You love musicals. You know you do. Your ipod has original cast albums for the last three shows you saw at PCS and the latest hits on Broadway.  You TiVo Glee every week.  The Tony awards are your Superbowl.

But how do you go from Super Fan to expert? You take a class from musical theater guru Marc Acito.

This winter PCS will be offering Mastering Musicals.  Through thoughtful analysis and discussion of extensive video footage, both fans and practitioners will gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of this indigenous American art form.  Don’t worry no jazz hands or singing required!

Mastering Musicals
Instructor: Mark Acito
Course dates: Mondays, Feb. 1 – Mar. 22, from 7pm to 9pm
Tuition: $200

To register, email Education Director, Kelsey Tyler  kelseyt@pcs.org

{photo: an actual page from Dicken’s manuscript of A Christmas Carol.}

Mead Hunter, the creator of Portland Center Stage’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol just posted a really interesting piece on his blog about the recently released images of the original manuscript of A Christmas Carol- complete with edits, anti-Shakespearean digressions and more intriguing peeks inside the creative process of the show that literally re-launched Christmas as a tradition.

Here’s a bit from his post:

“If you think this form of literary archeology is academic, think again; it can be as instructive as it is telling. Consider the moment when Scrooge attempts to dismiss Marley’s Ghost as a figment of his imagination, relegating the spook to an undigested blot of mustard. Originally the expression was “spot of mustard.” But Dickens saw fit to change the first two letters, suffusing the phrase with a small but palpable shift of thematic strength.”

Read the rest of his post here.

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{photo by Olivia Bucks. For the staged readings in Portland Center Stage’s JAW festival, actors have scripts in hand. Yet vividly written plays such as Will Eno’s cerebral and hilarious “Middletown” and instinctively sharp performances by the likes of (from left) Zoe Chao, Sharonlee McLean, Darius Pierce, Michael Fisher Welsh and Laura Faye Smith make for thrilling theater.}

Oregonian Writer Marty Hughley spent JAW week with us, peeking under the hood of the playwrights and the process that make our “summer camp for playwrights” such a valuable experience for artists and audiences.

Check out his thoughtful recap of the project here.

There’s a great addendum (with huge kudos from the playwrights for our local actors) that is running as an online only feature. Read it right here.

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So how delightful to discover that the crush was requited!?! Fin just posted a detailed blog about his trip to Portland (his first-ever trip to America, evidently) and has a lot to say about America, about Portland, about our production of Apollo and about how Portland Center Stage’s production of How to Disappear compares and contrasts with the London and Sheffield productions, all with the kind of wit and self deprecating humor that makes him so utterly…charming.

We hope that this is just the first of many successful trips to America to see his plays produced. Meanwhile, here’s a sample of what he talks about in his post:

I was in Portland, Oregon – which lots of people told me was a great place to start as it’s one of the most cultured and liberal corners of the US. The whole city has such a relaxed atmosphere, lots of artists’ collectives and galleries with late night openings and play festivals and microbreweries and local organic food and a bookshop which took up a whole block. Everyone was so proud of their city, and not in an annoying small-minded way, but genuinely because it was such a brilliant place with such an exciting DIY can-do ethos, much like the people themselves.

Read the rest of the post here.

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Already this year we have offered 3 acting classes, 4 playwriting classes, 2 voice over classes, a dramaturgy course and 2 dance courses, among others. Spring term is looking to be exceptional with our first ever Beginning Directing course, an Audition Class, a selection from our popular Art of Business courses, and a Theater Criticism course taught by Portland’s very own theater critic, Bob Hicks.

The class schedule is currently being solidified, so keep an eye out on our webpage at pcs.org/greenhouse and be the first to secure a space. Or call Kelsey at 503-445-3793 to ensure your involvement in any course before marketing materials are posted.

More to come . . .

(photos by Christine Siltanen)