Dmae starts off 2018 featuring two shows based on adaptations. First off, we hear about PETE (Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble) and their world premiere of a new adaptation of  Uncle Vanya  running Jan. 4-21 at Reed College. We’ll talk with director Cristi Miles actor Jacob Coleman (who plays Vanya) who are both company members and music director Andre Temkin. Then playwright C.S. Whitcomb joins us with her world premiere adaptation of Parnassus on Wheels, a 1917 novel by Chrisotopher Morley being produced at Lakewood Theatre Company on Jan. 5- Feb. 11. Both productions are part of the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works 2018, which runs Jan. 18-28.

(Aired 11am 1/2/18 on KBOO 90.7 FM or always on stagenstudio.com and always on  iTunes)

 

Cristi Miles, Andre Temkin & Jacob Coleman
Cristi Miles, Andre Temkin & Jacob Coleman

PETE (Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble) presents…
the world premiere of a new adaptation of  Uncle Vanya.,
New English Translation by Štĕpán Šimek
Directed by Cristi Miles
Shows: January 4-21
Wed – Sun at 7:30 pm
Run Time: 90 minutes
Venue: Reed College Performing Arts Building Diver Studio Theater.
Tickets: www.petensemble.org
$25-30

This world-premiere, directed by company member Cristi Miles (Drammy Award for A Christmas Carol ), is created in collaboration with a band of incredible local musicians, including Courtney Von Drehle ( Three Leg Torso , Klezmocracy ), Ralph Huntley ( Livewire, Klezmocracy ) and Andre Temkin ( Chervona ). The play will be developed in collaboration with the company including guest artists Victor Mack, Prentice Oyanemi, and Maureen Porter, core members Jacob Coleman and Amber Whitehall, and PETE’s design team: Peter Ksander (Or, the Whale, texts&beheadings at BAM), Miranda Hardy (Drammy for R3), and Jenny Ampersand (Realistic Joneses, Up the Fall).

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Lakewood Theatre Company brings to the stage the world premiere of C.S. Whitcomb’s adaptation of Christopher Morley’s debut novel Parnassus on Wheels. This is the story of a strong, smart woman trying to find her path and create a worthy destiny for herself in a man’s world – a world where women don’t even yet have the right to vote. It is also the story of first love arriving surprisingly in middle age, and a celebration of the love of good books and how they can enrich the hardworking lives of poor, dirt farmers and small town folks. At times both comical and affectionate, Parnassus On Wheels continues to remain as relevant as it did when it was first released 100 years ago

Performances begin January 5 and continue through February 11, 2018, playing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30 PM, one Wednesday performance (Jan. 24) at 7:30 PM, Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM (Jan. 7, 21 and Feb. 4), and Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM (Jan. 14, 28 and Feb. 4, 11). The show’s title sponsor is Andy & Nancy Bryant.

The theatre is located at Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S. State St. in Lake Oswego. Ticket prices are $34/adults and $32/seniors. Other discounts are available for students and groups. For additional information and tickets, call the Lakewood Box Office at (503) 635-3901 or order online at www.lakewood-center.org.

About the playwright: C.S. Whitcomb (Playwright), a local Oregonian, is a prolific writer who has written for the stage, television and movies. She is best known at Lakewood for her original work Seven Wonders of Ballyknock, which was first presented as a staged reading through the Fertile Ground Festival in 2013. It was later turned into a full production and had its world premiere on Lakewood’s Headlee Mainstage in 2015, quickly becoming an audience favorite. Parnassus On Wheels marks her second original mainstage production with Lakewood.