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The past year may have been a rough one for Portland theater companies, but our city’s theatrical visionaries persevered, crafting superb plays under difficult circumstances.
Barring an apocalypse (which, to be fair, is always a real possibility these days), 2024 looks like a promising year for local theater lovers. There’s a sweet-looking slate of productions in the works, and even the beleaguered (and sorely missed) Artists Repertory Theatre may be able to present new work this spring.
Here are some of the most intriguing plays to check out, from Twilight Theater Company’s profound provocations to Shaking the Tree Theatre’s daring abstractions.
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Twilight Theater Company)
Despite damage to its theater by a car wreck, Twilight ended 2023 with a joyous bang, delighting audiences with Christmas in Christmasville. In 2024, it’s unleashing something darker: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Bertolt Brecht’s tale of Chicago crime lords and their connection to Hitler. Jan. 19-Feb. 4.
We Wrote This With You in Mind (Shaking the Tree Theatre)
Director Rebby Yuer Foster’s last play at Shaking the Tree was Max Yu’s In a Different Reality She’s Clawing at the Walls, a hellish vision of online addiction. We Wrote This, which was penned by Portland playwright Ken Yoshikawa, is Foster’s next production. If its enigmatic synopsis is any indication (”two friends reminisce on the monstrous chasm of place and memory”), it should be just as dreamy and terrifying as In a Different Reality. Feb. 10-March 2.
Sanctuary City (Third Rail Repertory Theatre)
In the wake of forging its unique pact with CoHo and PETE, Third Rail is presenting Martyna Majok’s Sanctuary City (directed by, in an example of the companies’ synergy, Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble’s Cristi Miles). Ezri Reyes, Melory Mirashrafi and Brave Sohacki star in this tale of two undocumented immigrants living in the United States. March 1-17.
Fertile Ground (Portland Area Theatre Alliance)
After a hiatus and a transition to new leadership, Portland’s beloved festival of new works is finally returning. Hopefully, the revamped theater extravaganza will stay true to its founding ideals: a devotion to presenting brand-new plays in all their rough, raw, innovative glory. April 12-21.
Blonde on a Bum Trip (Fuse Theatre Ensemble)
In addition to expanding its slate of events and remodeling the space behind Common Grounds Coffee, Fuse has an intriguing array of productions on deck. One of the most anticipated is Blonde on a Bum Trip, the latest from fast-rising Portland playwright (and recent WW contributor) Mikki Gillette, who will also have multiple plays at Twilight. It’s part of Fuse’s much-heralded OUTwright Theatre Festival. May 16-June 9.