PlayWrite Newsletter April 2024
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. ―Maya Angelou
That’s one aspect of PlayWrite Inc.’s mission. We coach “youth at the edge” with performance tools that teach them how to self-manage change and achieve their own unique beauties.
PlayWrite’s 2nd Annual
24-Hour Play Festival!
24-Hour Play Festival - 2023
You won't want to miss it! PlayWrite will produce the 24-Hour PLAY-a-Thon, a play festival of eight original plays created in 24 exhilarating hours performed on one exciting night, Saturday, June 22, 7:30 pm, in the Judy Kafoury Center for Youth Arts (aka “The Judy”). Proceeds from the event benefit PlayWrite’s programs for “youth at the edge.”
This will not be student work; it's more a love letter to the Portland theatre community, both artists and audiences. We invite theatre professionals to create, and the results are dramatic, funny – and surprising.
Tickets go on sale May 15. More info coming soon. Please SAVE THE DATE.
Upcoming: Our next workshop will be later this month at Donald E. Long, an accredited juvenile detention education program located at the Multnomah County Juvenile Justice Complex. DEL provides educational services to students currently detained by the legal system from Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties. DEL is a long-time PlayWrite partner, and this is our first workshop with them since before Covid. It’s great to be back!
We Rocked Fertile Ground!
Here’s the big news: Write. Voice. Play!, our Fertile Ground Festival showcase of student work was a resounding success. The crowd included student-writers, parents and friends, board members and supporters, and at least one person who had gotten to know about PlayWrite through our 2023 24-Hour Play Festival.
Interim Executive Director Aimee Farr and Development Director Katherine Lefever produced our show in Artists Repertory Theatre’s exciting new (almost finished) lobby. (Thanks for having us, Artists Rep!) Here’s a shot of director Chris Harder kicking off the show:
Chris Harder opens Write.Voice.Play! - PlayWrite’s Fertile Ground Festival 2024 entry.
We presented eleven plays of completely original student work. In the order of presentation:
Acorn and King Bob In the Mud by Max. Alyson Osborn is Aaron, a Venus flytrap, Orion Bradshaw is Bob, a chicken. Paul Susi plays the tree, a non-speaking prop in the story.
Student-writer Callie presents Why the Pollen Did I Make This So Relatable?
Why the Pollen Did I Make This So Relatable? Cecily Overman is Agate, a ring with amethyst. Darius Pierce is Shiny, a flower.
Fire by Beth. Mele Satsuma is Athena, the panda. Angela Van Epps is Mikah, the palm tree.
Far From the Sea by Bee. Alyson Osborn plays Barbara, a paintbrush. Cecily Overman is August, a sand dollar.
Lost & Found by Miguel. Angela Van Epps is Lana, a purple coral. Carlos-Zenen Trujillo is Isiah, a golden eagle.
Facing Your Fears by Audrey. Mele Satsuma is Z, a banana snake.
The Storm by Anastasia. Carlos-Zene Trujillo is Oakleah, a tree. Orion Bradshaw is Gerald, a young snake.
Where the Ocean Meets the Forest by Hesh. Paul Susi is Fannie, a rainbow salmon. Alyson Osborne is Melissa, a mushroom.
Mellow by Tyrah. Angela Van Epps is Mellow, a sunflower. Orion Bradshaw is Powder, an albino snake.
The Earthquake by Cody. Carlos-Zenen Trujillo is Jarid, a geode. Cecily Overman is Faun, a blue bird.
Crash! The Coolest Rock You’ve Ever Seen and A Slightly Above Average Stag by Noah. Darius Pierce is Mars, a red-and-gray lopsided rock. Paul Susi is Graham, an elegant, large stag.
Thanks again to the organizations who helped us produce our Write.Voice.Play! Showcase of Student Works. We were sponsored by PATA and the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition. In addition, we’re thrilled to be a FG24 GROW Grant recipient. Thank you, Fertile Ground Festival—and congratulations to Tamara Carroll and her team for making Fertile Ground 24 a huge success!
Friends of PlayWrite in the Community
Fabulous theatre friends Boom Arts present:
Thurs-Fri, May 16-18, 7:30 PM
Sun, May 19, 2:00 PM
The Ellen Bye Studio at The Armory
128 NW 11th Ave, Portland, OR
Using dance, projections and text this exuberant work investigates the rise and fall of empires – historical, contemporary, urban, political, and even our personal domains – pushing us to confront the past and imagine a better future.
Performed and co-choreographed by Marcus McGregor, who’s had a distinguished career as a dancer with Dance Theater of Harlem and Feld Ballet.
Adults $35, Students/seniors/artists $20 Get tickets
Photo by Maria Baranova
Receiving a "kicker" from the state of Oregon? Consider donating part (or all!) of your 2023 refund to support PlayWrite's work! Learn more about the kicker on this OREGON.GOV page, which also lets you estimate your refund.
And you, Dear Reader, what would you like to know about PlayWrite? What would you like to see in the newsletter? Just drop a line to info@playwriteinc.org, and let us know.
Stay shiny! See you at the theatre!