Dmae welcomes Marissa Wolf, artistic director of Portland Center Stage to talk about two holiday time shows, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (which she directs) a reimagining of Pride and Prejudice and the Tony-award-winning musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Both shows are unusual holiday offerings and feature racially diverse casts. We’ll hear about both productions.

(Aired 11am-noon 12/10/19 on KBOO 90.7 FM or always on stagenstudio.com and always on  iTunes.)

 

 

Marissa Wolf, Artistic Director Currently in her second season as artistic director of Portland Center Stage at The Armory, Marissa previously served as associate artistic director/new works director at Kansas City Repertory Theatre and artistic director of Crowded Fire Theater in San Francisco. Select directing credits include Fire in Dreamland by Rinne Groff (The Public Theater; world premiere at KCRep); Man in Love by Christina Anderson and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens (KCRep); 77% by Rinne Groff (San Francisco Playhouse); Precious Little by Madeleine George (Shotgun Players); The Lily’s Revenge (Act II) by Taylor Mac (Magic Theatre); and The Late Wedding by Christopher Chen (Crowded Fire). She’s been nominated for Best Director by Broadway World San Francisco and the Bay Area Critics Circle. Marissa held the Bret C. Harte Directing Fellowship at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and has a degree in drama from Vassar College, with additional training from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Miss Bennet
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley
L to R: Lauren Modica, Cindy Im, and Kailey Rhodes in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at The Armory.
Photo by Russell J. Young/Courtesy of Portland Center Stage at The Armory

More about Miss Bennet:

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, a delightful Jane Austen-inspired comedy from playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. Portland favorite Lauren Modica (Bedlam’s Sense and Sensibility and Twist Your Dickens at The Armory) will star as middle sister Mary Bennet, who takes center stage in this charming and clever sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. When the Bennet sisters gather at the home of Lizzy and Darcy for the holidays, an unexpected guest sparks brilliant, bookish Mary’s hopes for independence, an intellectual match, and perhaps even romance.

Showtimes: Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (excluding Dec. 15, 24, 25, 29), Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. (excluding Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, 7, 21); and Thursday matinees at 11 a.m. (excluding Dec. 5). There will be a 2 p.m. performance on Tuesday Dec. 24.

Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Learn about our accessibility options at www.pcs.org/access.

More about Hedvig:

Portland Center Stage at The Armory will kick off the new year with the Tony Award-winning rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, starring Delphon Curtis Jr. as Hedwig and Ithica Tell as Yitzhak. Brilliantly innovative, this genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation tells the story of Hedwig, a German emigrant, who is out to set the record straight about her life, her loves, and the operation that left her with that “angry inch.”

Part rock concert, part cabaret, part stand-up comedy routine, John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch made its debut on the stage of SqueezeBox, a New York City rock ‘n’ roll drag bar. Hedwig opened Off-Broadway in 1998, where it won the Obie Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The 2001 film adaptation won Best Director and Audience Awards at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to become a cult classic. In 2014, Hedwig debuted on Broadway, where it won four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. More Info: www.pcs.org/hedwig

Hedwig
Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Delphon “DJ” Curtis, Jr. Photo: Kate Szrom

 

Showtimes: Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (excluding Jan. 12, 14, 26, and Feb. 2, 4, 9, and 23), Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. (excluding Dec. 28, 29, and Jan. 4, and Feb. 15); and Thursday matinees at 11 a.m. (excluding Jan. 2).

Dec. 28, 2019 – Feb. 23, 2020*
*Opening Night: Friday, Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Preview Performances: Dec. 28, 29, 31, and Jan. 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. 

 In the Ellyn Bye Studio at The Armory, 128 NW Eleventh Ave., Portland, Ore., 97209

Ticket Information for both shows: Regular tickets range from $25 to $92. Tickets available at www.pcs.org,  503.445.3700, or in-person from the box office (128 NW Eleventh Avenue, Portland, OR). Ticket specials are listed at www.pcs.org/tickets/ticket-specials. Rush tickets are $25. Students and patrons who are 30 or younger get 50% off tickets in seating areas 1-3. Active duty or veteran military personnel and their families get $15 off regular adult tickets. $5 tickets are available for Oregon Trail Card holders through the Arts for All program. All prices vary by date and time, and are subject to change.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch L to R: Ithica Tell, Delphon Curtis Jr., and Chip Miller at the opening night of Redwood at The Armory. Ithica Tell will play Yitzhak, Delphon Curtis Jr. will play Hedwig, and Chip Miller will direct Hedwig and the Angry Inch at The Armory. Photo by Kate Szrom/Courtesy of Portland Center Stage at The Armory
Hedwig and the Angry Inch -L to R: Ithica Tell, Delphon Curtis Jr. & Chip Miller at Redwood at The Armory. Ithica Tell playsYitzhak, Delphon Curtis Jr. plays Hedwig, & Chip Miller directs. Photo: Kate Szrom