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*Fertile Ground 2016
It's the biggest theater festival in town—a 35-venue theater takeover of Portland that's both a preview of the season to come and a chance for unknown artists to be seen by broader audiences. Fertile Ground productions are marked with a sprout icon.Through Jan. 31. Festival pass $50, individual ticket prices vary. Visit fertilegroundpdx.org for details.
Follow WW's Fertile Ground Diaries
OPENINGS & PREVIEWS
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Six awkward tweens vie for first place in what's become American pop culture's most famous spelling bee. Annie Kaiser directs, reaching for another Drammy nod, and the adult cast is mainly children's theater veterans, or newcomers making the jump from Lake Oswego's small Lakewood Theatre. Broadway Rose Theatre, 12850 SW Grant Ave., Tigard, 620-5262. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, 2 pm Saturday-Sunday, through Feb. 28. $20-$44.
Pilot Season: Explorers of the Quantum Doorway
Every year, Action/Adventure hosts four aspiring playwrights for four weekends of four brand new shows. The audience favorite wins a full run. Three scientists explore an alien planet in Benja Barker's Explorers of the Quantum Doorway, a beat-the-clock caper—if they can't finish their mission before the portal to space closes, the heroes risk being stuck in space forever. Action/Adventure Theatre, 1050 SE Clinton St. 8 pm Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 28-31. $12.
NEW REVIEWS
*Displaced
Five episodic dance pieces featuring live electric guitar, accordion, feudal horn and kalimba music explore the idea of displacement by moving all around the Conduit studio, forcing the audience to displace itself. Read the full review by Sophia June. Conduit Dance, 2505 SE 11th Ave., No. 120, 221-5857. 6 pm Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 30-31. $15..
ALSO PLAYING
*The Adventures of Dex Dixon: Paranormal Dick
In what essentially mirrors the plot of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? but with ghouls instead of 'toons, The Adventures of Dex Dixon follows the washed-up titular detective as he attempts to unravel a plot to throw open the rift between Our Fair City and paranormal dimension, Night Side. Portland writer and performance vet Steve Coker (Grimm, Leverage, Varsity Cheerleader Werewolves Live From Outer Space) retools his original screenplay into the musical noir comedy with moderate success. PENELOPE BASS. Brunish Theater, 1111 SW Broadway. 7:30 pm Thursday-Friday and 2 pm Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 28-31. $25.
*American Atlas
The trials of a marriage between a Japanese-American man and a Brazilian woman get mined for laughs in this one-man comedy about navigating touchy cultural differences. SOPHIA JUNE. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 241-1278. Noon Wednesday, Jan. 27. Free.
*Baba Yaga
An old crone who lives in a house on chicken legs tells three traditional Russian fairy tales in this one-woman show, created as a senior thesis by Lewis & Clark student Sam Reiter. The fables are backed by shadow puppets and infused with Reiter's passion for everything Russian, and the play is a sympathetic look an often-demonized, old-lady character. "I wanted to know—how did she get to be that way?" said Reiter, who thought up the show while studying abroad at the Moscow Art Theatre. The Headwaters Theatre, 55 NE Farragut St., No. 9, 289-3499. 8 pm Wednesday-Thursday, through Jan. 28. $10.
*The Big One
The July 2015 New Yorker article, "The Really Big One," shocked the Pacific Northwest. Shoba Satya's play explores what it means to live in Oregon when we could be destroyed at any moment. Cerimon House, 5131 NE 23rd Ave., 307-9599. 8 pm Tuesday-Thursday, Jan. 26-28. $10.
*Business as Usual & Forethought: Four Short Plays
Think Office Space. In Michael Josef's play. Forethought includes short plays about everything from a nerd trying to talk to girls to a mad sculptor in a night of staged readings by PDX Playwrights. SOPHIA JUNE. Hipbone Studio, 1847 E Burnside St., No. 104, 358-0898. 8 pm Sunday, Jan. 24 & 31. $10.
*A Cavalcade of Awesome! Untitled Detective Story
Action/Adventure's Aubrey Jessen and Greta West workshop their noir about a lday detective, which will be fully produced in the spring. SOPHIA JUNE. Action/Adventure Theatre, 1050 SE Clinton St. 2 pm Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 30-31. $10.
*Crackin' the Code: A Comedy of Questionable Morals
When a friend's ex-wife comes on to the Bill, he struggles with a dilemma that's not so easily solved as, "bros before hoes." He's stuck navigating the treacherous waters of friendship, romance and guy code in this romantic comedy. SOPHIA JUNE. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 241-1278. Noon Friday, Jan. 29. Free.
*Family Hardware
A man who's too unhealthy to have sex with his wife agrees to let her see a hired escort—who he happens to already know. Presented as a staged reading by PDX Playwrights. SOPHIA JUNE. Hipbone Studio, 1847 E Burnside St., No. 104, 358-0898. 6 pm Sunday, Jan. 24 & 31 and 7 pm Friday, Jan. 29. $10.
Golden Boy
In this 1937 Broadway classic by Clifford Odets, Joe seems golden as a violin prodigy, until the glamour of the ring ropes him in. Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S State St., Lake Oswego, 635-3901. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday and 2 pm Sunday, through Feb. 14. $32.
Great Expectations
The downtrodden orphan Pip has the worst type of life—his brother-in-law abuses him and a convict threatens to kill him—but things change when an anonymous benefactor puts him down as their heir. PCS is borrowing the adaptation and director from Seattle, where Book-It Repertory Theatre premiered the play in 2011. Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave., 7:30 pm Tuesday-Sunday, 2 pm Saturday-Sunday, noon Thursday, Jan. 22-Feb. 14. $25-$70.
*Grimm Northwest
Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales come to life in the Lucky Lab Taproom, featuring an open mic for personal stories from audience members. Things get dirty. SOPHIA JUNE. Lucky Lab Taproom, 1700 N Killingsworth St., 505-9511. 7 pm Saturday, Jan. 23, Thursday, Jan. 28 and Sunday, Jan. 30. $15.
*Hazardous Beauty
A black woman and a white women—both past that certain age—meet in a community college class about writing memoirs and end up on that windy path to self-discovery. Portland Abbey Arts, 7600 N Hereford Ave., 412-8899. 7:30 pm Friday-Saturday, Jan. 29-30. $8.
*I Want to Destroy You
Loosely inspired by the life of Chris Burden, an artist who had a friend shoot him in the arm as part of a performance art piece, Theatre Vertigo's play explores themes of gun ethics and education. Shoebox Theatre, 2110 SE 10th Ave., 306-0870. 7:30 pm Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 28-31 and 2 pm Sunday, Jan. 31. $20.
*In The Boom Boom Room
David Rabe's 1972 play about a go-go dancer whose tumultuous relationship with her parents sends her tailspinning into gender-blind sexual romps, updated by Sowelu Theater. Shaking the Tree Theatre, 823 SE Grant St., 235-0635. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, through Feb. 5. $12.
*I Know Things
In a thriller about a dysfunctional family, set in post-apocalyptic times, playwright Don Teeters explores the complexities of genetic engineering. SOPHIA JUNE. Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre, (HART), 185 SE Washington St., Hillsboro, 254-5104. 7:30 pm Friday-Sunday Jan. 29-31 and 2 pm Saturday, Jan. 30. $15.
*A Mischief of Rats
A group of rats is called a mischief, which is exactly what this dysfunctional family of rodents is up to. Playwright Katherine Lloyd-Knox passed away during rehearsals, so the reading will be performed as a memorial for her. SOPHIA JUNE. Lakewood Theatre Company, 368 S State St., Lake Oswego, 635-3901. 7 pm Wednesday, Jan. 27. $10.
*Mustache Party!
Subtitled The Salvador Dalí Show, this nontraditional theater experience, set in the speakeasy-like Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven, blends Dalí's surreal style with a commedia dell'arte. A slapstick trio called Box of Clowns hosts the show. When asked about its format, their answer: "it's a party!" Which begs the question, how would Dalí party? SOPHIA JUNE. The Steep and Thorny Way To Heaven, SE 2nd Ave. and SE Hawthorne Blvs., 9 pm Thursday, Jan. 28 and Sunday, Jan. 30. $10.
*The New Vaudeville
The Affable Gentlemen are two Portland storytellers who regularly entertain the Jack London bar with story nights themed on Paul Bunyan, awkward Christmas traditions. For Fertile Ground they'll do a full-blown variety show, importing their favorite local musicians, magicians and other storytellers, like accordionist Eric Stern. Saturday is all ages, Sunday gets darker and sexier. Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 238-5588. 8 pm Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 30-31. $12.
*Perspective
Fifteen-year-old Mark delves into what to do when your family is flawed in this third play of Redmond Reams' series. SOPHIA JUNE. Twilight Theater Company, 7515 N Brandon Ave., 847-9839. 7 pm Sunday, Jan. 24 and 8 pm Friday-Saturday, Jan. 29-30. $15.
*Shackleton, The Untold Story
The sixth installment in Portland Story Theater's seafaring series about explorer Ernest Shackleton tells the true story of the 10 men in the Ross Sea Party. The first play, Shackleton's Antarctic Nightmare in 2008, went on to be performed off-Broadway. SOPHIA JUNE. Alberta Abbey, 126 NE Alberta St., 284-2226. 8 pm Saturday, Jan. 23 & 30. $15.
*Short & Sweet
Eight plays from new PDX Playwrights members make their debut as staged readings. SOPHIA JUNE. Hipbone Studio, 1847 E Burnside St., No. 104., 358-0898. 7 pm Saturday, Jan. 30 and 3 pm Sunday, Jan. 31. $10.
*Word. Voice.
Young graduates from PlayWrite's workshop series showcase their one-acts, works in progress and spoken word performances in this free session of readings, acted by local professionals. Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave., 445-3700. 7 pm Sunday, Jan. 31. Free.
*The Yellow Wallpaper
Things get animalistic and filthy by the end of this stunning world premiere adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's classic short story, When a new mother is prescribed a "rest cure" for nervousness and begins imagining a woman living in her wallpaper, the psychological twists roll in fast. Imaginative staging plays with your head, as wallpaper projected around the theater twists like a psychedelic screensaver and a woman (Diana Schultz) weaves in and out of panels around the stage. "Looks like a lot of cleanup," said a patron leaving opening night. The set, yes. The production itself is near-perfect. Read a behind-the-scenes. CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 220-2646. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday and 2 pm Sunday, Through Feb. 6. $28.
*You Are Not My Enemy & Bathtub Gin
Tense face-to-face conflicts dominate these two staged readings from PDX Playwrights—an adaptation of the traditional Japanese Noh drama Atsumori, then a modern quibble between the young Em and some crazy old lady who's all up in her space. Hipbone Studio, 1847 E Burnside St., No. 104, 358-0898. 1 pm Sunday, Jan. 31. $10.
*The Zoas: I Have Seen the Future
A Portland actor must save the world after being conned into creating a variety show for a major TV network in this supernatural musical dramedy. SOPHIA JUNE. The Secret Society, 116 NE Russell St., 493-3600. 8 pm Wednesday, Jan. 27. $15.
COMEDY & VARIETY
Bridget Everett
Called one of the "Funniest People in New York," by Time Out, Bridget Everett has been on Two Broke Girls, Inside Amy Schumer, and the Sex and the City movie. Along with her band, the Tender Moments, Bridget Everett puts on an edgy, sexed-up, punk rock cabaret show that has sold out venues across the country. Bridget Everett and the Tender Moments released their debut album of original music, Pound It!, in 2013, and have worked with a number of special guests including Fred Armisen, Flea and Peaches. Alberta Rose Theater, 3000 NE Alberta St., 9 pm Friday, Jan. 29. Sold out. 21+.
Curious Comedy Showdown featuring Pipes
It's a musical, a comedy and an improv show all in one, where the audience suggests the subject. Curious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 477-9477. 7:30 pm Friday, Jan. 29. $12-$15.
Earthquake Hurricane
Who needs one host when you can have four? Local super squad Curtis Cook, Bri Pruett, Anthony Lopez and Alex Falcone are keeping the heat on in 2016, bringing touring comic and host of Strangers on the Road podcast Mat Alano-Martin and local comedy stalwart Kristine Levine to the bike shop stage. Velo Cult Bike Shop, 1969 NE 42nd Ave., 922-2012. 9 pm Wednesday, Jan. 27. Free ($5 suggested donation). 21+.
Jermaine Fowler: Give 'Em Hell Tour
Jermaine Fowler has appeared in TruTV's Friends of the People and MTV2's Guy Code, and has been touring the country telling jokes since he was 21. In celebration of his debut comedy special, Give 'em Hell Kid, Jermaine is embarking on a nationwide tour. Coming along for the ride is Jak Knight, a celebrated New Face at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, and a writer for Lucas Bros. Moving Co. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 7 pm Wednesday, Jan. 27. $15. 21+.
Race Relations
Local comic Ed Black's new show about racial issues and false stereotypes, with an inaugural lineup of local favorites Bri Pruett, Chaz Miller, Zak Toscani, Marcus Coleman and Jason Traeger throwing out all the negativity surrounding race. Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE 11th Ave., 841-6734. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Jan. 27. $10. 21+.
Thursday Night Throwdown
Curious' twice-monthly competition gives teams 17 minutes for a chance to compete in Friday Night Fights next week. Curious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 477-9477. 9:30 pm every second and last Thursday. Free.
DANCE
Between Worlds
Three contemporary circus companies combine to show their work-in-progress pieces that fuse aerial dance, acrobatics, theater, music and puppetry. Superhero Old Folks Home is Aaron Wheeler-Kay's comic book version of a retirement home, the Circus Project tells a story of the seven deadly sins that channels Bob Fosse and Tempos stages the hero's journey detailed by Joseph Campbell as an aerial dance. Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37th Ave., 8 pm Friday-Saturday, 4 pm Saturday and 1:30 pm Sunday. $25-$28.
Groovin' Greenhouse
Hosting a mix of local dance companies for Fertile Ground, Polaris collaborates with NW Fusion on Thursday, the always-inventive A-WOL Dance Company on Friday and Polaris Junior Company on Sunday. Polaris Studio Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave., 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 28-30 and and 2 pm Sunday, Jan. 31. $20-$22.
Improvlesque!
Burlesque is nothing if not a balls to the wall declaration that the body is beautiful and everyone should love theirs, love handles and all. Taking that one step further, Crush Bar is making a game show version of burlesque themed around feel good music. The audience picks the music and performers improvlesque for bragging rights. Crush Bar, 1400 SE Morrison Ave., 741-9672. 9 pm Friday, Jan. 29. $12. 21+.
What the Day Owes the Night
Twelve shirtless male dancers from Algeria and Burkina Faso perform an acrobatic mashup of b-boying, capoeira and contemporary choreography by Hervé Koubi in the year's first offering from White Bird, the company responsible for most of Portland's stand-out dance imports. Read WW's Q&A with Koubi. PSU's Lincoln Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave., 245-1600. 8 pm. Through Saturday, Jan. 30. Sold out.
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