On November 12, Portland Center Stage will be 20 years old! And we’re in our 21st season…so we’re counting ourselves as legal!

To celebrate, we’re offering a one day sale, and on that day you, too, are only 21. Purchase any available seat for the remaining performances of Guys & Dolls for only $21.50, the price paid by 21 year olds to attend Portland Center Stage. Tickets must be purchased on November 12; performances of Guys & Dolls are available through November 15.

Call the box office at 503.445.3700 and wish us a happy birthday, or order online by using the code word “bday.”

Happy birthday to us!

Where were you on November 12, 1988?

If you were at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts attending a performance of Bernard Shaw’s Heartbreak House, then you were at the very first opening night at Portland Center Stage. And yes, the company was called Portland Center Stage on the day it opened in 1988. Even though we were then a branch of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, there was a strong desire to establish a unique identity for Portland. So the official name, as appearing on programs, brochures, letterhead, etc., was Portland Center Stage/Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Unfortunately, that was rather a mouthful. So by year two, it was shortened to OSF Portland. But the Portland Center Stage name was reclaimed when the company “spun off” from Ashland in 1994 and became, simply, Portland Center Stage.

But back to 1988. Portland was a very different place than it is today. The Pearl District, PCS’ current home and perhaps the city’s most exciting neighborhood, was even then fronted by Powell’s on the south side. But venture north of Powell’s, and you’d find only warehouses, industrial buildings, empty lots, and the police horse yards and barns. There was no west side or northern route light rail; and no light rail to the airport. No trolley. Bud Clark was the Mayor, and had already exposed himself to art – even before attending opening night.

The opening was a huge success. National press – from TIME magazine to the L.A. Times and the San Francisco Chronicle – were in attendance, in a packed house. The black tie audience gave PCS an enthusiastic welcome, and the production of Heartbreak House struck the right chord: a play of ideas and philosophy, filled with conversation about the changing of an era and a way of life. And filled with laughter and beauty, too.

Some things are strikingly familiar about that night. U.S. Bank, still a significant and much valued supporter of Portland Center Stage, was the production sponsor and the host of the spectacular opening night party. Many of the faces and names in the crowd still appear at opening night –significantly, many of our charter producers, a visionary group of philanthropists who support our work through annual contributions and have for twenty one years. And most importantly, the subscribers who joined us that first season and remain with us today, accompanied by the fresh audiences who have joined us along the way.

After twenty one years, the opening celebration has taken on some legendary proportions. I can confirm that at least a few people ended up sleeping at the theater – and discovered useful napping spots that came in handy for years to come. And the celebratory Board of Trustees breakfast the next morning at 8:00 am was not a lively event. But the celebration was a benchmark – Portland had launched a major theater company.

Today, with our new home in the Armory, it feels like Portland Center Stage has grown up in the best possible way – by deepening our roots, establishing a real home, and taking on a role as a community asset and involved citizen.

Thank you to those of you who have been with us from the beginning, and to all of you who have joined us along the way. We feel a lot like a typical 21 year old–grown up and mature, with a strong foundation provided by the people who’ve helped us along the way; but also with a lot of new adventures still ahead of us, a lot to learn as we take those adventures, and filled with the spirit of possibility and excitement for the people who will take the adventure with us, our audience.

So happy birthday to us!

And please, if you have memories of that first night and show, or any others you’d like to share with us, as always we invite you to post them here.

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This winter, Portland Center Stage will be offering two dance classes from Portland’s very own dance sensation, Amy Palomino. Amy will be offering both musical theater and tap dance classes through PCS’s GreenHouse, a unique school of theater offering theater training and related studies for people at all degrees of involvement with the living stage. Space is limited, so reserve yours early.

Segment I: Musical Theater Dance
A fun environment where actors can brush up on their dancing styles. Learn a new combination in every class—each a different style from a different musical. Practice picking up choreography, learning the nuances of each dance style, and singing while you dance! In addition to the dance combinations, there will be a short warm-up at the top of each class to stretch and tone and the opportunity to practice various steps and techniques across the floor.
Course dates: Mondays, Jan. 5 through Jan. 26, 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Tuition: $100

Segment II: Tap
A class for adult tappers who are dying to pull out and dust off the tap shoes and brush up their skills. Mostly geared toward advanced beginners and intermediate tappers, this class will include a warm-up, chances to practice steps across the floor, and tap combinations at the end of each class to learn and perform for the group.
Course dates: Mondays, Jan. 5 through Jan. 26, 8:00pm to 9:30pm
Tuition: $100

For enrollment, or any other questions, please call Kim Morris
at 503.445.3795 or email her at kimm@pcs.org.

Amy Palomino moved to Portland shortly after closing the Broadway revival of 42nd Street. Prior to that, she played “Lorraine” in the National Tour of 42nd Street and was assistant dance captain. She graduated with honors from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and has been a performer and choreographer in numerous regional New York musicals. Amy most recently appeared as “Anybodys” in Portland Center Stage’s West Side Story, a “Kit Kat Girl” in Cabaret and multiple characters in the current production of Guys and Dolls (pictured above). She served as Assistant Choreographer and Dance Captain for all three productions.

Bust out your Liza Minelli costume because you are cordially invited to spend Halloween on Broadway with Portland Center Stage.

Dress up like your favorite Broadway character and get $10 tickets to the Halloween performance of Guys & Dolls or R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE. Then stay for the party and enjoy complimentary beer from Deschutes Brewery, as well as wine and a few treats, and a costume contest (judged by the Portland Center Stage costume shop) where you could win a pair of “Broadway at Home” season passes to PCS. It’s the most fun you can have off stage this Halloween.

Enter the secret code SPOOKY to get your $10 Guys & Dolls or for your $10 Bucky.

P.S. Want some spooky Broadway costume ideas? Check out the Broadway cast of Dracula or Young Frankenstein, or Grey Gardens … now that’s creepy.

In this Behind the Scenes webisode we talk with the designers and actors about Portland Center Stage’s production of Guys and Dolls.
www.pcs.org

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