JAW Play Reading: Cessair: The Birth of Ireland
A New Musical
Music & Lyrics by Holly Harmon
Book & Lyrics by Lolly Ward
Emerging from the mist, a trio of raven goddesses deliver a prophecy about a fiery-haired woman across the sea…
Cessair (KESS-ar) is refused passage on the Ark, so she rallies the others left behind to follow the ravens on a tumultuous journey to a new home. Shipwrecked in a distant land, she wrestles with warring gods who wield dark magic, until, rocked by the loss of her beloved sister, she forges a deal that threatens everyone’s lives. This soaring new musical flips the script on the Noah myth as Cessair’s search for belonging transforms the black cliffs of Ireland into the Emerald Isle.
JAW New Play Festival FREE! July 24-26, 2026
A week-long assembling of artists and audiences to create new plays! Artistic teams, including playwrights, directors and actors, come together to rehearse — and a lot of times rewrite! — a play. The final piece of the process happens during the weekend, when we share “music stands readings” with audiences so the playwrights can hear their work, often for the very first time!
Holly Harmon is a playwright, composer, lyricist, director and teacher who loves a secluded forest and the center of Times Square in equal measure. Her musicals include Pop! Goes The Bubble (GSL Fringe 2017), Empty Chairs (Dramatists Guild/ASCAP Songwriters Showcase, NYC 2018; Fertile Ground 2019; reading at Broadway Rose 2019; virtual reading with The Dramatists Guild 2021), Tale Of A Girl (Part of Go Play Outside, Applause Books, 2022), Happily Never After: A Trio Of Musical Fairytale Monologues (Fertile Ground 2026), and her latest written with Lolly Ward, Cessair: The Birth Of Ireland (Fertile Ground 2024; reading at ART 2025; JAW 2026), among others. She is a member of LineStorm Playwrights, Maestra Music, ASCAP and The Dramatists Guild. One day she plans to fashion herself a gown made entirely of moss. To my children: you are my greatest works of art.
Lolly Ward is thrilled to be collaborating with composer-lyricist Holly Harmon and sharing their mythical musical in JAW this year. Her plays investigate family, chess, physics, income inequality, inheritance, and performance art. Her short plays have been published in multiple Best of anthologies. As a member of The Actors’ Gang in Los Angeles, she originated roles in Sarah Ruhl’s Orlando, toured nationally and internationally, and acted in the stage and film versions of Tim Robbins’ Embedded at the Public Theater. She has served as a dramaturg and judge for the Mach 33 festival of new science-driven plays and won the Max K. Lerner Playwriting Fellowship. Lolly is the cofounder and director of LineStorm Playwrights, with whom she edited a collection of plays for Applause Books titled Go Play Outside. Read more at linestormplaywrights.com and on the New Play Exchange.
Current & Upcoming
Storm Large Makes it Home
Portland Center Stage presents Storm Large Makes It Home, a gripping new memoir-on-stage from acclaimed singer, actor, and songwriter Storm Large. Featuring new original music written and performed live by Storm, this intimate one-woman show explores family, identity, belonging, and the search for a place to call home.
Improvisation Classes for Beginners
Whether you're looking to get more confident in social situations, think quicker on your feet, or get in touch with your imaginative side, these "one-off" improv classes will set you on the path to success!
Liberace & Liza: A Tribute
Liberace & Liza Minnelli never performed together, but should have! David Saffert & Jillian Snow have created a wildly successful mashup of two over-the-top icons, which is now headed to London’s West End after a sell-out UK tour. Saffert’s dizzying piano skills and Snow’s powerhouse belt team up in songs such as Cabaret, New York, New York, Over the Rainbow and even in surprise covers of Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. There are as many laughs as sequins when Liberace & Liza take hilarious turns vying for the spotlight. No matter what, they both come out winning and audiences are left in awe after a night they won’t soon forget. We hope to see you at The Armory and if you’re feeling frisky, come on over and join us in London!
July First Thursday: Game Night (Heated Rivalry Edition)
Happy Pride, Portland! Join us for our Heated Rivalry themed game night at First Thursday where our main event will be an Air Hockey Tournament hosted by Portland United Hockey League. The RSVP link attached is specifically to enter our Air Hockey Tournament. There are only 48 slots for that event, but the rest of the evening and the games involved have no cap! Enjoy complimentary beer from Deschutes Brewery, free Aura Readings from Your Cosmic Crown (6PM-8PM) & free games like: Connect 4, Jenga, UNO & Dunk Bros (from Mario Party 6). There will also be several prizes for the air hockey champ, including a Heated Rivalry: Season One Collector's Edition on 4K & Blu-ray!
Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer
⭐ Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Portland. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Hans Zimmer at The Armory - Portland under the gentle glow of candlelight.
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
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