Panel Discussion: Trouble with a Capital T — Re-imaging the Musical
Does the golden age of musical theater still resonate today?
A major question we ask ourselves when programming each project at Portland Center Stage is: "Why this show, now?" In this panel discussion, we'll focus this question on the world of musicals, both new and canonical, to talk about what we love — and what we're leaving behind — as we re-imagine the beloved musical for our times.
This lively conversation will feature some of our favorite collaborators, including William Carlos Angulo (In the Heights), Melissa Crespo (Native Gardens), Isaac Lamb (The Bells That Still Can Ring), and Associate Artistic Director Chip Miller (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), in conversation with Artistic Director Marissa Wolf, who is directing our upcoming staged reading of the classic musical The Music Man.
William is an arts educator, director, choreographer, and playwright of Bolivian descent from Chicago, IL. Directing and choreography credits include The Public Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Ars Nova, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Court Theatre, and more. He has received residencies through The Jerome Robbins Foundation and Dance Lab New York (Broadway Dance Lab) and was the recipient of the Joseph Jefferson Award and Alliance of Latinx Theatre Artists Award for Outstanding Choreography. He is a proud member of SDC.
Melissa is from Connecticut with Dominican, Puerto Rican and Chilean roots. She is a New York City based director of theater, opera and film. She enjoys directing world premieres more than anything. She is also a producer, dramaturg and playwright. As a director, Melissa has developed work at LAByrinth Theater Company, New Dramatists, The Lark and theaters around the country. As a playwright, Melissa co-wrote Egress with Sarah Saltwick. She is currently the Editor for 3Views on Theater, a new online theater journal conceived by The Lillys. She is a proud member of the 2021 Still Standing Artist Residency.
Before joining Portland Center Stage as the associate artistic director, Chip held the role of artistic associate/resident director at Kansas City Repertory Theatre for seven years, where their directing credits included School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, Welcome to Fear City, Sex with Strangers, and A Raisin in the Sun. Beyond KCRep stages, directing credits include Becoming Martin by Kevin Willmott (world premiere, The Coterie Theatre), dwb: driving while black (Lawrence Arts Center), and 4:48 Psychosis (The Buffalo Room). Chip has developed work with playwrights including Kevin Willmott, Kara Lee Corthron, Brittany K. Allen, Catherine Trieschmann, Darren Canady, Andrew Rosendorf, Michelle T. Johnson, and Michael Finke. They have developed work at The William Inge Theater Festival, NYU Steinhardt’s New Plays for Young Audiences, Orlando Shakes’ Playfest, Midwest Dramatists Center, Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s OriginKC: New Works Festival, and Portland Center Stage’s JAW Festival. Chip has a B.F.A. from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Isaac is an actor and director who was last seen at Portland Center Stage as Mr. Darcy in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. Isaac has also worked with companies including Third Rail, Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland Playhouse, CoHo Productions, PETE, and Broadway Rose, among many others. He’s appeared onscreen in American Vandal, Portlandia, The Birch, and Lean on Pete. Isaac is a proud member of AEA, SAG/AFTRA, and SDC.
Marissa Wolf is the artistic director for Portland Center Stage. Previously, Wolf served as the associate artistic director/new works director at Kansas City Repertory Theatre for three seasons, launching OriginKC: New Works Festival, a program that supports the creation, development and production of new work from a diverse body of major national playwrights. As part of the 2016 OriginKC: New Works Festival, Wolf directed the world premiere of Fire in Dreamland by Rinne Groff (co-commissioned by The Public Theater and Berkeley Repertory Theatre) and went on to direct its Off-Broadway premiere at The Public Theatre in June, 2018. Additional directing credits at Kansas City Repertory Theatre include the world premiere of Man in Love by Christina Anderson, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Diary of Anne Frank and A Raisin in the Sun.
Current & Upcoming
Piano Bar with Courtney Freed and David Saffert
Join us for this monthly event with local songstress Courtney Freed and Portland-based pianist David Saffert as they host a good old-fashioned PIANO BAR.
NASSIM
From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour (creator of the Off-Broadway smash hit White Rabbit, Red Rabbit) comes an audacious new theatrical experiment, presented in collaboration with Boom Arts. Each night, a new, unrehearsed local performer joins the playwright on stage, while the script waits, unseen, in a sealed box... Touchingly autobiographical yet powerfully universal, NASSIM is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us.
Coriolanus
Shakespeare’s tragedy about the war hero Coriolanus and the fight between the elite and the deprived masses will be fueled by a dynamic female and non-binary ensemble with a muscular, movement-focused staging.
First Annual 503 Day
Portland's first annual 503 Day. Discounts on tickets, drink specials, and more!
Pre-Show Music with Chera Chera
As part of BIPOC Affinity Night for Nassim, join us for a pre-show music performance featuring Chera Chera, blending Iranian music and Farsi lyrics for the matinee crowds.
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!
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
Season Superstars
Season Supporting Sponsors
Season Producing Sponsors
Guardians of the Arts
