BY STEFFEN SILVIS 243-2122 ext. 343 Navigator: Timeline | Listings | Interview | Pick Timeline 1969 The Storefront Theater opens. 1978 The Actors Production Company opens. 1979 The New Rose Theater opens. 1982 The Oregon Contemporary Theater opens. 1983 The Actors Production Company closes. 1984 The Willamette Repertory Theater (later renamed Portland Repertory Theater) opens. 1985 The Oregon Contemporary Theater closes. 1988 Portland Center Stage opens. 1991 Storefront closes. 1992 New Rose closes. 1992 Portland Civic Theater closes. 1997 Portland Repertory Theater closes.                             FOCUS ON: Gaynor Sterchi While living abroad, I was visited by a friend involved in Portland's theater community, and we talked about all the actors and directors we had worked with and admired. When I asked her what Gaynor Sterchi was doing, my friend replied, "Still setting the standard." Born in Britain, Gaynor Sterchi was the youngest student ever to receive a full scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After working with the Birmingham Repertory in England, she moved to Canada and worked as an actor in Ontario. From there she came to Portland, where, almost immediately, she became a force to be reckoned with. For many of us, our first Mother Courage and Mrs. Warren was, memorably, Gaynor Sterchi. You arrived in Portland in 1966. At that time, the Civic Theater was really the only thing going. So I went along and found myself in a play about Freud. I played Mrs. Freud, which called for me to wander the stage saying, "Sigmund...Sigmund." But better roles came quickly. I was soon playing Eleanor in The Lion in Winter, a part I played twice. The last time was in the late '70s, under Peter Fonara's direction. It opened in the middle of a Blazers championship, and no one came. Even Fonara, who was up in the booth running lights, was watching the games on a portable television [laughs]. You and Fonara founded the Actors' Production Company, the city's first small, serious theater group, around that time. Through the help of a grant, we were able to create the kind of company we wanted. For many, it was one of the first steps toward high-quality theater in a city that didn't have any small companies. Before that, things were very different here. Now, there are many good actors in Port-land, but then there was only a handful of people who knew what they were doing. The rest were, shall we say, less than ideal. I worked at Slabtown [a small fringe theater company that sprouted up and died] with director Tim Welsh, who could be wicked. He would shout at those poor players, "Just stand there please, and stop acting!" [Laughs.] The Actors' Production Company was different. We worked with many marvelous artists, and we even lasted a few seasons. You were then involved in the short-lived Oregon Contemporary Theater, Portland's first stab at an equity house, in the early '80s. That's when we had playwright Emily Mann here for A Doll's House. We also had Mr. Andre Gregory [winces] and Wallace Shawn, who was wonderful. I remember that season well. Ibsen, Brecht and Joe Orton. I also remember your Mrs. Alving in the wonderful, upstart New Rose Theater's production of Ibsen's Ghosts during that period. The New Rose Theater was doing some exceptional work then, as was Storefront Theater. It was an important period. Then things died down. Portland's theater is cyclical. There will be these very high periods, followed by a crash and closures. Where are we now? I think this is becoming a high period. Standards are higher, certainly, but I'm seeing interesting work being done again. I'm encouraged. You're a voice instructor. What do you think of the standard of voice in town? Unfortunately, voice work has never been a priority here. Jack Featheringill and Asher Wilson at PSU were the first to insist on training. Now, it really depends on the director. That's why I love working with Jane Unger at the Profile Theater Project, who is adamant that actors should be understandable. I mean [laughs], what an idea! Compared to the past, the theatrical landscape is vastly different here. Well, there's more work for equity actors, though not as much as there should be. The closing of Portland Repertory [in 1997] was a dreadful blow. I enjoyed working with Dennis Bigelow, as he's so excited by the work. It seems you've been wisely selective in the work you've done. No, I've been very fortunate to have been asked to do the work. Why do you act? Communication is important to me. The greatest compliment is to have someone approach me after a performance and say, "I now see things differently," or, "I feel changed." That's what it's all about, isn't it? Are there any plays you regret not having done? I should have liked to have done Private Lives, Anthony and Cleopatra as well. But I have no complaints whatsoever. Listings Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde Artists Repertory Theater begins and ends this survey of the season's most promising productions, as it had the good taste and wit to choose for its 1999-2000 season two of the finest plays to emerge from New York in years: Moisés Kaufman's exploration of Oscar Wilde's trials and Margaret Edson's Wit (see below). Employing newspaper accounts of the period, along with trial transcripts, letters and readings from texts on Wilde, Kaufman has created a haunting reconstruction of the trials that eventually sent England's most brilliant playwright to Reading Gaol. Michael Lasswell, who directed ART's excellent production of Travels with My Aunt, returns to Portland to both direct and star in this production. Others in the cast include David Meyers, Tom Lasswell, Shelly Lipkin and Brian Van Flandern. Sound design by Martin John Gallagher. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1516 SW Alder St., 241-9807. 7 pm Wednesdays-Thursdays, 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Oct. 17. $16.50-$25. Machinal While the spectacle barn labors to convince us that Inge's frivolous Bus Stop is worth resurrecting, we turn to one of Portland's best smaller companies to find a true classic of American drama. Playwright Sophie Treadwell wrote Machinal in 1928, and it was hailed as a masterpiece of expressionism alongside O'Neill's The Hairy Ape and Rice's The Adding Machine. The play follows a young woman trapped by society's constraints, which lead to her involvement in a murder. Critic Brooks Atkinson's comment that Treadwell's play was "an illuminating, measured drama such as we are not likely to see again" proved strangely prophetic, since Treadwell and her play eventually vanished from sight. But through the work of such scholars as Judith E. Barlow, as well as an astonishing staging of the play in London by Deborah Warner, Treadwell's play is reclaiming its rightful place in the world's repertory. Charmian Creagle directs the excellent Vanessa Rios y Valles, with sound design by John Berendzen. The Other Side Theatre at the Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 938-1482. Opens Sept. 16. Blood Wedding, Blood Wedding If proof is needed that Portland's theater is entering, in the words of Gaynor Sterchi, "a high period," one can point to the rare opportunity of seeing two rival productions of the same play within days of each other, which should inspire some lively debate. Lorca's beautiful poetic drama Blood Wedding, the story of love trying to survive against a backdrop of violence, will open the season both at the Miracle Theater (see below) and Imago, though the interpretations will stand in stark contrast to each other. Jerry Mouawad's inspiration for his Imago production comes from Lorca's friend Luis Bunuel. As in Bunuel's great film, That Obscure Object of Desire, Mouawad uses a doubling up of principal characters, here in an attempt to explore different facets of the characters through alternate perspectives. Mouawad's interesting cast includes Carol Triffle, Heidi Carlson, Liminal's Georgia Luce, and Bridge City members Toby Gollihar, Phillip Grogg and Ian Paul Sieren. Soundscape created by Katie Griesar and Adam Myer. Imago Theater, 17 SE 8th Ave., 231-9581. 7:30 pm Thursdays, 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays. Opens Sept. 16. $12-$15. Blood Wedding As a few of the city's more established theaters sink further into insignificance, it's encouraging to see the strides made at the Miracle Theater. What was once dismissed as a grant drain has become one of the city's more interesting companies. Not only has the quality of acting and direction improved markedly, but the choice in material has also lent Miracle credibility. The last play of the company's upcoming season, El Paso Blue by Octavio Solis, was one of Ashland's successes last season, but attention must be paid to the company's first production of this season, Lorca's Blood Wedding, which one hopes heralds a new interest in Spain's gifts to world drama. Olga Sanchez directs Carmela Lanza, Deirdre Atkinson, Andrew Harris, Trish Egan, John Baca, and the promising young actor Rafael Untalan. Musical score by Rodolfo Ortega. The Miracle Theater, 525 SE Stark St., 236-7253. Opens Sept. 24. Xingu One of the most interesting developments this season is the opening of a new theater space in Northeast, which will be the shared home of Cygnet Productions and Theatre Vertigo. More like a phoenix, Cygnet is back with a dramatic reading of Edith Wharton's short story concerning a ladies' book club gathering to celebrate a favorite author. Louanne Moldovan directs Wendy Westerwelle, Brian Haliski and Gregg Bielemeier. Portland's premiere literary cabaret (recently spotlighted in American Theater Magazine) makes a welcomed return. Cygnet Productions at the Russell Street Theater, 116 NE Russell St., 230-8827. Opens Oct. 7. The Fever No other theater company is as perplexing as Bridge City. When they are good they are very good, but when they are bad, one feels one's discovered a level of amateurism comparable only to skit night at the local 4-H barn. With the exception of Havel's The Memorandum, last season was born stone dead. But this season actually sounds very promising, with Eric Overmeyer's delightful On the Verge and Betsuyaku Minoru's The Elephant both scheduled for production. However, the company strikes a brave, defiant note at the top of its season with Wallace Shawn's powerful The Fever. Shawn's febrile one-man meditation on class and personal responsibility is as important as its near cousin, The Designated Mourner. Actor James Engberg takes on a tough assignment. Bridge City Productions at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N. Interstate Ave., 788-8357. Opens Oct. 29. The Grey Zone "After Auschwitz, to write a poem is barbaric." Adorno's quote still prompts discussion on whether art could--or even should--attempt to convey the Holocaust. In truth, most art has failed miserably, though there are those rare moments when artists have communicated to us the loss and horror of this brutal century: Resnais' Night and Fog, Cynthia Ozick's The Shawl, the novels of Danilo Kis, the poems of Paul Celan. Tim Blake Nelson's The Grey Zone has been hailed as one of the few important tries by the theater to cope with the camps' legacy. The play follows a group of Jews who have been coaxed by their captors to assist in the extermination program at Auschwitz. It is territory that was also explored in the most powerful memoir of the camps, Tadeusz Borowski's This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen. Michael Griggs directs the Theatre Vertigo company--a company that has quickly become one of Portland's leading theaters. Theatre Vertigo at the Russell Street Theater, 116 NE Russell St., 306-0870. Opens Nov. 5. The Treatment Along with Theatre Vertigo, Sowelu Theater burst upon the stage scene last season with two exceptional productions: Savage in Limbo and the beautiful The Further Adventures of Anse and Bhule in No Man's Land. This season looks just as promising, with a new play by Lea Floden entitled headless, a karmic mystery set in a traveling carnival, scheduled for the spring. The first production is the Portland premiere of a work by British playwright Martin Crimp. Crimp is a playwright more Americans should know about. From his base at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, England, Crimp has created an impressive body of work. In The Treatment, Crimp provides a marvelous allegory on the dilemma of art vs. life. Barry Hunt directs the peerless Sowelu company: Chris Harder, Kelly Tallent, Sean Skvarka and Lorraine Bahr. Sowelu Theater at the Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 230-2090. Opens Nov. 12. Tales of the Lost Formicans After a season of wandering in the desert, the Profile Theatre Project is back with a permanent home. In one of the most promising alliances, Profile will be sharing Stark Raving's space at Theatre! Theater! For its third season, Profile has decided to profile playwright Constance Congdon. As in its first season with Arthur Kopit, Profile is hoping to bring Congdon to Portland to participate in a playwriting workshop. Meanwhile, Profile will be producing three of Congdon's plays, including No Mercy, which explores the effects that the creation of the atom bomb has on a group of people, including Robert Oppenheimer, and Congdon's latest play, Lips, a political satire. The season begins with Congdon's most well-known play, Tales of the Lost Formicans, a comic collision between extraterrestrials and representatives of American culture. The Profile Theatre Project at Stark Raving Theater, Theatre! Theater!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 242-0080. Opens Nov. 19. [OR] Founded by visual artist and stage director Teiji Furuhashi, the dumb type performance art company came together at the Kyoto University of Arts in 1984. Furuhashi gathered together an eclectic ensemble of architects, graphic artists, sculptors and computer scientists who strove to create a theater that melded the traditional literature and performance styles of Japan with the very latest technology and theories of modern performance. The company's latest piece, [OR], is billed as a "reflection on the border(s) of life and death." Writing for The Times of London, critic Ros Drinkwater said, "[OR] makes everything else you've ever seen on a stage look out of date." Portland Institute for Contemporary Art at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1111 SW Broadway, 242-1419. 8 pm Nov. 26. $21.50-$26.50. Twelfth Night In her two years at the helm of the Hillsboro Actors Repertory Theater, Kammi Harris has transformed a run-of-the-mill community playhouse into a classic "little theater." Mixing thoughtful, popular plays with lesser-known pieces, Harris has created a successful blueprint for community theater that cultural wastelands such as Lake Oswego and Vancouver, Wash., should adopt. Harris has also provided a space where young actors and directors can hone their craft; needless to say, many artists from Portland have started taking MAX to Hillsboro. But for reasons that defy sense, Harris' contract has not been renewed. Happily, her season still stands, which includes Virginia Belt's production of Sartre's The Women of Troy, and, even more anticipated, the Portland directing debut of Andreas Alcala in Twelfth Night. Alcala, a former Ashland actor, has become one of Portland's finest talents. His production of Twelfth Night and Stark Raving's Richard III are the two Shakespearean plays to watch for. Hillsboro Actors Repertory Theater, 230 E. Main St., Hillsboro, 693-7815. Opens Jan. 7, 2000. $8-$10. The King Has Gone to Tennenbrae Theatre Vertigo's second production is a piece by Portland playwright George Herman (A Company of Wayward Saints). Directed by Jeff Meyers, The King Has Gone to Tennenbrae deals with the civil and religious upheaval surrounding King Henry Navarre's reign in France. Herman's play focuses on how the women in Henry's life influenced his policies and eventually shaped the history of France. Herman's play, like W.S. Gregory's marvelous Mary Tudor last season, is an actress' dream come true, as there are 14 women's roles but only one for a man. Jeff Meyers directs members of the company, including Nannette Pettit, Catherine Campbell, April Magnusson and the wonderful Laura Smith. Drammy Award winner Chris Herman will take on the part of Henry. Theatre Vertigo at the Russell Street Theater, 116 NE Russell St., 306-0870. Opens March 3, 2000 Richard III Shakespeare & Company's artistic director Tina Packer was overheard this summer in New York, saying how amazed she was by the number of actors from Portland who have come to study with her. But with all their training--and Packer is an exceptional teacher--this lonely band of players seldom has anywhere to go in Portland that offers anything other than a rural high school's approach to the Bard. One of Packer's leading students is Stark Raving Theater's artistic director, Dave Demke, who has decided it was time for his own company to produce some Shakespeare. Demke has chosen Richard III, which he will play set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. Stark Raving members Steve Boss, Jim Davis and Nancy Wilson will join visiting Shakespeare & Company alumni. Stark Raving Theater at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 232-7072. Opens March 10. Wit Pulitzer Prizes, like copies of The Watchtower, seem to be handed out indiscriminately, especially for drama. But this year, the judges got it right. Margaret Edson's excellent play about a half-bedfast John Donne scholar forced to review her life in a cancer ward is one of the most erudite and moving pieces of theater to come out of America in ages. In this benighted period in which appearance is valued over substance, Edson's work stands like a cromlech amid the glossy pebbles of Broadway. "Brutally human and beautifully layered," said The New York Times. "The kind of theatrical experience of which legends are made." The play is to be directed by Allen Nause, a good director who sometimes allows friendship to cloud his better judgement. It is hoped that he'll cast actors worthy of Edson's words. Artists Repertory Theater, 1516 SW Alder St., 241-1278. Opens May 16, 2000. $16.50-$25. A Miscellany of Events For Halloween, both the Liminal Performance Group and Imago will offer some Gothic treats. The Tears of Joy Theater Company has begun a new series of puppet cabarets entitled I.F. (immediately following). As the title suggests, the cabarets will follow the company's full productions at the Winningstad. A new, multidisciplinary performance salon will be opening in the Northeast. The North Star Ballroom will feature such artists as Miranda July, Gregg Bielemeier, Heidi Carlson and Leanne Grabel.   Pick Gaynor Sterchi is looking forward to Profile Theater Project's season. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published September 15, 1999