While the company has changed greatly since it was founded, the mission of Portland Theatre Works remains the same: to provide playwrights with the time, space, tools, and artistic support required to fully develop their plays and refine their craft.
Past Workshops & Readings
A Dialogue of Flower & Song
By Cindy Williams Gutiérrez
June 4, 2007 (FreshWorks)
A Dialogue of Flower & Song re-imagines a historic Mesoamerican literary event that took place in Huexotzinco (near modern-day Puebla) in 1450. The host of the original dialogue--Nahua sage and poet-king Tecayehuatzin--returns from the Land of the Fleshless to invite three female poets from pre-Conquest Mexico, New Spain, and the contemporary Mexican Diaspora to a "do-over." The women must debate the purpose of poetry and wrestle with what it means to "be impeccable with your word." The "winner" of the debate may be able to alter the course of history.
The cast included Andres Alcala, Olga Sanchez, Yolanda Suarez, and Amaya Villazan.
Terminal Velocity
By Daniel A. Tarker
May 21, 2007 (FreshWorks)
After a year struggling through the rollercoaster ride of emotions following her husband's death, Sarah Dunn suddenly finds herself thrust into a most bizarre love triangle with her former college sweetheart and the ghost of her deceased husband. A fast paced, bawdy comedy that mixes the profound and profane to examine how the frenetic pace and mounting obligations of contemporary society can leave us all living in a virtual purgatory.
The cast included Brian Allard, Paul Angelo, Hannah Ballou, Tina Connolly, Hunt Holman, Cecily Overman, and Ben Plont.
Trying Not to Stare
By Ellen Margolis
April 16, 2007 (FreshWorks)
Shana has almost gotten used to her scarred face--almost. Derek is starting to wonder if being gorgeous is all he's got. Mitra is driving herself crazy trying to do everything she thinks a woman is supposed to do. Casey's looking for a jolt, Rob's looking for a clue, and everybody's looking to everybody else for some answers. A play about trying to move forward when the people you love are impossibly damaged, impossibly beautiful, or just impossible.
The cast included Tina Connolly, Hunt Holman, Melissa Kaiser, Kelley Marchant, Paul Susi, and Melissa Whitney.
Broken Ground
By theresa hernandez
February 19, 2007 (FreshWorks)
How do we escape from ourselves? After 20 years of friendship, Kylee tears herself from Rebecca to pursue adulthood. Now, Rebecca and Kylee must discover who they are without each other; and how to reconcile who they were with who they have, and will, become.
The cast included Brian Allard, Tina Connolly, Torrey Cornwell, Cecily Overman, Paul Susi, and Jessica Wallenfels.
Canis lupus / Canis familiaris
By Gretchen Icenogle
November 13, 2006 (FreshWorks)
Diane is a prickly and charismatic maverick in the ever more competitive world of wolf research. Maggie, a grad student and the daughter of one of her biggest contributors, wishes to join Diane in her research, and she appears reluctant to take no for an answer. Maggie is aided in her quest by her academic advisor, Michael, Diane's former colleague and sometime lover. She's also looking for temporary escape from the ambivalent emotions that surround her recent engagement to Adam, a charming but unabashedly rough arborist. Once in Alaska Diane and Maggie begin to work, often clashing due to their very different approaches. Diane believes that narrative has a critical place in scientific study, which Maggie finds hopelessly sentimental. Will their delicate truce, and the wolves that they are studying, survive in this dangerous environment?
The cast included Brian Allard, Gretchen Corbett, Hunt Holman, and Melissa Whitney.
Jubiloso
By William S. Gregory
September 18, 2006 (FreshWorks)
In Jubiloso local Portland playwright William S. Gregory creates a drama of familial and artistic passions as he examines the lives of a conductor, his son, and the conductor's favorite cello soloist at a contemporary summer classical music festival. In the disturbances and debates between father/son, and mentor/protege, Gregory probes the dreams of the dream-makers, exploring the ambitions and constraints on those who practice art in contemporary America. The play, while a heartfelt investigation of ambition and family strife, is shot through with wit and the humor which comes from passionate engagement.
The cast for the reading included Sam A. Mowry, Atticus Wells Mowry, and Kam Sisco.
The Road to Xibalbá
By Joann Farías
August 21, 2006 (FreshWorks)
Chicano Anthropologist Jeff Ordóñez goes to Guatemala to study shamanism and discovers, to his amazement, that the gods actually do exist. This is much to the dismay of his fiancée, Angela, a nurse, who considers his voices and visions to be symptoms of mental illness. His shamanic training interrupted by the Guatemalan civil war, and he returns to the United States without finishing the rites that would have completed his apprenticeship as a shaman or an anthropologist. Twenty-five years later, his son, Joe, a psychologist and high school guidance counselor, takes a group of Latino high school students to Chichen Itza, where they fall into the Underworld, with only Joe to guide them. Will Joe call on the gods, perhaps at the cost of his sanity, or will he let them slip into gangs, pregnancy, and the military?
The cast for the reading included Albert Alcazar, Joey Boyd, Stephanie Danna, David Galindo, Ana García, Stephen Lisk, David Loftus, and Edward Lyons.
Wrestling with Charlotte
By Doug Baldwin
July 24, 2006 (FreshWorks)
An offbeat comedy about death, guilt, and theatre, Wrestling With Charlotte is made up of two related one-act plays. In Calling Mom playwright Greg battles with his director Thom over who to cast in the pivotal role of the mother in Greg's semi-autobiographical new play, How To Avoid Bob. The second one-act presents How To Avoid Bob, a farce pitting Greg against his dead, but macabrely vivacious, mother in the casket room of a funeral home.
The cast for the reading included Thom Bray, Jason Maniccia, Michele Mariana, Karla Mason, Jean Miller, Amber Mitchell, Leif Norby, and Ina Strauss.
Hollow
By R.B. Ripley
June 19, 2006 (FreshWorks)
In the mountains of rural North-central Pennsylvania, Thorley and her brother Cole struggle with a terrible secret. While she tries to repair their fractured relationship, an impoverished town is eagerly awaiting salvation by development. But, the land has been hollowed out by decades of mining and the apocalypse may be about to begin.
The cast for the reading included Enrique Arias, Torrey Cornwell, Debera Lund, Keith Scales, and Todd Van Voris.
Lost Wavelengths
By Steve Patterson
May 15, 2006 (FreshWorks)
DJ and self-styled musicologist Murray stalks the wilds of Middle America in search of the strange and wonderful songs of amateur musicians for his public radio program. From among a parade of odd, self-deluded and deranged outsiders, he hopes to lure "Enola Guy"--a mysterious, death-obsessed guitarist who never grants interviews or plays in public--into the open.
The cast for the reading included Torrey Cornwell, Deborah Lee, Juliet Marks, Tom Moorman, Ben Plont and Daniel Shaw.
Glacial Genes
By Molly Best Tinsley
April, 17, 2006 (FreshWorks)
As the weather worsens, reproductive chaos invades the scene from all directions. Do Melissa and her boyfriend share the same father? Should anybody be even thinking about babies if an Ice Age is looming? Is anybody truly qualified to reproduce? Would it be such a great loss if human beings just disappeared gracefully from the earth? In the end, the characters of Glacial Genes approach an enlarged vision of family-which may help them survive the freezing months, maybe years ahead.
The cast for the reading included Greg Alexander, Horatio Benneth, Torrey Cornwell, Trish Egan, Val Landrum, Anders Liljeholm, Amy Newman, and Rick Sanders.
The Grotto
By Lawrence Johnson
March 20, 2006 (FreshWorks)
The Grotto is a full-length contemporary play written in a darkly humorous, dream-like style. It is inspired by a line from Von Strassburg's medieval novel, Tristan: "They fed in their grotto on nothing but love and desire."
The cast for the reading included Ben Buckley, Chris Murray, Amy Newman, and Ted Roisum.
Untitled New Play
By Hunt Holman
February 20, 2006 (FreshWorks)
Hunt Holman's play is set in a failing coffee franchise. The boss announces somebody's going to lose their job. A round of backstabbing ensues, before people start to figure out maybe getting fired isn't so bad...
The cast for the reading included Ben Buckley, Anders Liljeholm, Andy Lindberg, Kelley Marchant, and Meg Mulsoff.
Ophelia in Garland
By Francesca Sanders
January 16, 2006 (FreshWorks)
Sylvia has two kids and a husband. She drives car pools, irons shirts, and can't face her drab life a moment longer. Enter Ophelia, waxing Shakespearean. She's come all the way from Denmark to Garland, Texas on a special mission... to save Sylvia and by doing so, save herself. Join Dallas, Ruby, Owen and Sylvia on a trip you'll never forget in this clever farce.
The cast for the reading included Scott Coopwood, Torrey Cornwell, Cecily Overman, Brian Rooney, Olga Sanchez, and Rick Sanders.
Narrowcasting
By Francesca Sanders
June 27, 2005
One might be a serial killer, one might be the perfect guy.
While one small town girl has small time plans, another is out to change the world... in her own unique way.
Now if we could just figure out who is who.
How many ways do you know to mislead?
The Swamp and The City
By Ginny Foster
December 6, 2004
A play rife with conflicts (Human v. Nature, City v. Swamp, Mother v. Daughter, Defiance v. Compromise) and populated by eccentric, delightful characters, Ginny Foster's newest play looks at survival in an ever-changing environment.
I Become a Guitar
By Francesca Sanders
May 2nd and 3rd, 2004
In Tacoma, Washington- Kevin and Madrigal are adrift. While he dreams of baseball, she dreams of her ancestors in the village of Zihuatenejo.
How can their lives possibly intersect with Pablo's, a young man who tells us stories of South America?
Join Kevin and Madrigal's slow dance towards loosening their tethers as they journey to Honduras and back, Mexico and back, and most importantly- to love and back.
Trickster Tells This Tale
Conceived and Directed by Jamie Lynne Powell-Herbold
January 30 - Feburary 21, 2004
The result of a six-week workshop in experimental storytelling methods with a young ensemble of actors, this bold and searching production begins in the present where the tricksters have gathered for a final 'telling.' As they begin to playfully relate their escapades, it becomes clear that the audience is in for far more than a few rounds of campfire tales.
Godot Waits For Homeland Security
by Martin Kimeldorf
January 16, 17, 18, 2004
Set in a not-so-distant future this tale introduces us to AmbiMan and ProtoMan-middle aged men who have adapted as best they can to life in the modern age-an age in which everybody is a suspect and nobody has the rights that they're fighting for. Be sure not to ask any questions along the way.
Steeplerock
by John Remington
November 28, 29, 30, 2003
Out of gas, Lance finds himself stuck in a bar that seems to be the only feature of a small, remote town called Steeplerock. Lance has been running-from his demons and his wife, Deanne. When she arrives in Steeplerock they are forced to confront their marriage and reconsider their relationship.
The Mission
By Rachael Parenta
October 21, 22, 23, 2003
The story of a young woman's quest to find love, or maybe just a good lay. This farce introduces us to Louis: a twenty year old virgin who just can't stand her love-less life any longer. Her bizarre, yet supportive, family attempts to help her through this difficult time, but she must find the solution to her problem herself.
The Stutter Orphans
By Ginny Foster
Directed by Virginia Sutfin
September 26, 27, 28, 2003
In 1938 an American researcher began experimenting on orphaned children to discover whether or not stutterers could be created. Colleagues called it "The Monster Study" and the lives of those orphans were forever damaged. Join us as we explore a script that deals with human conscience and the limits of science.
Notes From the Underground
Adapted by the Actors
August 15, 16, 17, 2003
I am a sick man... I am a wicked man. An unattractive man. I think my liver is diseased. However, I don't know a thing about my sickness, and am not sure what it is that hurts me.
The Diamond Orchard
By Merilee D. Karr
Directed by Diane Englert
July 25, 26, 27, 2003
A finalist for the 1997 Book Award in Drama, the Oregonian called this play an "exciting. . . screwball farce full of goofy characters." Its author, Merilee D. Karr, calls it a "Post-Industrial Shakespearean Comedy." Join us as a diamond necklace travels great distance, passes through many hands, and creates some unlikely romances along the way.
The Holy Ghost
Music, Lyrics, and Book by Brigid Pierce
June 17, 18, 19, 2003
In this new musical, Brigid Pierce asks the question: what if a young girl, raped and impregnated, is convinced by her mother to cover up the truth by telling the world that her child in the son of God. This lie has an impact on the girl's life far beyond what she intended.
Late Nite Therapy
An Audience Interactive Experience
Created by Marguerite Scott
May 20, 21, 22, 2003
In the Play Workshop Theatre's second collaboration with Marguerite Scott the audience will get to experience the thrill of being a new patient in a mental ward--with hysterical results. Sure to leave you in stitches and looking for your marbles.
One Hour In Eden
By Rob Fishel
May 1 and 17, 2003
Fishel's musical explores an Eden with no explicit God, in which Adam and Eve grow and mature, and eventually out-grow the small world of Eden that contains them. The central conflict of Adam and Eve's growth is set to the backdrop of three angels whose duty it is to protect Eden. The angels disagree about the fate of Eden, and of Adam and Eve.
Written for five actors and small orchestra.
The previous workshop of this musical, then entitled As Yet Untitled Musical starred Vera Alcorn, Kevin Hodges, Mont Christopher Hubbard, Andrew Lardie, and Daniel Roehl.
Good Night and Ever Yours
By Eric Hoem
Directed by Richard W. Kotulski
April 24, 25, 26, 2003
In February 1821 John Keats, the Enlgish Romantic poet whom many consider as gifted as Shakespeare, died of tuberculosis in Rome at the age of 25.
Collage: "True" Stories From The Inside
A Late-Night One-Woman Show
By Marguerite Scott
Directed by Richard W. Kotulski
Fridays and Saturdays, January 31 - March 15, 2003
Marguerite Scott's one woman show is an exploration of what it means to be a middle aged woman in the modern age.
As Yet Untitled Musical
By Rob Fishel
February 20, 21, 22, 2003
The show begins in darkness, pierced by a single bass note, a foundation for everything that is to come. Sounds evolve, slowly joining into something like a passacaglia, presenting progressively richer harmonies and eventually introducing several human voices. The theme first presented in the instrumental parts is taken up by the singers in several different versions, beginning with the lowest and rising higher, first in unison, then in fifths, then in parallel triads, in beautiful harmony.
Written for five actors and small orchestra.
The previous workshop of this musical starred Vera Alcorn, Kevin Hodges, Mont Christopher Hubbard, Andrew Lardie, and Daniel Roehl.
"You May Already Be A Winner"
By Kathryn St. Thomas.
Directed by Richard Wakefield Kotulski
Friday, November 29th, 2002
The play delves into the relationship of a married couple. The husband seems to be descending down of spiral of insanity- and he is taking his wife with him. The husband is addicted to buying "presents" for himself out of catalogs, and he racks up mountains of credit card debt that threatens to rip the couple apart- not only financially, but from their marriage vows as well.
St. Thomas is the winner of The Pushcart Prize, The Helen Bullis Prize, The Anne Sexton Prize, and the Villa Montalvo Award. She has been published by the American Poetry Review, Poetry Northwest, Poetry, West Coast Poetry Review, The Bellingham Review, and Serape, among others. Although St. Thomas has written many poems, short stories, and a novel, "You May Already Be A Winner" is her first play. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Washington. St. Thomas, now retired, taught English and Composition at Mt. Hood Community College for thirty years.
The reading starred Ted Roisum as Jack Richardson and Jean Miller as Carol Richardson.