They loaded in all kinds of intriguing things, like this teeny tiny shower curtain:

And this scale model of a NYC building:

What’s in the windows? Well, many things, but here’s an example:

What are they going to do with this stuff? Well, there’s also a camcorder and a video projector. So that’s one clue. There’s a four page draft of something clutched in Joel’s hand. And there’s also Joel’s ten-plus years of intensive, exhaustive Hitchcock research and Lane Hunter’s deep reservoirs of choreographic knowledge.

You’ll just have to come down tonight and see how it all fits together.

The Hitchcocktail Hour is FREE to the public and will take place starting at 6:30 pm on the Mezzanine at the Armory (128 NW 11th). You can get a rush ticket to stay for the performance of The 39 Steps for just $20, if you like.

The presentation will repeat on March 5th, 12th and 19th at 6:30 p.m.

Get intimate with legends (some as old as western civilization itself), tackle the absurdity of health care and the impending collapse of print media, then take arms against a sea of elves and overthrow the systems that bind geniuses and madmen alike with Portland Center Stage’s 2010/2011 season.

This 10 show season will open and close with legendary women whose lives were larger than the worlds that tried to define them. In between, chamber musicians, four-eyed boys, rogue professors, hypochondriacs, ancient heroes and a guy named McMurphy will tackle the unwinnable fights, dream the impossible dreams and attempt create that most ephemeral of human conditions: creative freedom. Got us pegged yet?

We’ll see.

Without Further Ado, Portland Center Stage is Pleased to Announce the 2010-2011 Season Lineup:

Sunset Boulevard
book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton
music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
directed by Chris Coleman
Main Stage

September 14 to October 17, 2010

“It’s extravagant. It’s spectacular. Go and enjoy.” -Clive Barnes, New York Post

She’s still big. It’s the pictures that got small. Norma Desmond gets the full star treatment in this blow out season opening musical (our first by Andrew Lloyd Webber) about the fading silent film star whose obsession with the revitalization of her career and a young man named Joe might just succeed… or it might end in the kind of tragedy only a legend can inspire.

An Iliad
created by Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson
Ellyn Bye Studio
director TBA

September 28 to November 21, 2010

Leave it to Tony-award winning actor Denis O’Hare* and visionary director Lisa Peterson to find a way to make the western world’s oldest extant work of literature not only intelligible, but immediate, relevant and eerily fascinating- like a barroom raconteur telling LITERALLY the oldest story in the book and making you believe it is being told for the first time. Gods and goddesses, weak-tendoned heroes and the face that launched a thousand ships…it’s all just another (incredibly engrossing) yarn in O’Hare* and Peterson’s one-man adaptation, developed at the Sundance Theatre Institute.

*Denis O’Hare is the co-creator of the piece but will not be the actor performing in the Portland Center Stage production.

A Christmas Story
By Phil Grecian
Based on the motion picture written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown & Bob Clark
Main Stage
Directed by Rose Riordan

November 21 to December 26, 2010

“Wacky and wistful, and fresh as a fir.” – San Jose Mercury News

The only thing little Ralph Parker hopes to find under the tree is a Daisy Brand Red Ryder BB rifle. He doesn’t simply want it – he’s consumed with an aching desire for it. Looming in the way, however, are alleyway bullies, major awards, freezing flagpoles, unsympathetic authorities and a certain horrifying Macy’s Santa. Based upon the classic motion picture, this play is a holiday treat everyone can enjoy—that is, until someone shoots their eye out.

Special Holiday Offering
This year only The Santaland Diaries will be presented outside of the regular subscription packages.

The Santaland Diaries
by David Sedaris
adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello
director TBA
Ellyn Bye Studio

November 30, 2010 to January 2, 2011

Based on the true chronicles of David Sedaris’ experience as Crumpet the Elf in Macy’s Santaland display, this cult classic riffs on a few of Sedaris’ truly odd encounters with his fellow man during the height of the holiday crunch. NPR humorist and best-selling author of When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. This production will include two late night 10:00 pm performances on December 9th and 16th.

The Imaginary Invalid
by Moliere
in an adaptation by Constance Congdon
directed by Chris Coleman
Main Stage

January 11 to February 6, 2011

“Trés crass, trés funny… [a] delirious spree of silliness.” – Misha Berson, Seattle Times

All the world’s a fart joke in Constance Congdon’s hilarious new take on Moliere’s skewering of a health care crisis from an entirely different century. To quell his growing pile of medical bills, Monsieur Argan, a chronic hypochondriac, will go to any length to marry his daughter off to a doctor. Of course, his daughter has other ideas. A narcotic cocktail of romantic triangles, double entendres and mistaken identities ensues, promising to leave you gasping, giggling and possibly… in stitches.

Futura World Premiere!
by Jordan Harrison
directed by Kip Fagan
Ellyn Bye Studio

February 1 to March 27, 2011

Seven months ago, at the JAW reading, Futura’s warnings about the extinction of print media (and its costs) seemed timely. Now, they seem downright spooky. What will it feel like by the time the show premieres in February? Jordan Harrison’s last trip to PCS launched a gender-bending, Drammy-Award winning hit with Act a Lady. This time he returns with a different axe to grind: the future of the words you are reading right now. And Futura? Well, it’s a font; it’s a love story; but ultimately… it’s one rogue professor’s quest to avenge her missing husband – and the lost art of ink on paper.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
by Dale Wasserman
from the Ken Kesey novel
directed by Rose Riordan
Main Stage

February 22 to March 20, 2011

It was set at the Oregon State Hospital, still one of the most controversial institutions in the state. It was arguably the greatest anti-authority protest novel of the 20th century. And it boils down to one insistent refrain: Authority Must Always Be Questioned. Want more? Cuckoo’s Nest pits Randle Patrick McMurphy (a convict who has feigned psychosis so that he can spend the final months of his sentence at a mental institution) against Nurse Ratched (the icy head nurse of the ward), who believes that rules must be followed without exception. A band of crazies gets half-inspired, half destroyed by McMurphy’s rebellion and the question remains… was it worth it anyway?

Opus
By Michael Hollinger
Directed by Brendon Fox
Main Stage

April 12 to May 8, 2011

“So entertaining and insightful that you’ll never quite listen to a chamber music group the same way again.” – New York Post

Ex-violist Michael Hollinger trades in his bow for a pen in this a tart and witty chamber piece about the politics and passions that threaten a classical string quartet. In front of an audience they’re pitch perfect but behind the scenes the Lazara string quartet is coming unstrung- all on the eve of their first televised performance for the President of the United States. There’s sex, there’s drugs, there’s…chamber music, but the real rewards lie in Hollinger’s insights into the balancing act of drudgery, machination and volatile genius that make a seemingly effortless performance possible.

Love/Stories (or, But You Will Get Used to It)
by Itamar Moses
directed by Michelle Tattenbaum
Ellyn Bye Studio

April 26 to June 19, 2011

“For those prone to delight, Love/Stories is a revelation!” – Sam Thielman, Variety

A casting session for a play about a love affair goes awry. A talk-back with a theatre audience becomes the occasion for a life-altering choice. A couple moving in together finds that greater intimacy can have surprising results. Nothing is what it seems in these five funny and poignant short plays from Itamar Moses, the breakout playwright whose world premieres of Outrage and Celebrity Row were launched right here at Portland Center Stage. Why an evening of short plays? Moses explains, “Theater is so much closer to music than it is to fiction and so, in a way, only ever writing full-length plays is like only ever writing concept albums, or Handel’s Messiah.” Or, to use a foodie metaphor… sometimes, a tasting menu is the ideal way to experience the full range of a chef’s talent.

Love, Janis
written and directed by Randal Myler
Main Stage

May 24 to June 26, 2011

“Spirited and poignant…Love, Janis passionately explores the person behind the myth and the music that stirs listeners now as it has for four decades.” – culturevulture.net

Inspired by the memoir of the same name, Randal Mylers combines Janis’ own words (taken from real-life interviews and heartfelt letters home to her family in Port Arthur, Texas) with her brilliant breed of rock-n-soul music that revolutionized 1960’s America. To recreate Janis’ leave nothing back style of musical performance (including full renderings of her hits “Piece of My Heart,” “Ball & Chain,” “Mercedes Benz,” “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Get It While You Can”), three actresses will tackle the role- one to play the young Janis seen in the letters and interviews and two to alternate performance nights embodying the on-stage legend.

Season subscriptions open for sale on March 2nd. Season tickets start at $52.50 (for the 3 show Studio Preview Series) and include special pricing for 30 and under. Evening performances in both the Main Stage and the Studio begin at 7:30 pm, with weekday matinees at noon and weekend matinees at 2 pm.

To purchase season tickets, call the box office at 503.445.3700.

2010 -2011 Season Ticket Pricing

Where is your hometown?

I spent my childhood in idyllic Lee, Massachusetts, but spent the next 30 years moving all over the U.S.

What do you miss most about your hometown?

It was small and efficient; One supermarket, two churches, one library. Everyone knew everyone else. People cared about each other and you really felt like a part of a community. I spent a lot of time in the hospital, and every day I got mail from people in Lee. It was lovely.

How long have you been attending Portland Center Stage?

Since about 2000, but it’s become much more exciting since Chris became artistic director. I’ve been a season ticket holder for several years, and a Producer for 3 years now.

Which PCS production has been your favorite throughout the years?

Batboy was amazing, as was Fully Committed. It was about that time that I decided to be a lifetime supporter of PCS. The Merchant of Venice production knocked me out. When I saw people walking out because of the nudity I knew this was something really important. I felt like I was part of something significant and authentic because of the daring honesty of that production.

Oh, there are so many… How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found was amazing, as was I Am My Own Wife. I could go on and on… I am in awe of PCS’s ongoing commitment to exploring issues around bigotry and prejudice. After seeing Ragtime I couldn’t stop thinking or talking about it. Apollo was another example of courageous and profound theatrics. I loved that show.

I think some people may go the PCS productions to be entertained, but if you open your mind and heart to what they’re doing, you’re in for a deeply affecting window into the dark, perverse, but also hopeful permutations of the human heart. I go there to learn – to be inspired – to be uplifted to new levels of understanding of the drama of being human. It’s an invaluable gift.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

When I’m out in public I’m very gregarious and friendly. I love people – I love giving kudos where they’re due. I love being on stage speaking and teaching – sharing my ideas with all kinds of people. But I’m actually an introvert. I need lots of solo time to integrate the incredible charge I get from other people or I get overwhelmed.

Pets?

Two dogs – a black lab named Dexter (after the serial killer) and Louie (after the ill-fated King of France). Two cats – Ziggy (named after David Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust because he has two-colored eyes) and Nina (named just because).

Sometimes I think pets are overrated because there’s always a mess to clean up, but there’s nothing more endearing than 4 creatures greeting me with unadulterated joy when I walk in the front door!

Hobbies?

I believe that money has no value unless you spend it on travel. I’ve been all over the world and I am always planning my next trip. My consciousness expands with every new place I visit. So far my favorite city in the world is Bangkok. I’m taking my children to Switzerland this summer, and later in the year I’m going to India, finally.

I also like to sail, but not in Portland. I’ve sailed all over the Pacific Ocean and in the Caribbean Sea – after that I just can’t see the appeal of tacking up and down a river. I’m a certified skipper – that allows me to charter boats and take them anywhere I want.

I also like to play the piano, paint, ski (the steeper the better), cook and read. I’m a religious devotee of Pilates – I go twice a week to Body Mechanics on Hawthorne.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I was always going to be a doctor. I had lots of operations as a child, and doctors made my life possible. So when I went to medical school and then got to practice medicine, I discovered what it means to accomplish a lifetime goal.

What is the most daring thing you have ever done?

When I was 19, I dropped out of nursing school in Wisconsin and put all of my money into a Greyhound bus ticket to California. My parents weren’t supportive of my dreams of being a doctor, so I had to take my life into my own hands and go. After a few years of sailing and working as a sailmaker, I got into UC Berkeley and then got into medical school – all on my own.

The life I lead now is a direct result of the courage I had at the age of 19 to reject my parents’ limited vision of what I could do and to pursue the bigger life I knew I could have. I still marvel at the determination and downright stubbornness it took to do that.

What other organizations do you support in Portland?

I am a long-time supporter of the Cascade AIDS Project. They have an art auction every year, which I happily attend. This year I’m getting more involved by helping collect art pieces and catalogue them in preparation for the auction. I have also been a supporter of Girls, Inc. They do wonderful things for underserved girls in the Portland area, with the goal of getting them into college. I’m a true believer in the power of education.

How did you get introduced to theater as an art form?

I was a theater nerd as a kid. I can sing and dance and act – but haven’t done any of that since high school except in my living room! However I have never forgotten the power of theater to transport us from everyday sameness to worlds of joy, grief, and critical pivot points in life. I think that’s what theater is all about – what do you do when you have huge choices to make? Sometimes those choices creep up on us in seemingly mundane ways. But everything counts. Theater shows us that every moment of life is rife with deep existential meaning, and we only become fully human when we accept and embrace that fundamental reality.

What do you think sets PCS apart?

PCS elevates our city in so many ways. It’s not just the quality and sophistication of the productions. It’s also the community that PCS has created around itself. Those of us who appreciate what PCS does become part of a vibrant, creative network. The leadership and staff at PCS are committed, worldly people who give our city a powerful boost in the realm of culture and artistic expression.

On top of that, the environment they’ve created at the Gerding is a catalyst for more creative development in Portland. It stands as a shining testament to what a commitment to artistry and sustainability can create. It’s a point of pride. It makes me glad to be a Portlander.

What besides theater are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about health. Without health, it’s so much harder to fulfill our potential and do great things in this life. Obesity, diabetes, bad food policies, and short-sighted healthcare practices are going to ruin us in the long run if we don’t do something about it. I teach graduate and medical students about these issues and travel all over the U.S. educating healthcare professionals and others about the need for a more thoughtful approach to food policy, eating, and health – and how these things are interconnected. I think someday I may find myself chained to a factory farm gate protesting the way the animals are treated and how that kind of profit-driven food production is affecting the nation’s health. But in the meantime, I’ll continue writing books and blog posts and teaching classes about it.

Why is philanthropy important to you?

I believe that as long as there is injustice anywhere in the world, none of us are truly free. I believe that if you have a nickel to spare, you should give it away. I think opulent, ostentatious wealth is an insult to humanity. If people are hungry, hurting, or without access to basic medical care, then those of us who have those things are obligated to share.

If everyone in the world who is comfortable and thriving gave just a little bit to people in need, we’d have much less suffering on the planet. For myself, I can’t enjoy the fruits of wealth without knowing I’ve extended my good fortune to others who aren’t as lucky as I am. It’s a spiritual path but also a rational decision based on what seems fair and what will help create the kind of world I want to live in.

What is your favorite book? Favorite children’s book?

Children’s book – I know everyone says Goodnight Moon and that is one of my favorites – but I also love Skippyjohn Jones. The silly delusion that a cat can become a Mexican Chihuahua bandit king is just too cool! We all should dream that big!

Otherwise, my favorite books include The Road by Cormac McCarthy (read it before you see the movie – and prepare to cry for a week…). I tell all my students to read Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl. If you ever doubt your life is precious, this book will knock those thoughts right out of your head. Oh, and I like my book, too: 10 Simple Solutions to Stress, which was published in 2007.

What is your favorite play and why?

Hamlet. As a psychologist, I’m fascinated by the wide variety of personality and dysfunction in that play – some of which is rather subtle. Hamlet and Ophelia aside, the other characters show many interesting approaches to the situation, from Claudius and Gertrude’s shared guilt to the interesting relationship between Polonius and Laertes (which is in contrast to the relationship between Hamlet and his father).

Is there a play or playwright that most reflects how you feel about the world? Henrik Ibsen has always inspired me because of his criticism of traditional social mores. I was rather young when I read A Doll’s House but even then, his critique of a woman’s place in Victorian times spoke to me.

What is it about theater that inspires you?

I’m constantly amazed at the ability of theater to absorb me and take me away. The immediacy of the actors’ bodies and voices draws me in like movies rarely do. It’s a shared experience, not a passive one. I’m part of the play because I’m there, witnessing what’s happening. It’s magical, really.

What is one of your biggest inspirations and why?

I think that would have to be the resilience of people going through hard times and the kindnesses they show one another. I work for the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and part of what we do is help people who’ve been through trauma due to war and natural disasters. Some of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met were New York City firefighters and the people of New Orleans. The concern they have for each other transcends what they as individuals have endured, and this is human nature at its finest.

If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?

Stop worrying about what people think and get to work – whether that’s building houses for the poor or painting a picture. There’s lots to do and we all have a time limit!

In The 39 Steps, our dashing hero Richard Hannay finds himself unwillingly handcuffed to a hostile (but beautiful) woman for the night. It works out pretty well for him.

So we thought we’d offer our patrons the same chance at sparking a love connection through strategic metalware.

Show up to any performance of The 39 Steps handcuffed to your date and you’ll be able to buy tickets to that night’s performance for half price.

UPDATE: To clarify the rules, this promotion is good for adult regular price tickets purchased at the box office the day or night of the performance. But don’t worry, exchanges and cancellations often make for GREAT seats the night of the performance!

In The 39 Steps, our hero Richard Hannay finds himself on the run when he is mistakenly caught up in a spy plot, a murder and the possible international sale of British National State Secrets.

Isn’t that just like your life? Share your own tale of mistaken identity or inadvertent infamy with us here and you’ll be entered to win a pair of ticket to The 39 Steps.

Winner will be chosen on Friday, March 5th.