Fertile Ground 2024

Waiting 4 2 Blow by Bill Lynch
with
Whose Lion Is It Anyway?  and Underlings  by Brad Bolchunos

A tempting trio of short works by two adventuresome playwrights:

Waiting 4 2 Blow by Bill Lynch – Mount St. Helens is about to erupt, but Harry Truman, the feisty owner of a lodge at the foot of the mountain, refuses to leave. His old friend, Sasquatch, arrives, accompanied by a shady companion, D.B. Cooper. Sasquatch tries to convince Truman to evacuate. Truman, a lonesome widower, tries to persuade Sasquatch to spend the night. And D.B. Cooper just tries to save his own skin. The drinks flow, the mountain rumbles, and the fate of all three hangs in the balance during a spirited discussion about fame, fortune, friendship … and death.

Plus: Two offbeat comedies by Brad Bolchunos, developed with Northwest Theatre Workshop. (These two works will also be presented as part of a different lineup 7:30 pm Friday, April 19). Whose Lion Is It Anyway? – When a professional tamer confronts an adolescent lion about the steep consequences of misbehavior, they walk a tightrope between assumptions they’ve made about each other—and themselves. Underlings – Captured by the Justice Jockeys, apprentice supervillains of the Harbingers of Havoc plot their escape. But even with a budding criminal mastermind in their midst, can they figure out how to overcome self interest?

Two Performances: 7:30 pm Tuesday, April 16 and 2 pm Wednesday, April 17
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Far From Home  by Olga Kravtsova and Julia Rahmanzaei

This is a collection of short works united by the arc of immigration and overcoming difficulties as a foreigner in the United States. Far From Home is an attempt to depict two different stories: The story of a young woman who immigrated to the United States, as she faced a ban on acting in her home country, Iran; and the story of an immigrant man preparing all his life for the American Dream, and ultimately surrendering to destiny, as told by his daughter.

Winner of a 2024 Fertile Ground GROW Grant.

Three Performances: 5:30 pm Wednesday, April 17; 12:30 pm Friday, April 19; and 5:30 pm Saturday, April 20

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The Government Agent  by Adam Harrell

Ted Wyatt’s criminal reign as mayor and future political aspirations are thrown into peril when an undercover government agent arrives in his small town of Crystal Canyon, U.S.A. With the help of his closest city council members, Ted’s dysfunctional family pulls out all the stops to impress the agent, preserve the status quo, and possibly line their own pockets along the way in this fast-paced comedy about corruption and cult mentalities. Co-produced, written, and directed by Adam Harrell. Based upon The Inspector General by Nikolai Gogol. (Content advisory: This play may not be suitable for audiences under the age of 17.)

Two Performances: 7:30 pm Wednesday, April 17 and 2:30 pm Saturday, April 20

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Joan in the Desert  by Louise Wynn

So what do we do when a hero, a saint, or a martyr shows up? We don’t burn them at the stake anymore. But what we do to them is as cruel. In Joan in the Desert, a two-act play by Louise Wynn, we see that innocent young girl confronted, in 2024, by the mob, the medical system, and the court. She does meet some good people who take her as she is, but also people who treat her with scorn, and some true believers. As in the 1400s, she is still accused of being a fraud—at best insane. The mob will love her until she declines to perform the miracles they require. The doctors, like the religious and political figures of the 1400s, see her as a threat to their power; she is for them only an interesting specimen. The judge is helpless in the face of her conviction. What will happen to Joan?

One Performance: 5:30 pm Thursday, April 18

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Bone Sorrow: The Elder Tree, Cleave, and A Circle of Stones
A Trio of Original Surrealist Dramas  by Nina Monique Kelly

Surrealist Playwright and Ghost Whisperer Nina Monique Kelly of “Whisper Skin Theatre” presents her newest Raw and Original Works!

The Elder Tree – A feminist retelling of the witch trials of 1500s Europe, this play follows the harrowing infestation of religious fanaticism in a once peaceful and harmonious village, through the eyes of an elderly Midwife. We witness the womenfolk resist the onslaught of perverse and erroneous accusations and embrace their attempts at reclaiming their power.

Cleave* – A girl child, intrigued by a shadowed figure that looms outside her window, desperately seeks her place in the outside world. Her mother, a cloaked figure nestled in the corner, is an entity of the undead. Having transcended her own death, she gathers herself to nurture her living child. A surrealist poem of myth, we sojourn with a poverty-struck mother and her child through tragedy, unwavering love, and ghosts.
(*Cleave: To sever from; to cling to).

A Circle of Stones – An expression of the playwright’s family strife with profound, generational mental illness. We traverse through a haunting tale of three generations of women desperately seeking nurturance, love, and self realization against the bondage of mental torment.

Two Performances: 7:30 pm Thursday, April 18 and 12:30 pm Sunday, April 21

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Faena  by Dylan Hankins
Winning playwright from Scenario
Presented by PDX Playwrights in association with CoHo Theatre

In the hopes of dispelling some common misconceptions regarding the hotly-debated topic of bullfighting, an unnamed narrator tells us the story of Víctor, an arrogant matador, and Floripondio, a notoriously murderous bull. However, much to our narrator’s chagrin, at every twist and turn he is faced with humanity’s grotesque and melodramatic inhumanity—bringing into question not only the ethics of bullfighting, but also the ethics of veganism, murder, capitalism, activism, fame, and sex. What’s right? What’s wrong? Why do matadors dress like sexy ballet dancers? Find out more in Faena. 

NOTE: This staged reading will be presented in Castilian Spanish but interpreted live in American English. This year, PDX Playwrights and CoHo Theatre announced an intensive collaborative playwriting workshop called Scenario, through which Faena was selected. As part of the experience, 18 participants were invited to submit proposals for Fertile Ground 2024. The winning result by Dylan Hankins captures the thrill, commitment, and skill of the Scenario collaboration, and with it our gratitude to all supporting the work of emerging voices.

Winner of a 2024 Fertile Ground GROW Grant.

Two performances: 2:30 pm Friday, April 19, and 7:30 pm Sunday, April 21

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R U N   by Alisha Christiansen

College track star Amanda meets Sean. Her parents grapple with their cranky neighbor. Her therapist navigates new territory on the job. This modern Greek tragedy takes an intense psychological look at relationships and what makes us human. (Content advisory: This staged reading includes scenes of intimate partner violence.)

One Performance: 5:30 pm Friday, April 19


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Bad Ass Japanese Pimp: A Solo Show by Rob Katsuno
Directed by Cassie Greer
with
Whose Lion Is It Anyway?  and Underlings by Brad Bolchunos

A solo show and a set of short works by two distinctive playwrights:

Bad Ass Japanese Pimp  by Rob Katsuno – Rob, a Japanese-American, struggles to overcome his habit of choking when angry or put on the spot, repeatedly derailing his life’s progress. Enter Ana, a Brazilian, igniting romantic sparks and cross-cultural hilarity. When they marry, Rob’s susceptibility to pressure and anger returns with a vengeance. Marital tension escalates until an explosive crisis. Can Rob discover the key to navigating stressful situations and getting his life on track?

Plus: Two offbeat comedies by Brad Bolchunos, developed with Northwest Theatre Workshop: Whose Lion Is It Anyway? – When a professional tamer confronts an adolescent lion about the steep consequences of misbehavior, they walk a tightrope between assumptions they’ve made about each other—and themselves. Underlings – Captured by the Justice Jockeys, apprentice supervillains of the Harbingers of Havoc plot their escape. But even with a budding criminal mastermind in their midst, can they figure out how to overcome self interest?

One Performance: 7:30 pm Friday, April 19

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Epic Shorts: Strange Burdens  by PDX Playwrights
Directed by Alisha Christiansen

Don’t miss this juried selection of 10-minute works submitted by PDX Playwrights performed by an ensemble cast. These plays explore the theme “Strange Burdens” in distinctive, compelling ways. The theme is inspired by author Ursula K. LeGuin from The Tombs of Atuan: “Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it.” This quote is only one hint of where the theme could take the imagination. Catch this vital and timely collection of fresh work from some of Portland’s finest playwrights!

Two Performances: 12:30 pm Saturday, April 20, and 7:30 pm Saturday, April 20

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Pack Up Your Sins and Go to the Devil  by Timothy Krause

With memorable tunes from vaudeville composers such as Irving Berlin and Harold Arlen comes Pack Up Your Sins and Go to the Devil, a new jukebox musical devised by Timothy Krause (a Portland theatre-maker whose historical drama Bread and Roses won Portland Civic Theatre Guild’s 2024 New Play Award). Inside the Paradise Music Hall, heavenly voices lead to hellish choices when Frank, a vaudeville producer, strikes a Faustian deal to save his theater by casting Helen, a fallen angel seeking a comeback, and three aspiring performers, Harry, Jack, and Will. However, Helen’s manipulative ways and selfish desires lead the whole gang straight to Hades to confront dark truths and moral dilemmas through increasingly surreal vaudeville acts that include song and dance, magic, drag, and even the River Styx embodied by circus acrobats. Pack Up Your Sins shines its spotlight on ambition, betrayal, and the consequences of choices in a harmony of comedy, drama, and fantasy.

NOTE: This show is a concert reading presented in two separate but successive parts; a purchase for Part I at 2:30 pm also admits the purchaser to Part II at 4 pm

One Performance: Part I: 2:30 pm Sunday, April 21; Part II: 4 pm Sunday, April 21.

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That Abortion Play  by Tamar Bolkvadze
and
Tru Adoration  by Katie Bennett

A dynamic duet of short works by two provocative playwrights:

That Abortion Play by Tamar Bolkvadze – It’s the abortion play you didn’t know you needed. Eliana, a Jewish single mother, finds time between work and breaking up her kids’ fights to volunteer at a local abortion clinic, escorting patients past pro-life protesters. Escorts are instructed to not engage with the protesters, but Eliana takes a different approach. From critiquing their signs, to debating religion, she takes the protestors on.

Tru Adoration by Katie Bennett – A cast of eccentric characters pervade this humorous play about romance, life and career: Alexandra Bow and Jerry Cosmo may have different college majors, but yearn to be of one heart. As they struggle to understand each other with the help of their celebrated dance teacher, Tru Adoré, there is no end to their curiosity about the true nature of love, physics and dance.

One Performance: 5:30 pm Sunday, April 21