Digest
Recent posts
May 16 2011
People often ask how we come up with themes for Oregon Humanities magazine. We find inspiration everywhere, including in our own programs and those of other organizations. For... More
May 11 2011
On Thursday, the Oregon Nikkei Endowment will host a reading by Priscilla Wegars, author of Imprisoned in Paradise: Japanese Internee Road Workers at the World War II Kooskia... More
May 09 2011
About twenty-five people gathered in the lobby of the Gerding Theater at the Armory in Portland during the lunch hour on Friday for the fourth and last Shop Talk, a special program... More
May 03 2011
TEDxPortland—an independent spin-off of big TED, “Ideas Worth Spreading” TED—happened on one of the first dry, sunny days of spring, so it would have been natural to see more... More
December 08 2010
As an end of year gift to all of you, here are a few O. Hm. moments from a few of the people who brought you the “O. Hm. Moment.”
When I was working at the Oregon Humanities... More
September 21 2010
Jennifer Allen
I’m a word nerd—always have been. I’ve been known to forward ‘word of the day’ emails with a touch too much glee. Come to think of it, I could be happy stuck on a deserted... More
August 26 2010
Annie Dubinsky
I was sitting in my office last week reading a final report that one of our recent Responsive Program Grant recipients submitted when I realized how much I don’t know about war,... More
August 13 2010
Raina Hassan
Last night, my husband, Amos, and I were cruising around on Netflix when we settled on an instant-play movie called Boys Don’t Cry. When it came out in 1999, I meant to go see it... More
August 05 2010
Brian Doyle
Hmm. The moments that most changed the way I think about the world, o dear sweet jesus yes I can tell you those moments, with glee and gaping, still. There were three of them,... More
July 02 2010
Dave Weich
If developments in science could extend your life by five or more healthy, vital years, would you opt in? Probably, right?
Ten weeks ago, my company took on a project for a New... More
Observations from our staff and colleagues.
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?
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03 June 2011 | Community Grants
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