December 19, 2017
LUNCH ROOM by Lisa Collins and VOLARE by Holly Johnson
LUNCH ROOM – by Lisa Collins
When an executive and junior executive become trapped in a
lunch room the unexpected happens as each one discovers
something deeper about themselves as they get to know one
another.
VOLARE – by Holly Johnson
A Canada goose and a Western Grebe are conversing about
life and its mysteries on a hill near some wetlands … when
one of them describes a startling revelation.
This session is slated for the conference room of Portland Center Stage, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS
January 2, 2018
CAT PATROL – by Alissa Jessup and Brooke Totman
Shared love of unique characters and strong physical
comedy by Alissa Jessup and Brooke Totman led to the
formation of Cat Patrol. The two met through the sketch
comedy scene in Portland and quickly realized that their
training, background and comedic tastes were almost
identical. After writing and performing sketches for a show at
Portland Center Stage, Alissa and Brooke realized the magic
was real … thus, Cat Patrol was born. The two are co-
founders of The Ape, a comedy-based theater and training
ground, alongside their co-founder, Chris Cagnilia.
NOTE: This replaces Jessup’s But I’m Special in our Fertile
Ground 2018 lineup. This session Tuesday is slated for the
conference room of Portland Center Stage, Gerding Theater
at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave., and will include time for a
question-and-answer session with the co-creators.
PAST EVENTS
December 5, 2017
THE INSURANCE PLAY – by Tamar Bolkvadze
A dying woman sells her insurance policy to an investor – a move that will change the course of both of their lives.
This session was at the conference room of Portland Center Stage, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
November 21, 2017
A SHORT PLAY AND A FESTIVAL Q&A
We offer a miniature mixture Tuesday – a 10-minute play and a question-and-answer period for PDXP co-producers:
CONTRABAND – by Karen Polinsky
An ex-marine storms security at a busy airport to get back his runaway son, and then decides to leave the dumb kid with the authorities — a true story.
FERTILE GROUND 2018 WITH PDXP: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Producer Lauren Emery and admin team members of PDX Playwrights as well as past Fertile Ground Festival of New Works participants plan to be on hand to field questions among co-producers who are slated in the festival under our umbrella for 2018.
This session was at the conference room of Portland Center Stage, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
November 7, 2017
VOODOO SNOWBALL – by Gary Corbin
A comedy about cancer. Sometimes, the only way to heal a dysfunctional family is through voodoo. Philip, a man of ritual, somehow reached his forties without ever committing to anything – at least, nothing that matters to his parents or his almost-fiancée Elise. But then his sister Danielle informs him that Gus, his estranged father, is dying of lung cancer and clings to life only through his wife’s prayers and his own superstition, embodied in Danielle’s gift to him of a Voodoo snowball.
This session was at the conference room of Portland Center Stage, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
October 17, 2017
THE HEALING – by Remi P. Newhouse
Survivorship is difficult. Recovery is long. For Dean and Liam, this has been their mantra for many years. When Dean is faced with a new challenge, his search for answers unintentionally extends into the realm of the supernatural. This will become his last, true path for The Healing to begin.
This reading is slated for the conference room of Portland Center Stage, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
October 3, 2017
JANUS (LIKE THE GOD) – by Dan Heise
Janus, a teenager having been born out of wedlock and named for the two-faced Roman God, does not have the best family life. Her father, Noah, is emotionally indifferent; Alexandra, his wife, actively hates her; and she has a complicated relationship with her half siblings. After her father dies and Alexandra kicks her out, Janus embarks on a cross-country road trip to find her biological mother on the west coast.
This reading was at the conference room of Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave.
September 19, 2017
SHORT PLAYS – by Tamar Bolkvadze, Maria Choban & Brett Campbell, and Chris Serra
BLIND DATE – by Tamar Bolkvadze
Jesalyn tries to connect with a man from her past.
THE SWING SET – by Maria Choban and Brett Campbell
Alice, a 70-year-old retiree, really wants to help the homeless kids in her community but finds herself stymied. Then, 11-year-old Lily arrives with a secret.
THE SEA – by Chris Serra
Elle struggles through a reconciliation of guilt, rage, resentment, and love from the wreckage of a lost relationship.
This reading was slated for the conference room of Portland Center Stage, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
September 5, 2017
ANCESTORS’ WOODS – by Peter Armetta
Mel, an employee of the Internationally Intrusive Data Corporation, discovers another, older network called Life. Mysterious figures are asking him to switch networks. But he first has to give up the technological dream that so far has been his whole existence.
This reading was at the conference room of Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave.
August 29, 2017
Fifth Tuesday Workshop: WORKING WITH ACTORS – by Alissa Jessup
This workshop is an experiential approach for writers to learn to work with actors to elevate their writing. It is a practice in collaboration. Based on 20 years of experience working with actors, directors, and writers, Alissa Jessup created Working with Actors to bridge the collaborative waters between them.
This special workshop was held at The Ape Theater, 126 NE Alberta St. It was kindly offered on a “pay what you feel” basis to PDXP participants.
August 15, 2017
LIVING THINGS – A New Musical – by Archie Washington
A charming assortment of non-human characters live out their stories in the mind of a sleeping writer.
This reading was at the conference room of Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave.
August 1, 2017
INCONSTANCY – by Robert M. Barr
A true sequel to W. Somerset Maugham’s The Constant Wife: What happens when Constance, who has left her errant husband to run off with another man, comes back and has to decide which man she prefers?
This reading was at the conference room of Portland Center Stage, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
July 18, 2017
NEW YORK NIGHTS – by Adam Harrell
Annie — a depressed, unemployed, struggling actress and recent New York City transplant — stumbles upon a “fallen” genie named Jinn who must make her happy to reclaim his lamp as part of a cosmic rehabilitation program.
This reading was held at our alternate location, Stonehenge Studios, 3508 SW Corbett Ave.
June 20, 2017
BIG’S POTLUCK – by J.R. Townsend
A WHOLE NEW WORLD – by Redmond Reams
BIG’S POTLUCK – by J.R. Townsend
Indian food, Indian motorcycles, smiling neighbors, weary cops, vision-seeking investors, politics, blow jobs, business deals and smudging. The squash soup is cold, have a nice dinner.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD – by Redmond Reams
What to do when everything you know is about to change? And the change is coming soon — perhaps today — and you’re only a toddler. That’s the dilemma for Jack and Gwen when the news comes to their foster home: one of them is to be adopted.
This reading was at the Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
June 6, 2017
JESUS! – by Bill Levesque
The story of the invention of Christianity. A satirical deconstruction of religion.
This reading was at the Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
May 30, 2017
Fifth Tuesday Workshop
EASIEST TO WRITE, HARDEST TO PULL OFF: Mastering the 10-Minute Play – by John Ernest Servilio
Ten-minute plays get a bad rap. Here’s what a lot of people, audience members and writers alike, think of them:
“Ten-minute plays are terrific short exercises in drama.”
“A 10-minute play is a skit; we wrote those in high school drama class.”
“I need more depth into which I can cast my bait.”
“You got skill? Write a real play!”
How hard can it be? If you can write 10 minutes of dialogue, you can write a 10-minute play, right?
Nope. Come to our next 5T workshop and find out what a 10-minute play is and isn’t, how it differs from a full-length play, and the pitfalls to avoid when writing one. We’ll read a couple of them and discuss how they do and do not succeed, and we’ll do a couple of writing exercises to get you thinking in a sort of short play frame of mind.
This free workshop was at the Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
May 16, 2017
SHORT PLAYS by Nina Monique Kelly, Charlie LaTourette, and Robert Forgen
IRIS FIELD – by Nina Monique Kelly
A couple, marriage unraveling, struggles with a secret.
STEVE & STEVE – by Charlie LaTourette
An absurdist comedy about two sprocket salesmen, with a great deal in common, pondering the meaning of life and what it means to be an individual in a society that promotes conformity.
RAM IN A THICKET – by Robert Forgen
Deep within an ancient Mesopotamian burial tomb, a chance meeting with a charismatic adventurer in a pith helmet uncovers far more than Lady Penbury or her son could have imagined.
This reading was at the Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
May 2, 2017
SHORT PLAYS by Matthew Taft Gross, Danny Mankin and Nina Monique Kelly
ART THERAPY – by Matthew Taft Gross
A man is referred to a psychiatrist after hearing voices. But is there more to his delusions than meets the eye?
OUT OF BOUNDARIES – by Danny Mankin
While creating a play about a clown with dementia with his sister, a clown comes down with dementia. Hi jinx ensue.
THE DESERT SCENTED OF HONEY – by Nina Monique Kelly
A stranded soldier encounters a mysterious young woman in the Arabian desert.
This reading will be at the Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
April 18, 2017
“Special T” Workshop:
CREATING COMPLEX CHARACTERS QUICKLY – by Gary Corbin
PDXP Admin Team member Gary Corbin will lead the first “Special T” Playwriting Workshop, an interactive session employing a brief series of questions (prompts) to help you create rich, complex characters in your play. Bring your writing tools — we’ll be putting you to work.
This workshop was scheduled at the Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
April 4, 2017
THE DEATH OF ANNABEL GHEET – by Jessica Evans Irvine
Death is not an easy job. You don’t get paid overtime or health care, there’s no sick leave or vacation. Over the past few millennia, Death’s gotten a little depressed. But then Death meets Annabel Gheet, someone who may be just as lonely, loving, and weird as they are. Filled with absurd slapstick and incredible perseverance, The Death of Annabel Gheet is a full-length play about two unlikely friends trying to evade an inevitable death.
NOTE: The script contains trigger warnings for depression, self-harm, suicide, and alcoholism.
This reading was at the Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
March 21, 2017
THE DIVINE ARETINE – by Allan Marsi
The Divine Aretine describes events in the life of Peter Aretine, poet, playwright, and courtier in Renaissance Italy. Peter falls in love, writes memorable verse, and becomes world-famous within the space of a single day.
This reading was at Stonehenge Studios, 3508 SW Corbett Ave.
March 7, 2017
MISTOPIA – by Joe Jatcko
A group of shipwrecked petroleum barge workers attempt to set up a government on their new island home. This task is complicated by the fact that they are also high from huffing the barge’s cargo. Soon, sides are taken and an election is held to determine the new “captain” of the island. Holding a mirror to our current political climate, Mistopia asks the question: Is our system any more or less functional than one whose leaders are high on gas fumes?
This reading was at the Mezzanine of Portland Center Stage, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
February 21, 2017
UR HAMLET – by Dale Stanford Payne
Before “Play On” (Ashland’s 2015 stated project to re-write some of Shakespeare’s plays) there was already UR Hamlet. As with the practice of “Play On,” this adaptation is fully based the Original, highlighting its strengths and subtleties. Now, delivering in an emotional roller-coaster, UR Hamlet also discovers deeper tragedies, edgy secrets, and an absorbing merge of 1603 speech with 2016 tongues. And it still runs less than half the time of the Original.
This reading was at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
February 7, 2017
SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! – by Steve Lohse
Two brothers devise a plan to win a cash-prize demolition derby with their deceased father’s car. There is fighting. There is a ghost. There is a magic cowboy.
This reading was at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.
The plethora of PDXPlaywrights offerings in the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works may be reviewed here: PDXP in Fertile Ground 2017
NOTE: No Third nor Fifth Tuesday meetings were held in January, as PDXPlaywrights participated in and celebrated the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works. We welcome comments from PDXP participants and festival attendees about the festival, directed to info@pdxplaywrights.org
January 3, 2017
THE GODD COUPLE – by Mark Lysgaard and Mitch Rofsky
An OCD “clean freak” Arab, Frank, shares his apartment with his old Jewish freshman roommate, Irv, who gets thrown out of his apartment by his wife for being too messy. Chaos ensues as Irv’s Jewish friends come over for Jewish charades, Frank’s family suddenly shows up from Saudi Arabia, the Jehovah’s Witness apartment manager tries pushing the Watch Tower on everyone, and two Jewish American princesses seek dates.
This reading was at Portland Center Stage conference room, Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave.