Scoop: How Can Rik Be Dead When We Have His Poems?

1. SPOILED FRUIT:Some Portland cider types are crying sour after Washington cideries won five of eleven categories, including two gold medals for host Seattle Cider Co., in the first Pacific Northwest Cider Awards last weekend. Among Oregon cideries, Bend’s Red Tank won two categories, while Reverend Nat’s, Anthem and 2 Towns were left on the bottom rungs. Most of the contest judges were from Seattle. “An effort was indeed made to procure judges from throughout the Pacific Northwest, but with the tasting being on a Thursday afternoon [June 5] in Seattle, it made it difficult for people outside of Seattle to attend,” says festival organizer Caitlin Braam. “The tasting was double-blind, and we saw no reason for Seattle Cider Co. not to submit.... None of the judges were from Seattle Cider Co. or have any relation to the cidery.” Says Nat West of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider: “It just looks bad when you win a lot at your own competition.” West does not plan to enter the competition he hosts, the Portland International Cider Cup, on June 22.

1. STAGE SNIPPETS: Grimm fans, start camping out at the box office. You might have glimpsed Silas Weir Mitchell and Sasha Roiz during Grimm shoots around town, but next spring, they’ll be in the flesh at Portland Center Stage. The city’s largest theater company has cast the two co-stars in Three Days of Rain, Richard Greenberg’s Pulitzer-nominated play about a lauded architect and his troubled legacy. The show opens May 22.>>In other theater news, All the Way, a play commissioned last year by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and written by Seattle playwright Robert Schenkkan, won the Tony Award for Best Play for its Broadway production, with star Bryan Cranston picking up a best actor award for his portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson. The sequel to that play, The Great Society, opens July 23 at OSF. >> At the Drammys—Portland’s answer to the Tonys—Portland Playhouse won big, picking up eight awards, including best musical (The Light in the Piazza) and best play (A Christmas Carol). Oregon Children’s Theatre was the second most lauded company, with six awards. The city’s two biggest companies—Portland Center Stage and Artists Rep—each took home one Drammy.

1. TOP OF THE POP: PDX Pop Now, the annual all-ages, all-local, all-free Portland music festival, has announced its 2014 lineup. Headliners include pop oddballs Wampire, gauzy synth-dreamers Blouse, and classical recontextualists the Portland Cello Project. The undercard ranges among St. Johns rap crew the Resistance, medieval metalheads Zirakzigil, electronic duo Philip Grass, jazz ensemble Barra Brown Quintet, and cumbia nine-piece Orquestra Pacifico Tropical. The festival is July 18-20 at Audio Cinema.

WWeek 2015