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2019-2020 Season

”Electrifying, brilliant theater at its finest!" — Audience Rave

We are thrilled to launch Marissa Wolf's first full season as our new artistic director.  She's planned a season full of energy, music, emotion, and humor!

In The Heights 750X550

August 31 – October 13, 2019

On the U.S. Bank Main Stage

In the Heights

  • Music & lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
  • Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes
  • Conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda
  • Directed by May Adrales
  • Music direction by Eugenio A. Vargas
  • Choreographed by William Carlos Angulo

Winner of 4 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s (Hamilton) Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical takes us to New York’s vibrant Washington Heights, where the air is filled with the sounds of salsa, merengue, soul, hip-hop, and R&B. It’s a community on the brink of change, where a tight-knit group of friends and neighbors struggles to achieve their dreams.

Produced in association with Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

“The energy it gives off could light up the George Washington Bridge for a year or two.”
– The New York Times

Macbeth 750X550

September 28 – November 24, 2019

In the Ellyn Bye Studio

Macbeth

  • By William Shakespeare
  • Edited script by Lee Sunday Evans
  • Original music by Heather Christian
  • Directed by Adriana Baer
  • Music direction by Amir Shirazi

Shakespeare’s infamous tale of political gluttony and supernatural vengeance finds refreshing new life in this piercing, stripped-down adaptation that creates a taut, contemporary thrill ride. Three women tackle all the roles, with captivating singing lending a haunting soundtrack to the rise and fall of Scotland’s most notorious royal assassin. Perennially relevant and breathtaking, Macbeth is a drama that demands to be seen — whether it’s your first or five hundredth time.

“This transcendent Macbeth commands engagement. Women get their due ... so does Shakespeare.”
– The New York Times

Redwood 750X550

October 26 – November 17, 2019

On the U.S. Bank Main Stage

Redwood

  • By Brittany K. Allen
  • Directed by Chip Miller

A World Premiere!

A BEAUTIFUL, HUMOR-FILLED EXCAVATION OF OUR SHARED HISTORY.

When a hip hop lovin' uncle obsessed with Ancestry.com starts digging into the past, an interracial couple finds that they have a lot more (and a lot less) in common than they thought. Filled with comedy, wit, and dance, this singular American story is about learning to live and love in a present that's overpopulated with ghosts.

Miss Bennet 750X550 Updated

November 30 – December 29, 2019

On the U.S. Bank Main Stage

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley

  • By Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon
  • Directed by Marissa Wolf

Delicious as a mug of frothy eggnog, meet your new favorite holiday classic!

Middle sister Mary finally takes center stage in this charming and clever sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. While happy in the company of books and her piano, Mary has grown tired of her role as the dutiful daughter. When the Bennet sisters gather at the home of Lizzy and Darcy for the holidays, an unexpected guest sparks Mary’s hopes for independence, an intellectual match, and perhaps even love. Blending modern wit and period style, this enchanting romantic comedy promises to delight Austen aficionados and newcomers alike. 

“Highly entertaining and warm-spirited.” 
- Chicago Tribune

Hedwig 750X550

December 28, 2019 – February 23, 2020

In the Ellyn Bye Studio

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

  • By John Cameron Mitchell
  • Music & lyrics by Stephen Trask
  • Directed by Chip Miller
  • Music Direction by Amir Shirazi

Winner of 4 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical

Brilliantly innovative, heartbreaking, and wickedly funny, this genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation tells the story of one of the most unique characters to ever hit the stage. Hedwig, a German emigrant, is out to set the record straight about her life, her loves, and the operation that left her with that “angry inch.” Part rock concert, part cabaret, part stand-up comedy routine, this one-of-a-kind musical proves time and again that an indomitable spirit can’t ever be tied down. 

“The most exciting rock score written for the theatre since, oh, ever!” 
- Time Magazine

School Girls 750X550 1

January 18 – February 16, 2020

On the U.S. Bank Main Stage

School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play

  • By Jocelyn Bioh
  • Directed by Lava Alapai

Paulina, the reigning Queen Bee at Ghana's most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Ghana pageant. But the arrival of Ericka (a new student with undeniable talent, beauty, and light skin) captures the attention of the pageant recruiter — and nearly topples the social order of Paulina’s hive-minded friends. Jocelyn Bioh's biting comedy explores the challenges facing teenage girls across the globe and cautions that while beauty may be only skin deep, its pursuit can cut much deeper.

A co-production with Artists Repertory Theatre.

“A gleeful African makeover of an American genre.” 
- The New York Times

Curious Incident 750X550

February 29 – April 5, 2020*

On the U.S. Bank Main Stage

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

  • Based on the novel by Mark Haddon

  • Adapted by Simon Stephens
  • Directed by Marissa Wolf

Winner of five Tony Awards including Best Play!

This Broadway smash hit takes you inside the mind of Christopher, an exceptionally intelligent 15-year-old boy on the autism spectrum. Now, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher is under suspicion of killing his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, with a garden fork. Determined to find the true culprit, Christopher carefully records each fact of the crime. Ultimately, his detective work takes him on a deeply personal quest that upturns his world.

“Dazzling, pulse-pounding and remarkable.”
- Time Out New York

9 Parts 750X550

March 7 – April 19, 2020*

In the Ellyn Bye Studio

9 Parts of Desire

  • By Heather Raffo
  • Directed by Evren Odcikin
  • Starring Nora el Samahy

"El Samahy’s storytelling is riveting." –San Francisco Chronicle

An intimate and complex portrait of the extraordinary (and ordinary) lives of nine Iraqi women, this remarkable solo work offers a meditation on what it means to be a woman in a country overshadowed by war. Based on her interviews with real women during the reign and fall of Saddam Hussein, Heather Raffo weaves utterly distinct voices into a tapestry of humanity, love, and endurance in the face of oppression.

“Raffo brings us closer to the inner life of Iraq than a thousand slick-surfaced TV reports.”
-The Wall Street Journal

Howards End 750X550

April 18 – May 17, 2020*

On the U.S. Bank Main Stage

Howards End

  • Based on the novel by E.M. Forster
  • Adapted by Caroline Hewitt
  • Created by Autumn Dornfeld & Caroline Hewitt
  • Directed by Marissa Wolf

A World Premiere!

One may as well begin with why you should see Howards End. First, the women: Celebrated theater artists — and Broadway stars! — Caroline Hewitt andAutumn Dornfeld created and star in this new take on Forster's rich and subversive novel. Next the plot: When the indomitable, inseparable Schlegel sisters fall out over two very different men, the ghost of an old friend (and her ignored death-bed wish) brings them back to the one place where they can possibly heal. Last, the influences: think FleabagLittle Women, or whatever ambitious, honest, irreverently feminist story you love most. This fresh take on a gorgeous classic wrestles with the questions of our time. What do we fight for? What do we owe each other? And how, in spite of it all, do we connect?

"This adaptation offers all the gorgeous heart of Forster in a distinctly playful style with a 21st century lens."
-Marissa Wolf, Artistic Director

Cambodian 750X550

May 30 – June 28, 2020*

On the U.S. Bank Main Stage

Cambodian Rock Band

  • By Lauren Yee
  • Directed by Chay Yew
  • Featuring songs by Dengue Fever

Dubbed “fierce, gorgeous, and heartwarming” by the Los Angeles Times, this play (part comedy, part mystery, part rock concert) follows a young woman trying to piece together her family history 30 years after her father fled Cambodia. Featuring a cast that performs a mix of contemporary Dengue Fever hits and classic Cambodian oldies, Lauren Yee vividly brings to life the Cambodian rock scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s, a movement cut short by the Khmer Rouge’s brutal regime, which nearly erased the music (and musicians). A story about survivors, the resilient bond of family, and the enduring power of music.

A co-production with La Jolla Playhouse and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Most productions at The Armory are recommended for high school age and up; children under 6 are not permitted.

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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2019-2020 Season Superstars

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