Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- Book by Hugh Wheeler
- Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
- Directed & Choreographed by Chip Miller
- Music Direction by DeReau K. Farrar
JUMP TO: Dates, Run Time, Playbill, & More
After 15 years in exile on a trumped up conviction, Sweeney Todd returns to the grit and grime of Victorian London, bent on reclaiming his life and exacting bloody retribution. With the help of his trusty razors and his plotting landlady and pie-shop owner, Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney tears through a corrupt society proving revenge is a dish best served piping hot. This Sondheim classic is to die for!
Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score, 1979.
A Synopsis of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Beware — spoilers ahead!
The story opens in a madhouse in Victorian London. There, crazed inmate Tobias Ragg relates the tale of Sweeney Todd, “the demon barber of Fleet Street”:
Todd and Anthony Hope, a young sailor, disembark at the London docks, happy to be back in their bustling hometown. Though much older, Todd is grateful to Anthony for rescuing him at sea after his escape from prison. Immediately Todd heads for Fleet Street and visits with Mrs. Lovett, the owner of a failing pie shop. Mrs. Lovett, who admits to selling the “worst pies in London,” recognizes Todd as Benjamin Barker, the barber-surgeon who used to live upstairs from her shop with his beautiful wife Lucy and infant daughter Johanna. Fifteen years before, we learn, Todd was arrested falsely and shipped to a penal colony by the lecherous Judge Turpin, who desired Lucy and wanted Todd out of the way. Mrs. Lovett tells Todd that after he was sent off, Turpin raped Lucy when she refused his advances. In shame, Lucy swallowed poison, and Johanna became Turpin’s ward.
Upon hearing his family’s fate, Todd fills with rage and vows revenge against Turpin and his police accomplice, Beadle Bamford. With the razors that Mrs. Lovett, who has long loved Todd, kept during his absence, Todd opens a barbershop above Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop, hoping to attract Turpin and Bamford to his business. His plans go quickly awry when a rival barber named Pirelli figures out Todd’s true identity and tries to blackmail him. Todd kills Pirelli with his razors, and Mrs. Lovett suggests they dispose of his body by grinding it up and baking it into her pies.
After Mrs. Lovett’s “corpse” pies become the culinary rage of Fleet Street, Todd starts killing his customers to keep up with the demand. Anthony, meanwhile, has met and fallen in love with the teenaged Johanna, who is guarded carefully by Turpin. Johanna agrees to elope with Anthony, but the judge, who plans to marry Johanna himself, sends her to an insane asylum to keep the young couple apart. Todd then conspires with Anthony to free Johanna and use her to lure Turpin to his barbershop. Matters come to a head when Tobias, Pirelli’s young assistant who now works for Mrs. Lovett, becomes suspicious and complaints about bad odors spewing from the building bring Bamford to Todd’s door.
Also complicating affairs is a strange but familiar Beggar Woman who has been lurking around Todd. While Mrs. Lovett maneuvers to keep her criminal ways a secret, Todd races to unite Anthony with Johanna and exact his revenge on the judge.
More About This Production
Stephen Sondheim
Sondheim is considered one of the most important American composers — contributing to the sound and story of the American musical theatre. Read a brief biography and chronology of this celebrated, award-winning artist.
A Timeline of Sweeney Todd
From penny dreadful to Johnny Depp; a timeline of Sweeney Todd in popular culture.
An Interview with Sweeney Todd Director Chip Miller
PCS Literary Manager Kamilah Bush talked to Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street director Chip Miller about their deep connection to Sondheim and why "rage in the world" makes the show so relevant today.
Related Events
Art Installation: Demonio Adormecido by Candy Girl Pińatas
Portland Center Stage will host an art installation Demonio Adormecido by Carolina Dulanto of Candy Girl Pińatas, as part of Hispanic Heritage Month, from Sept. 15 - Oct. 15, 2024.
November First Thursday with Mariachi Portland
Join us for November First Thursday, featuring a special live musical performance by Mariachi Portland to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, plus vendors, art exhibits, and sneak peaks of the main stage.
Art Exhibit: My Favorite Things by Jason Hill
Portland Center Stage will host MY FAVORITE THINGS, an art exhibit by Portland-based multidisciplinary artist Jason Hill from August 2024 through January 2025 in the Ellyn Bye Studio Gallery.
Art Exhibit: Albina Music Trust presents Wall To Wall Soul
Join us for an opening reception for the Wall To Wall Soul exhibit featuring photography, vinyl records, and poster art from Albina Music Trust's community archive.
Workshop: Copyright Basics for Artists in Oregon
Join us for a FREE community workshop series called Copyright Basics For Artists In Oregon, led by Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts member Marcena Day.
Albina Music Trust presents A Brown Branch Christmas
Celebrate this holiday season with A Brown Branch Christmas at Portland Center Stage. Now in its fourth season, this two-night big band celebration features directors Domo Branch and Charlie Brown III guiding a heavy 15-piece lineup of regional and national musicians.
Meet the Cast & Creative Team
The Cast
The role of Mrs. Lovett will be played by Ashley Song until Delphon "DJ" Curtis Jr. returns on October 23 through November 3!
PCS: debut. NEW YORK: OBW Perelman PAC; World premiere of Watch Night, Jazz at Lincoln Center; Stonewall New York City Opera, Met Museum; The Mother of us All NY Philharmonic Off-Broadway: Dragon Slayer. REGIONAL: A.R.T Evita ; Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Ragtime; White Plains Performing Arts Center Side Show; NBFT Beauty and the Beast; Rehouse Performing Arts Center Into the Woods INTERNATIONAL Festival of the Aegean (Greece) Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Madama Butterfly. OPERA: BMOP/ Odyssey Opera X: The life and times of Malcolm X (Grammy nominated); Carmen, Der Keiser Von Atlantis, Le Nozze di Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor, Madama Butterfly. Awards: Met Opera Laffont competition encouragement award 2019 P.R. Training: University of Hartford, The Hartt School. The Mine Agency Social Media @mv0803 MiguelAngelVasquez.com
DJ is thrilled to return to the PCS Mainstage for this chilling tale. Most recently seen as Hud in HAIR at PCS, they have been fortunate to also appear as the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Tom Collins in Rent, and David Heard in Choir Boy. DJ attended William Peace University and received a BFA Degree in Musical Theatre. Soon after, DJ was fortunate to be an acting apprentice at Portland Playhouse. A few of DJ's favorite roles they've gotten to portray are the title role in The Wiz with Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre, Turk in Tarzan with Red Barn Theatre, and Mr. Franklin/Venus with Portland Playhouse.
Wildlin is a Haitian-American actor, writer, and content creator based in New York. Since his PCS debut as AJ in Choir Boy, this is Wildlin's first return to The Armory. With a digital following of over 750k across platforms like Tiktok and Instagram under the name @NotWildlin, you can always tune in to see what Wildlin is up to on and off stage. Love to Chip, Kam, Steph, Dwayne and the fam!
Emily Shackelford is a performer, director and choreographer, and currently serves as the Artistic Associate with Music Theater Heritage in Kansas City, Missouri. Off Broadway and regional performance credits include Lucky Duck (New Victory Theatre (NY)), The Wolves (Syracuse Stage), Indecent (DC Arena Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, and The Kansas City Repertory Theatre), Life Sucks (Cygnet Theatre), Song&Dance (Music Theater Heritage), and the following productions with The Kansas City Repertory Theatre: Cabaret, The Foreigner, Stillwater, The Fantasticks, Evita, Sweeney Todd, HAIR:RETROSPECTION, Between The Lines, Last Days of Summer, Man In Love, A Christmas Carol. Emily is very grateful to be here at PCS and would like to give special thanks to Chip Miller. You can find more about Emily at emilyshackelford.com or on her Instagram @emilyareti.
Isaiah is so excited to be back at Portland Center Stage with this amazing cast and crew. Last seen at PCS as Pharus Jonathan Young in Choir Boy. A Wisconsin native, Isaiah has had the privilege to travel all over the country performing. Some favorite credits include: Beautiful the Carole King Musical (Paper Mill Playhouse) Choir Boy (Portland Center Stage and Speak Easy stage), Five Guys Named Moe (The Fulton), Hairspray (Theater Aspen) and Singing in the Rain (Weston Theater Company). Boston Conservatory, BFA. He would love to thank his friends, family and DGRW for their love and support. Instagram: @Isaiahreynolds55.
Leif is thrilled to be a part of this amazing cast, crew, and show of Sweeny Todd. Other shows Leif has been a part of at PCS include, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Ragtime, 39 Steps, Our Town, Astoria parts 1 & 2, Oregon Trail, Tiny Beautiful Things, and Christmas Memory/Winter Song. Other theaters in Portland Leif has performed at include, ART, Pixie Dust, Lakewood, Third Rail, Broadway Rose, Profile, and Portland Playhouse. Outside the Portland area he has performed with Denver Center of the Performing Arts, and Montana Rep. Film and television credits include Leverage, Potlandia, and Evil F’n Clowns. Leif Thanks Chip for this opportunity, his wife Susie for everything, and you, for being here!
Isaac is an award winning actor, director, and educator. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and a proud company member of Third Rail Repertory Theatre. Select Local credits: The Aliens, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Belleville, The Flick (Third Rail); Every Brilliant Thing, The 25th Annual...Spelling Bee, A Small Fire, Gem of the Ocean, Sweeney Todd (PCS); Assassins, Playboy of the Western World (ART); Sound of Music, The Addams Family, Ripper (Broadway Rose); Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play, Peter and the Starcatcher, Scarlet (Portland Playhouse); The Three Sisters (PETE); How to Make an American Son (Profile). National Tour: Defending the Caveman, Broadway’s longest running one-person show. Select Regional: Timeless: Barbara Streisand (Staples Center), Sweet Charity (Red Mountain), One Sunday in Mississippi (Bannister). Film: Lean on Pete (Film4), North Starr (Sundance). TV: The Rehearsal (HBO), American Vandal (Netflix), Portlandia (IFC). Proud member AEA, SAG/AFTRA. isaaclamb.com
Leah is a performer and educator based in Portland. Her regional credits include the Fairy Godmother in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, Maria in The Sound of Music, The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Marian in The Music Man, Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, and Betty Haynes in White Christmas. Leah also appeared in IFC’s Documentary Now episode, Original Cast Album: Co-Op. She runs a private voice studio, Leah Yorkston Vocal Studio, and is a member of the teaching staff at Resound NW. More at www.LeahYorkston.com.
Brian is thrilled to be making his debut on the PCS stage after previously understudying the role of Saul in The Great Leap! Brian received his BA in Drama from the University of Portland in 2011 and completed his apprenticeship at Florida Studio Theatre the following year. Since returning to Portland, he has been seen with many local companies, including Portland Playhouse, Lakewood, and Bag&Baggage. Recent credits include Howard in The Pursuit of Happiness at Fuse Theatre Ensemble (2023 BroadwayWorld Awards: Winner of Best New Musical, Nominated for Best Performer in a Musical) and Bonny Johnny/Snaggletooth in Bella: An American Tall Tale at Portland Playhouse. Much love to Jess and Bryan!
Gregory is excited to return to PCS where he performed as Ol’ Mister and the Preacher in The Color Purple. He recently sang the role of Sweeney Todd at Corvallis’s Majestic Theater. His other favorite musical roles include: Javert in Les Misérables; Jim in Big River; and Booker T. Washington in Ragtime. Gregory has sung as a soloist/chorister with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the San Francisco Opera, the Madison Opera, the Dallas Opera, the Virginia Opera and the Wichita Opera companies. He is a regular chorister with the Portland Opera Company, was recently showcased there as Lillas Pastia in Carmen and as the Friar in their special Shakespearean/Gounod performance of Romeo and Juliet, and is a soloist with their Opera a la Cart performances.
Gerrin's favorite Portland roles include Miles/Shawn/Rashad in Gloria with Profile Theatre, Bakkhai in The Bakkhai, Hunter 3/Freedom Fund Lady in Fucking A with Shaking The Tree, Actor 5 in Bootycandy with Fuse Theatre, Junior Davis in Choir Boy, M.C. in Dreamgirls, JAW 2018 2022 and 2024 with PCS, The Americans with PETE, Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland with NWCT, Ladahlord in James and the Giant Peach, Fly Guy in Fly Guy: The Musical, Mr. Pinkerton in Pinkalicious with OCT, Mowgli in The Jungle Book with Broadway Rose, Butcher in Beef: A Butcher Shop Circus, Ruby Rider in The Cowboy Show with Prismagic Circus, Montague in Romeo and Juliet with Anonymous Theater. He has also been seen in countless stage readings, performance art events and leading workshops on devising physical theatre with OBT and Reed College. This role is dedicated to his brother Denzel Jr. for encouraging frightening family members with reckless abandon! Find out more about future projects through his Instagram @delanegerrin.
Ashley has been a part of the Portland theater community for six years. She is also a producer, writer, and director. She is delighted to return to Portland Center Stage to work with some of her favorite collaborators! Other Portland Center Stage credits include Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really; Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B; It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play; Rent; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime; Summerfield Estates; and Redwood. Ashley’s most recent project was the second remount of HOME/LAND, an interactive immersive show with Hand2Mouth Theatre. Ashley has a BFA from NYU, trained in The Method at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, and is a co-founder of Desert Island Studios. IG: @ashleysongofficial @desertislandstudiospdx
Madeleine is a Vietnamese-American soprano, actor, fight choreographer, and occasional street and festival performer. She was born in Tacoma, WA but studied classical voice at the University of Portland under Dr. Nicole Hanig. Madeleine also studies and teaches stage combat under the mentorship of Kristen Mun. She has performed locally with many companies, including Artist's Repertory Theater, Third Rail Repertory, Portland Center Stage, Shaking The Tree, Portland Opera, and Renegade Opera, with whom she is also a member of the admin team! @ferndulie
Hannah is excited to return to Portland Center Stage after appearing in HAIR last year. Portland acting credits include: Into the Woods at Broadway Rose; Jesus Christ Superstar and Cabaret with Stumptown Stages. Other credits include: The Magic Paintbrush with The REV Theatre; Miss Saigon with World Theatre Productions; Over the Garden Wall with Campy Cabaret and Patrynize; Amahl and the Night Visitors, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at Wagner College. They give their endless love and gratitude to their support system. @hannahsapitan
Timothy is grateful to work with such a talented, dedicated cast and artistic team. He's been performing in the Portland area for the better part of the past 19 years and has been in productions at the Portland Opera (Man of La Mancha), Mock’s Crest (Die Fledermaus), Northwest Children’s Theater (Beauty and the Beast), Lakewood Theater (Music Man, Hello Dolly!, and Oklahoma!), Gallery Theater (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Student Prince; Man of La Mancha), Live Onstage (Tommy), Metropolitan Community Theatre (Rent, Chicago), Magenta Theater (Amélie), and The Portland Revels. He wrote and performed a solo cabaret (Live Your Life), and produced an album that can be found wherever you stream. @tlafolette
Danielle is a rare unicorn, born and raised in Portland Oregon. She has had the fortune of performing locally for various theater companies. Aside from performing, she is a passionate teacher of the arts. She enjoys singing in the shower, in the rain, and on stage. She longs for the thick, shiny hair she had in elementary school. "All my love to Fred."
Brian is exhilarated to be making his Portland Center Stage debut as part of this wonderful team! He has been performing in the Portland area since late 2022, most recently appearing in Clackamas Repertory Theatre’s My Fair Lady and in Broadway Rose’s The Spitfire Grill. Other favorite roles include Don in Kinky Boots, Harold the Hermit in Young Frankenstein, and Maurice in Beauty and the Beast. Following this show, Brian will be performing in the ensemble of Broadway Rose’s production of Five Golden Rings. Special thanks to his partner Kat, his brother Ben, and his mother Barbara, without whom he’d never have gotten where he is today.
Hello, I‘m Princess, a multidisciplinary Theatre artist who centers all I do through a framework of radical joy and empathy. Currently based in the Pacific Northwest, I am excited to continue exploring the intersections of art and activism, using Theatre as a tool for social change. I want to also send my love to my found family for championing me every step of the way.
The Band
Alistair Kok, violin, is originally from Blacksburg, Virginia. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech, the Ohio State University, and the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Alistair moved to Portland, Oregon, in July of 2015, and currently performs on violin and viola with the Newport and Yakima Symphony Orchestras, Trio Musicorum Medicorum, and the Vancouver String Quartet. In his free time, Alistair enjoys figure skating both on the ice and on wheels.
Chris is a music educator, conductor, and arranger who has also been performing in the Pacific Northwest as a violinist, violist, and vocalist for over twenty years. He currently directs the orchestral and high school choral programs at Trinity Academy in North Portland, and has conducted and coached students of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Junior Symphony of Vancouver, and the Oregon East Symphony. As a performer, he has appeared off stage in many musicals, most recently as the violinist in Young Frankenstein with Stumptown Stages. He has performed with many regional symphonies in the Pacific Northwest as a violinist and violist, and as a vocalist has performed with the Portland Baroque Chorus, the Portland Vocal Consort, and the Resonance Ensemble.
Amy is thrilled to return for her third show with Portland Center Stage at The Armory. Favorite past highlights include being in the pit for West Side Story and Nunsense at Broadway Rose Theater Company. Since moving back to Portland, Amy has also performed on violin, viola, and bass for shows at Lakewood Center for the Arts, Stumptown Stages, and Pixie Dust Productions. She has also played for cabarets and variety shows, as well as local orchestras, with genres ranging from classical, jazz, rock, and bluegrass. Amy is especially grateful for the many people in the theater community who have helped her find her footing in Portland.
Julian is a musician with performing, composing, arranging, recording, and teaching experience. Having played cello for over 25 years, they have played in several ensembles ranging from the Tualatin Valley Symphony, the Vancouver String Quartet, and the cello rock group Portland Cello Project. They have recorded and performed with the polyrhythmic rock jazz band Human Ottoman, the punk Americana band Three For Silver, and singer-songwriter Nate Norton. Julian holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Cello Performance having studied under Hamilton Cheifetz. When they aren’t playing music, they can be found working as a data engineer and an e-bike mechanic.
A native of Los Angeles, percussionist Kevin Schlossman moved to Portland in the summer of 2016. Since then, he has had the pleasure of playing regularly with the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, and the Oregon Ballet, as well as throughout the Pacific Northwest. He received his Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and an Artist’s Diploma from the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles. While living in LA, he had the distinct privilege of working with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, and LA Chamber Orchestra. An ardent proponent of both chamber and 20th century percussion music, he was a founding member of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles’ first conductorless orchestra, and a member of the Smoke and Mirrors Ensemble. He can be heard as a soloist on their second album, Vanish.
David is thrilled to be back at PCS, after previously playing on Tick Tick Boom and music directing The Theater Lover's Bash. When not playing musical theater and jazz piano around town, David is currently training to become a therapist.
DeReau is Artistic Director of Portland's queer and allied youth choir, Bridging Voices and Artistic Director of A Notion, A Scream, a Portland community choir. Additionally, he sings with Resonance Ensemble and served on its Artistic Advisory Team for the 2022 premiere of Damien Geter's An African American Requiem with the Oregon Symphony. DeReau was Musical Director for the 2022 Portland Revels Spring production of Un Pajarito Canto and Musical Director for the 2023 Portland Center Stage production of Choir Boy, and he is excited to make his Portland Opera debut with their 2024 production of The Juliet Letters. Prior to moving to Portland in 2016, he was a music director in Los Angeles where he worked with A Noise Within (The Threepenny Opera, A Christmas Carol), DC6 Singers (SxSW, Jessye Norman’s Stand Up Straight and Sing! Tour, Sundance, Norman Lear, Jerry Kohl), Monkeypaw Productions (Get Out), HBO (All the Way), Selah Gospel Choir (Coachella, RuPaul’s DragCon), University of California Los Angeles (The First Lady), California State University Los Angeles (A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum), The Verdi Chorus, The RED Stamp (The Wiz, Ragtime, Songs for a New World), MUSE/IQUE Symphony Orchestra, and others.
British-born Sequoia has worked for such companies as the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Rambert Dance Company, the BBC Singers and the acclaimed music theater group, the Clod Ensemble. Since his arrival in Portland he has worked regularly for Portland Opera, Opera Theater Oregon and the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Besides classical music, he also enjoys the more experimental side of rock/jazz and has performed and collaborated with the likes of rock legends Mark E Smith (The Fall), Damo Suzuki (Can), and jazz/improvising luminaries Meredith Monk, Jacqui Dankworth & Barb Jungr.
The Creative Team
Sondheim was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. With his frequent collaborators Harold Prince and James Lapine, Sondheim's Broadway musicals tackled unexpected themes that ranged beyond the genre's traditional subjects, while addressing darker elements of the human experience.His music and lyrics are tinged with complexity, sophistication, and ambivalence about various aspects of life.
Wheeler was the author or co-author of many mystery novels and short stories. In 1963, his 1961 collection, The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow was given a Special Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America. He won the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical in 1973 and 1974 for his books for the musicals A Little Night Music and Candide, and won both again in 1979 for his book for Sweeney Todd. Wheeler is credited as "research consultant" for the film Cabaret, though numerous sources list him as co-writer of the screenplay.
Chip is a director and producer, currently in the role of Associate Artistic Director at Portland Center Stage. They were previously the Artistic Associate / Resident Director at Kansas City Repertory Theatre. Directing: Clyde’s (Syracuse Stage, PCS), Choir Boy, It’s a Wonderful Life, Rent, August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, Hedwig & The Angry Inch, the world premiere of Redwood (PCS), Larry Owens’ Sondhemia (Carnegie Hall), Journeys to Justice (Portland Opera), the world premiere of American Fast (Artists Repertory Theater), School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play, Welcome to Fear City, Sex with Strangers, A Raisin in the Sun, (KCRep); the world premiere of Becoming Martin by Kevin Willmott (The Coterie); dwb: driving while black (Lawrence Arts Center, Des Moines Metro Opera, Greensboro Opera); 4:48 Psychosis (The Buffalo Room). Chip has developed work with playwrights including Kevin Wilmott, Kara Lee Corthron, Brittany K. Allen, Catherine Trieschmann, Darren Canady, Andrew Rosendorf, Susan Kander & Roberta Gumbel, Michelle T. Johnson, and Michael Finke. They have developed work at The William Inge Theatre Festival, NYU’s New Plays for Young Audiences, La Jolla Playhouse’s DNA Series, Portland Center Stage’s JAW Festival, The Midwest Dramatists Center, KCRep’s OriginKC New Works Festival, The Colorado New Play Summit, The Living Room Theatre, and Musical Theatre Heritage.
Britton has scenic designed for regional theaters Syracuse Stage (co-pro of Clyde’s), Portland Center Stage (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Rent, and Clyde’s), Indian Repertory Theatre (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Long Wharf Theatre (I am My Own Wife), Resident Ensemble Players (In the Heat of the Night), Constellation Stage, Gulfshore Playhouse, CATF, and Mixed Blood. Closer to home in Pittsburgh, he has designed for City Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Front Porch Theatricals, CLO Cabaret, and Quantum Theatre. To name a few. Britton is the USITT Gateway Program co-coordinator and a member of USA 829. Britton is an assistant teaching professor at the University of Pittsburgh. For more visit brittonmaukdesign.com.
Lucy is a Portland-based costume designer. Lucy was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi and holds a B.F.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi. Lucy has spent her 10 year career working as a costume designer/artisan at such theaters as Oregon Children's Theatre, Third Rail Rep Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Orpheus PDX Opera, Berkshire Theatre Group, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, The Rev Theatre, and Shakespeare & Company. Some titles include HAIR, tick, tick...BOOM!, I'm Black When I'm Singing, I'm Blue When I Ain't, Dark Sisters, She Persisted: The Musical, and Middletown Mall. Lucy is currently the costume shop supervisor/costume designer at Portland Center Stage. Lucy is a member of IATSE Local 154. lucywellscostumes.com
Marika Kent is a Brooklyn based lighting designer. At PCS: Clyde’s; Choir Boy; Gem of the Ocean; School Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play. Recent/upcoming: The Suffragette's Murder (Denver Theater Center), Fences (Trinity Rep), POTUS (Arena Stage), Ulysses; Seagull (Elevator Repair Service), Bernarda’s Daughters; Amani (National Black Theater), Catch as Catch Can (Playwrights Horizons). Marika teaches design at NYU’s Playwrights Horizons Theater School and is a proud member of USA Local 829. marikakent.com
Scott is thrilled to return to Portland Center Stage where he worked as a sound engineer from 2010 to 2017. PCS credits include sound designer for HAIR, The Mountaintop, The Typographer's Dream, Sex with Strangers, People’s Republic of Portland and live audio engineer for the world premiere musicals of Somewhere in Time and LIZZIE. Other Portland designs include Third Rail Rep's Sweet and Sad and Middletown, Ivy + Bean for Oregon Children's Theatre, Up the Fall for PHAME, Erin Leddy’s My Mind is Like an Open Meadow (Drammy Award), Hand2Mouth’s Uncanny Valley and Sean Andries’s Fish Girl (Best in Fest, San Francisco Fringe). Scott is a licensed architect specializing in theater design for BRIC Architecture. He is a proud Cully resident and Rigler Elementary parent.
Jessica is thrilled to be back wig designing for Portland Center Stage. Here other work as wig designer include HAIR, Hedwig And The Angry Inch and Color Purple just to name a few. Jessica holds a BA in costume design from the University of Oregon where her love for wigs was ignited and she is excited to share her love for wigs with you on this stage!
Kamilah is a playwright and dramaturg originally from North Carolina. She currently holds the position of literary manager at Portland Center Stage in Portland, OR. Kamilah has spent several years working in celebrated regional theaters across the country, including Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC, Asolo Repertory Theater in Sarasota, FL and Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ.
David has worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, and is a show caller and deck manager for large-scale corporate events. Most recently, on Broadway with The Wiz. Proud Actors’ Equity member and national councilor. Much love to my husband Jimmy for all his support over the last year.
Mindy graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from Western Oregon University in 2019. This will be Mindy’s first stage management position on the PCS mainstage, having previously stage managed for their JAW New Play Festival, the Spring Teen Playwright Showcase, and The Theater Lover’s Bash. Other stage management credits include, The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu, Jogging (BoomArts); Our Utopia, World Builders (Bag&Baggage); and Dear Elizabeth; Seussical: The Musical; Could You Hug a Cactus; and James and the Giant Peach (Enlightened Theatrics).
Dana was a stage management apprentice at PCS during the 2019-2020 season, during which she was a Production Assistant on In the Heights, Redwood, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She graduated from The Ohio State University, where she was on the stage management team for six main stage shows.
Originally from Ireland, Karl moved to the U.S. in 1994 to pursue acting and received his MFA degree from the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver. Theaters at which he has appeared include Cal Shakes, the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Magic Theatre, Profile Theatre, and Portland Center Stage. Previous dialect work includes Orlando, Blue Door, Antigone Project, 2.5 Minute Ride, and Twilight: Los Angeles with Profile Theatre; A Christmas Carol and The Language Archive with Portland Playhouse; Berlin Diaries and The Chinese Lady at Artists Repertory Theatre; more than a dozen shows with Corrib Theatre; as well as A Christmas Memory and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley with Portland Center Stage. In addition, he has voiced characters for the gaming industry, including those of Atlas and Fontaine in Bioshock, Bioshock 2 and Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea.
Claire is thrilled to experiment with new ways of performing and collaborating, and she’s thankful to Portland Center Stage for giving her the opportunity to do so. Originally from Atlanta, Claire made her way to the West Coast in 2012 for a 9-month internship and just never left! Portland credits include shows with Artists Rep, Profile Theatre, CoHo Theatre, Portland Playhouse, Chapel Theater, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Broadway Rose, and Live Onstage! You can catch Claire’s voice in Profile Theatre’s audio play of Las Meninas by Lynn Nottage, directed by Dawn Monique Williams, through January 5, 2021. Thanks to all of the theaters experimenting with how to push the art form, and thanks to all of you who come along on the journey with us.
Andrea is ready to dive right into s-ending love into the universe! Upcoming: A developmental workshop for In Pieces and a national tour for Nickelodeon. Off-Broadway/NYC: Romeo and Juliet (NAATCO); A Delicate Balance (NAATCO/Transport Group); Our Man In Santiago; Golden Shield (MTC); Where The Wild Things Are (New Victory); Neurosis; Syncing Ink; New York Stage and Film; Dramatists Guild Foundation; ACLU/NYCLU. National Tours: Yemandja; The Sound of Music; Bullets Over Broadway; Elf The Musical; Finding Neverland. Regional: Portland Center Stage, 5th Avenue Theatre, Two River Theater, Virginia Theatre Festival, Florida Studio Theatre, Arrow Rock Lyceum, Alley Theater, TUTS. Associate credits include numerous Broadway, film, television, and commercial projects. zee-casting.com.
What People Are Saying
Local Reviews
"It is no exaggeration to say that from the ensemble to the demon barber himself, every single actor in this production is a master of their craft." - PDX Parent
Audience Raves
"Everything felt like Broadway!"
"The show was Amazing!! And the voices of EVERYONE, just Awesome!!"
"We caught Ashley Song as Mrs. Lovett, and she absolutely blew us away."
"I absolutely loved it - what a great cast, and set, and show!"
"Excellent performers, visionary direction, hugely entertaining; artful, smart, funny, great."
"I brought my daughter, we absolutely loved it. Completely incredible performance from beginning to end."
"The set, the lighting, and the costumes acted as another character in the show - the singing and acting were SO. GOOD. and the full performance was amazing. Even better: we happened to hear the pre-show Q&A and that made our experience even richer."
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
Special thanks to our Community Sponsors for this production