Tuesday, Dec. 6
SHORT WORKS – by Sally Stember and Brad Bolchunos
THAT NIGHT – by Sally Stember
A woman must heal her emotional wounds so she can move on — or remain in purgatory.
KNOCK IT OFF – by Brad Bolchunos
Hodge and his friends confront assumptions about tolerance when the behavior of an uninvited guest takes an unsettling turn.
THE GLURPING – by Brad Bolchunos
In a world where the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, Marvin Fitzbacher just might be king.
This reading will be at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, November 29
Fifth Tuesday Workshop – REWRITING THE WRONG: DECONSTRUCTING YOUR PLAY – by Gary Corbin
Playwright, author and PDXP veteran Gary Gorbin leads this interactive workshop and discussion exploring ways of analyzing your story’s structure, characters, and conflicts for the rewrite. As always, this Fifth Tuesday Workshop is free and open to the public.
This workshop is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, November 15
LITERARY THEORY – by Sherry Lane
What is literature? What purposes does literature serve? As Amy prepares her lectures, she grapples with these questions and receives some unexpected visitors. A lively glimpse into the history of literary theory and a celebration of all things Portland.
This reading will be at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, November 1
LIKE YOU MEAN IT – by Michael S. Kelly
A comedy about three people who are dead, but don’t yet know they’re dead; a sexually confused Argentine named Otto, who’s so wrapped up in family drama that he’s not actually living; and two Greek gods.
This reading will be at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, October 18
MY LITTLE JEZEBEL – by Danna Schaeffer
A woman struggles to create her life after the murder of her only child, a daughter with whom she had an extraordinary relationship. [The reading will be an excerpt of a full-length play].
THE RUSTY WHEEL – by Lauren Emery
In the back kitchen of a crappy dive bar on a busy night, a woman tells her boss that she doesn’t like the way he touches her. What follows is awkward, unsettling, and at times bewilderingly funny. The Rusty Wheel takes an unblinking look at the absurdities of the service industry and the struggle for respect.
This reading will be at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, October 4
THE 8.3% – by Remi P. Newhouse
What do 3 months, 6+ hours, 1 tablespoon and a bad influence add up to for Dean? All of these, and more, will be answered when it comes down to the 8.3%.
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, September 20
CHETCO RIVER DEFIES THE BIG ONE – by Kathleen Tomko
In this era of seemingly constant catastrophes, Chetco River offers theater’s farcical side for relief, mixing non-stop disasters with the foibles and love relationships of a small town mayor, her council, their pot-bellied police chief, and an FBI agent running a sting to capture terrorists who plan to sabotage nearby telecom cables.
The reading will be at Stonehenge Studios, 3508 SW Corbett Ave.
Tuesday, September 6
SHORT WORKS – by Robert M. Barr, Miriam Feder, Tamar Shai and Alex Haslett
SLIPPERY SHOE – by Robert M. Barr
A seemingly casual talk by two men on a plane hits more than a little turbulence.
MORNING COFFEE – by Miriam Feder
They say someone always gets hurt in a friends-with-benefits relationship. Maybe Karl learns that when your options are open, some very good things just aren’t an option.
BY THE BOOK – by Tamar Shai
When Stephanie and Brian see their son is allowing himself to be taken advantage of by a neighborhood kid, these otherwise loving and supporting parents lose all sense of perspective and give their son Aidan some truly horrible advice.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD – by Alex Haslett
Another noisy night.
The reading will be at Stonehenge Studios, 3508 SW Corbett Ave.
Tuesday, August 30
FIFTH TUESDAY WORKSHOP: Fertile Ground 2017
PDX Playwrights’ esteemed Fertile Ground producer Miriam Feder joins forces with grizzled PDXP veterans of Fertile Ground to steer you through the ins and outs of submitting your play to Portland’s nationally-acclaimed and widely copied festival of new theatrical work. This year, facilitators will discuss the newest range of ways to showcase your work under the PDXP umbrella.
The workshop will be at Stonehenge Studios, 3508 SW Corbett Ave.
Tuesday, August 16
FALSE ALARM! – by William Thomas Berk
Five college students spend Spring Break in an old abandoned cabin in the woods, preparing for the zombie apocalypse … that will never come. A commentary on mainstream culture that seems to cultivate paranoia and fatalism, “FALSE ALARM!” is a zombie story in which the zombies don’t exist.
The reading will be at Stonehenge Studios, 3508 SW Corbett Ave.
Tuesday, August 2
SHORT PLAY SAMPLER – by Tamar Shai, Alex Haslett, Michael Josef and Jacob Corum & Patrice Dubois
THESE VANTAGE POINTS – by Jacob Corum and Patrice Dubois
Wireless interconnectivity has now become the primary instrument regulating modern social interactions. Its impact on our lives is recognized as a family is forced to reassess the nature of their bonds, and, through free will, redefine them.
I WISH I WERE HERE – by Tamar Shai
When Tariq and his sister Zada get delayed at the train station, a chance encounter with a fellow passenger gives Zada a glimpse of who her brother is when heís not weighed down by family expectations.
IRL – by Alex Haslett
Against all odds, two people meet in real life — instead of on the internet.
SAFE HARBOR – by Michael Josef
Shelly and Jean are looking for a new life together; but first, they need a place to hide
The reading of these plays will be held at Stonehenge Studios, 3508 SW Corbett Ave.
Tuesday, July 19
DUST ON MY SHOES – by Beverly Frentress
A modern-day blended family. Fidelity is questioned. Family, teenagers, parents and lawyers all weigh in and tell the tale through catchy lyrics, catchy melodies and an engaging plot. From ballads to pop to R&B, rock and electronica comes the following journey. The session is in conjunction with PDX Musical Theatre Playwrights Composers Network.
The reading of this musical will be held at Stonehenge Studios, 3508 SW Corbett Ave.
Tuesday, July 5
ALL THE WAY – by Jeff Alessandrelli
A dramedy about Spalding Gray’s suicide, the nature of 21st century “white privilege,” and a man named Yale who just started a new part-time job delivering flowers.
The reading will be held in the third-floor conference room of Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, June 21
EL MUNDO DEL BOLERO – by Julianna Gonzalez
In 1950s Puerto Rico, Rosa and Dario experience heartache as their children take over the family business of writing love songs. Full of music and ghosts, this play explores what it means to love someone with your entire heart without them fully understanding or knowing or feeling the same.
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, June 7
A TALE OF GRANDEUR – by Connor Stava
Two older men seek to rewrite their lives. They believe their time has come when one of them receives an email from the Prince of Nigeria. They embark on a journey of self-discovery as they seek the riches of their dreams. A Tale of Grandeur asks the question, “Can we change who we are?”
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, May 24
SPECIAL EVENT: PAGE TO STAGE ROUNDTABLE
Leading voices in the Portland theater community have volunteered to join us for a roundtable discussion to help PDX Playwrights members learn how to progress their play from the table- and staged-readings phase to full productions on Portland area stages.
Advance RSVP’s (at least 48 hours prior) are requested to news@pdxplaywrights.org.
Roundtable participants will include:
Ciji Guerin, The Cantilever Project/Bump in the Road Theatre
Holly Wigmore, Theatre Vertigo
Philip Cuomo, CoHo Theater
Luan Schooler, Artists Repertory Theatre
This event will replace our traditional “Fifth Tuesday” craft workshop. Note it will be on the fourth Tuesday in May.
The location of this event: Portland Community Media, 2766 NE Martin Luther King Blvd.
Tuesday, May 17
TO STEAL THE SUN – by Sally Stember
When Eleanor’s son Tommy goes missing and a nationwide search comes up empty-handed, she takes to the Shanghai Tunnels to rescue men from a horrible fate. One of those she rescues turns out to be a young boy. She decides to take home with her instead of returning him to his family. Tensions build as the family comes for him.
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, May 3
LEFT OF WEST – by Tamar Shai
When violence erupts on the streets of Hebron, a Palestinian cafe owner and an Israeli settler become trapped together for the duration of the protest. What starts off as a nuisance to both men evolves into an opportunity to get to know “the enemy.”
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, April 19
NO SMALL BEER – by Anthony Gray Finocchiaro
Two single men — one a little person who is a political genius with a superior intellect, the other a failed musician with nothing on the horizon — are vying for the affections of the same girl. But she is no ordinary girl. She is a girl who knows what’s important in life and who knows what she needs to be happy. Their lives intersect with an evil drug dealer and the result is terrible tragedy.
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, April 5
LIVING THINGS – by Archie Washington
An evening of existential short plays exploring themes of identity, fear of the unknown, and the meaning of life. Most of the characters are inanimate objects in the real world, but come to life on the stage. Children’s sleepwear sneak out for a night of adventure, parts of a model rocket go into crisis before liftoff, and much more. The show is also being adapted into a musical.
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, March 29
Fifth Tuesday Workshop: NOW WHAT – led by John Servilio and Kate Belden
You’ve just typed the words “End of Play,” but it’s just the beginning. This PDX Playwrights Fifth Tuesday workshop, led by Kate Belden and John Servilio, will cover the benchmarks playwrights must address during the process of preparing their play for the stage. These include using standard play format, planning the rewriting process and how to look for a stopping point, writing catchy and clear synopses, preparing 10-page samples, and more.
This free workshop is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, March 15
LOVE ME, FUSELI: A PLAY ABOUT MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT
– by John Freed
“All revolutions begin on a stage,” is a line from Love me, Fuseli, and this play demonstrates how that is so. Humanizing the proto-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, the play aims to let her speak for herself without any “ism” attachments and dramatizes how her undaunted pursuit of happiness and justice transformed her into our pathfinder as well.
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, March 1
ONE-ACT PLAYS – by Erick Mertz, Tracey Biebel and David Matson
THE SURPRISE PARTY – by Erick Mertz
When the bomb drops, how do we know what to do next? The unfortunate burden of passing along that dire message falls to Ronald Caldwell, professional newsreader, devoted husband and loving father to a little girl, Constance, who happens to be celebrating a birthday. We follow Caldwell on the day of his daughter’s surprise party, which unfortunately coincides with his recording of the one radio broadcast of his career that he hope never to hear played on the air.
HIM, HER, MY MOTHER AND ME – by Tracey Biebel
A journey through young love, marriage, children, middle age, divorce, coming out, alcoholism, and, ultimately, learning to trust yourself.
BLACK PIGEON – by David Matson
The tiresome routine of Monroe and Sylvia, a retired Jewish couple, is disrupted when a black pigeon mysteriously appears outside their kitchen window in Westchester County, New York. Emotions that have been long tucked away try to find their way to the surface in this heated, and a bit absurd, one-act piece.
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, February 16
GOOD MORNING MISS AMERICA – by Phyllis Yes
A daughter faces a dilemma: She tries to care for her elderly parents who live far away … or is she meddling? Complicating matters are a somewhat demented step-father and a favored sibling. It’s a tale simultaneously funny, sad, and thought-provoking.
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Tuesday, February 2
REVELATIONS – by James Y. Kim
A group of high ranking angels and biblical figures hold a secret meeting to debate the merits of God’s “Final Solution” to the Human Question.
This reading is scheduled at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
Friday, January 22 – Sunday, January 31
PDX PLAYWRIGHTS IN FERTILE GROUND
Tickets and pass reservations are now available for our “festival within the festival” – a tantalizing smorgasbord of various works by an astonishing 18 playwrights. Please see our schedule here.
No meeting January 19 because of participation in the Fertile Ground Festival.
Tuesday, January 5
PAS DE DIEUX – by John Ernest Servilio
Five people living on the street watching the end of the world go by. A consideration of what it means to have hope, lose hope, screw hope, and dance for your enemy.
This reading will be at Stonehenge Studio, 3508 SW Corbett Ave.