensures that underrepresented voices are heard on stage. This program strives to make a meaningful impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the theatre field by mandating opportunities for women writers and writers of color, and cultivating the next generation of theatre-goers. Artists Rep is committed to bringing the exciting work of women, transgender, and non-binary writers and writers of color to its stages with this program. Artists Rep’s first completed T|R|S commission was The Talented Ones, by Yussef El Guindi (April, 2017). The second T|R|S commission was The Thanksgiving Play, by Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota) (April,2018). The third T|R|S commission will be Wolf Play by Hansol Jung (2019). Current playwright commissions include: Linda Alper, Larissa FastHorse, Hansol Jung, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Rathje, and Andrea Stolowitz. T|R|S is also developing work with playwrights Anthony Hudson and Susannah Mars. To learn more about all the projects, playwrights, and programs of T|R|S visit here.

ARTSHUB—Artists Rep is also home to the ArtsHub, where a diverse range of artists and arts organizations find a home and thrive with access to affordable administrative, performance, and rehearsal space, as well as myriad support services. The ArtsHub serves as a community arts center, where performance venues and lobbies buzz with creative energy and Portland’s arts-loving audiences gather. Over the past year, Artists Rep hosted 324 rehearsals and more than 600 performances, events, and other happenings by 51 groups. To learn about the arts organizations of Artists Rep’s ArtsHub visit here.

Artists Repertory Theatre receives generous support from our community of patrons, as well as significant leadership gifts from: Anonymous, The Collins Foundation, The Robert & Mercedes Eichholz Foundation, Ronni Lacroute, The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, Regional Arts and Culture Council, The Shubert Foundation, and David & Christine Vernier. Additional support comes from: Advance Gender Equity in the Arts (AGE), Hotel deLuxe, Jackson Foundation, Kinsman Foundation, Oregon Arts Commission, The Oregonian/OregonLive (media sponsor), Rafati’s Catering, and US Bank.

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Nation’s Top Contemporary Playwrights on Deck in Artists Rep’s 2018/19 Season

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