stage door || visions & voices || resource guides || matinees || playgroup
prologues || greenhouse school of theater || art of business || summer camp
Portland Center Stage is one of the 25 largest theater companies in the nation. Our strong commitment to education and outreach has resulted in a growing array of activities tailored to students, teachers and other interested patrons.
• To book tickets for your group, please call Group Sales at 503.445.3703.
• To book tickets for your school group or for more information on education program participation, please email education@pcs.org or call 503.445.3793.

stage door
Launched in 2004/05, the Stage Door program enables young people to experience live performances of high-quality, professional theater in a context that supports their education. Focusing on youth ages 12-18, the program offers:
• Specially discounted tickets to PCS matinee and evening performances; some {FREE} tickets are also available to Title 1 and arts magnet schools;
• {FREE} teacher workshops designed to help educators introduce plays into their lesson plans;
• {FREE} pre-performance workshops for students, providing additional background on plays;
• {FREE} resource guides available on this site.
stage door student workshops
All student workshops take place from 11 am – 11:30 am before a noon performance. Advance reservations are necessary. Space is limited, so reserve early.
A Christmas Carol Adapted by Mead Hunter from the book by Charles Dickens
December 6, 13, 20, 2007
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
January 31, February 21, March 6, 11, 12 and 13, 2008
Sometimes a Great Notion by Aaron Posner, adapted from the novel by Ken Kesey
April 10, 17 and 24, 2008
stage door teacher workshops
Contact education@pcs.org for more information.
Christmas Carol – Nov. 26th, 2007, 6:30–8:30, in the rehearsal hall
Twelfth Night/Beard of Avon – January 8, 2008
Sometimes A Great Notion – March 25, 2008
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visions & voices {FREE}
Visions & Voices brings professional actor/writers into public high school classrooms for free, intensive residencies during which the artists spend five to six hours each week teaching students about the basic elements of theater and assisting each of them in writing a short play.
Designed to meet Oregon state benchmarks for Arts and for English/Language Arts, the program’s curriculum addresses theatrical conventions and dramatic structure, as well as acting, writing and constructive critical response.
At the conclusion of each residency, the student-written plays receive in-class readings by the actors. The program culminates at the end of the school year with free, open-to-the-public readings of plays selected from all the residency sites, performed by professional actors and presented at the Gerding Theater at the Armory. Visions & Voices is made available to Portland area public high schools without charge.
This year’s staged readings of student plays are scheduled for Mon, April 28 and Tues, April 29 at 7:00pm on the Main Stage. Admission is free.
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PlayGroup
PlayGroup is PCS’s writers’ unit, where we nurture and develop original playwriting for the stage. As organized and moderated by Mead Hunter (PCS’s Director of Literary & Education Programs), the group of nine wordsmiths meets every other Tuesday to read new work, discuss current issues facing theater artists today, and provide support and counsel for one another regarding the art and business of playwriting. PCS also involves member playwrights in the life of the theater wherever possible – for example, by hiring them as teachers in our GreenHouse School of Theater and by inviting them into our programming.
Founded in 2003, PlayGroup has a significant track record. It opened our developmental festival of new work, JAW, in 2005 with a group show entitled The Clearing, which examined Portland history from its original up to the present moment. Several PlayGroup members have also had full-length plays featured in the Festival, and Ebbe Roe Smith’s play Number Three went on to full production by Third Rail Repertory as a direct consequence of this presentation. PlayGroup recently mounted a second group show, Frenching the Bones, with support from the Oregon Cultural Trust. The group has also had a significant influence in Portland in that it has inspired several similar writer support groups.
Portland Center Stage sponsors PlayGroup to provide an artistic home for the region’s most talented writers. We view this as an important investment in the vitality and the future of the theater.
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resource guides {FREE}
Resource guides for each production are available for downloading through this web site (just click on each link below). Each guide includes character descriptions, a synopsis and other relevant information of use to educators, students and interested patrons.
season 2007/2008 study guides
Doubt, A Parable Resource Guide {3.8MB}
The Little Dog Laughed Resource Guide {512KB}
Sometimes a Great Notion Resource Guide {4.9MB}
A Feminine Ending Resource Guide {1.2MB}
The Beard of Avon/Twelfth Night Resource Guide {1.1MB}
A Christmas Carol Resource Guide {832KB}
The Underpants Resource Guide {436KB}
Cabaret Resource Guide {848KB}
season 2006/2007 resource guides
Fences resource Guide {772KB}
The Pillowman Resource Guide {920KB}
Act A Lady / The Thugs Resource Guide {1.2 MB}
This Wonderful Life Resource Guide {1.5 MB}
I Am My Own Wife Resource Guide {1.6 MB}
West Side Story Resource Guide {952KB}
Misalliance Resource Guide {1.7 MB}
season 2005-2006 resource guides
Celebrity Row Resource Guide {540KB}
Crowns Resource Guide {616KB}
The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow Resource Guide {580KB}
The Fantasticks Study Guide {430k}
This Wonderful Life Resource Guide {460KB}
Pride and Prejudice Resource Guide{1004KB}
Underneath the Lintel Resource Guide{520KB}
student/senior matinees
During the run of each production, schools, students and seniors may enjoy discounted ticket prices at the Thursday noon performances. Single tickets to these performances are available to students for just $16.50 ($18.50 for Cabaret). Student group tickets are $15 each {a 10% discount}. Groups receive one complimentary chaperone ticket per 10 students. Subscriptions are also available at discounted prices.
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PCS’s 2007/08 education outreach programs are generously supported by:
The Oregon Community Foundation
Regional Arts & Culture Council and Work for Art
Oregon Arts Commission
National Endowment for the Arts and
Pacific Power Foundation
with additional funding from:
H.W. & D.C.H. Irwin Foundation
Stimson Lumber Company
Juan Young Trust
Curtis T. Thompson M.D. & Associates, LLC
The Holzman Foundation
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For more information or to participate in one of our education programs, call 503.796.6514 or email education@pcs.org
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