Theater as an Act of Communion
The act of gathering together to worship is nothing new. Sometimes that worship takes the form of praising a higher power. Sometimes it takes the form of humans role-playing the lives of other humans. Portland Playhouse in northeast Portland is melding the ideas of worship, community, and shared humanity into an energizing and intimate experience.
Housed in a former church, the Portland Playhouse just wrapped up a forty-show run of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. They originally scheduled twenty performances, which sold out so fast they doubled the run. The theater held talk back sessions (supported in part by a Public Programs Grant from Oregon Humanities), during which the audience discussed the play with the actors, achieving powerful results.
Other plays this season addressed Abu Ghraib (Dying City) and how American society deals with the severely disabled (Telethon). Portland Playhouse also works with local alumni of Portland Center Stage’s JAW: A Playwrights Festival. This is community theater in its best sense. What plays have you seen this season that you’ve loved?
03 June 2011 | Community Grants
Permalink | Comments? (0 so far)
Add a comment
Oregon Humanities welcomes your commentary. We encourage lively public discourse and civil debate, but please be respectful in expressing your views.