VERTIGO NEWS

VERTIGO READING SERIES

Next up in the Vertigo Reading Series: Maple and Vine by Jordan Harrison
Monday, May 20th at 7:30pm

Ryu, a Japanese-American doctor, and Katha, his wife, are growing tired of their jobs and New York City lifestyle. Katha meets dashing Dean, a gentleman who looks and acts as though he is straight out of the 1950s. That's because he leads a community in the Midwest in which the inhabitants all function as if it is 1955 America. In their search for meaning and happiness, Ryu and Katha decide to try this new lifestyle, leaving their jobs, cell phones and certain freedoms behind. Jordan Harrison's new play poses the question, "What are we willing to give up to find happiness?"

Theatre Vertigo's staged reading of Maple and Vine is free and will be presented on May 20th at 7:30 pm. It will feature Vertigo ensemble members Britt Harris and Joel Harmon, and will be directed by Vertigo ensemble member Karen Wennstrom.

ANONYMOUS THEATRE

Anonymous Theatre Presents The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder.
Monday, August 12th at 7pm

This groundbreaking satiric fantasy follows the extraordinary Antrobus family down through the ages from the time of "The War," surviving flood, fire, pestilence, locusts, the ice age, the pox and the double feature, a dozen subsequent wars and as many depressions. Ultimately, they are the stuff of which heroes and buffoons are made. Their survival is a vividly theatrical testament of faith in humanity. 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Individual tickets now on sale here: Buy Tickets

THEATRE VERTIGO'S 2013-2014 PERFORMANCE SPACE

At its annual season auction on March 19, Theatre Vertigo revealed not only its 2013-2014 Season selection of plays, but also the long-anticipated news of where these plays will be produced.

"We have a short-term plan and a long-term plan," said Kerry Ryan, longtime Vertigo member. "Short-term, we are excited to share the news that we will be joining the Northwest Classical Theatre Company at the Shoebox Theatre at 2110 SE 10th Avenue. As to the future, the wheels are already in motion to collaborate with NWCTC to create a new Southeast arts space."

After recently losing its long-time lease in the Theater! Theatre! building on SE Belmont, there were many speculations as to where Vertigo would land for next year's season. Rumors circulated that it might move west of the river, leaving Southeast Portland with even less theatre.

Vertigo's future plans, though still in their infancy, will hopefully fill the void left by the closing of the Theater! Theatre! space, which housed three resident arts companies and dozens of renters. In the interim, however, Vertigo expressed enthusiasm for its temporary home.

"Vertigo has always been a visceral and intimate company," said Brooke Calcagno, Vertigo company member. "We are looking forward to bringing our audiences even closer to the action by performing in the Shoebox Theatre."

The Shoebox is smaller than Vertigo's current space. To make up for limited availability, Vertigo announced that it will add a Sunday matinee to its regular Thursday through Saturday evening schedule.

Vertigo envisions many exciting design opportunities with the smaller theatre. "Audiences can expect a set that is not only in front of them, but completely around them," said Kerry Ryan.

Vertigo will end its tenure at the Theater! Theatre! Building with its spring production of Naomi Iizuka's Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls, opening May 10, followed by its annual hit Anonymous Theatre at the Gerding Theatre at the Armory which will be The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder on Monday, August 12, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. And then it's back to the Southeast, albeit in a new temporary home.

"We are committed to this community," said Joe Shallenburger, President of the Board. "It is our priority to provide cutting-edge, professional, and affordable and theatre in this part of the city."

ANNOUNCING OUR 2013-2014 SEASON

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A new and shocking version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of depravity, lust, love and horror. On the fog-bound streets of Victorian-era London, Henry Jekyll's experiments have brought forth his other self - Edward Hyde, a sensualist and villain free to commit the sins Jekyll is too civilized to comprehend. When Hyde meets a woman who stirs his interest, Jekyll fears for her life and decides to end his experiments. But Hyde has other ideas, and so the two sides battle each other in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse to determine who shall be the master and who his slave.

The End of Sex: Pharmaceutical scientist Samantha Braddock has spent her life in the shadow of her grad school lab partner, who stole her research and claimed a patent that launched his career. Years later, while competing at the same company on a new product, she accidentally creates a drug that remaps sexual sensation. Sam is suddenly thrust into the spotlight, overshadowing her old rival. But as her professional life comes into bloom, her personal life unravels, and the repercussions of a drug that lets you have "sex without sex" begins to make wider ripples than she ever imagined possible. Theatre Vertigo presents the World Premiere of Craig Jessen's provocative comedy.

The School For Lies: It's 1666 and the brightest, wittiest salon in Paris is that of Celimene, a beautiful young widow so known for her satiric tongue she's being sued for it. Surrounded by shallow suitors, Celimene has managed to evade love since her beloved husband died - until today, when Frank appears. Known for his own sparkling wit and acidic misanthropy, Frank turns Celimene's world upside-down, taking on her suitors, matching her barb for barb, and teaching her how to live again. This wild farce of furious tempo and stunning verbal display, all in very contemporary couplets, runs variations on Molière's The Misanthrope, which inspired it.

2013-2014 SEASON PASSES

• On Sale Now! Save $15 with a Season Pass PLUS!
• Get your tickets here: Buy Tickets