World Premiere of “Astoria” Captivates Portland Center Stage Audience

Members of the Overland Party in "Astoria: Part One.

Portland, OR. It was standing room only at the opening night for the world premiere of PCS artistic director Chris Coleman’s Astoria: Part One. Based on Peter Stark’s book Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire, A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival, the play follows Jefferson and Astor’s quest to set up trade routes in the Pacific in the early 1800s. (Photo credit, Jennie Baker) It runs through Feb. 12th. Click here for a link to tickets:

Part One is about the journey to Astoria and Part Two (premiering January, 2018) is about the establishment of Astoria, the first permanent United States settlement on the West Coast.

Broadway star Rodney Hicks, “Astoria” director/adaptor Chris Coleman, and OPB Oregon Art Beat producer Katrina Sarson.

Members of the “Astoria” creative team: Cutter/Draper Paula Buchert, Costume Shop Manager Alex Wren Meadows and Production Assistant Will Bailey.

Members of the cast of “Astoria”: Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Ben Rosenblatt and Christopher Salazar

Tyler Burnet, Peter Stark, Peter’s wife, the dancer, choreographer and writer Amy Ragsdale, Leif Norby and Christopher Hirsh.

Astoria Sound Designer Matthew M. Nielson, Stage Manager Mark Tynan and Actor Christopher Hirsh.

Here are some photos from the produciton (photo credit, Jennie Baker)

Ben Newman as Simon Reznor, Leif Norby as Edward Robinson, Gavin Hoffman as Hoback, Shawn Fagan as Wilson Price Hunt and Jeremy Aggers as Donald Mackenzie.
Photo by Jennie Baker.

Shaun Taylor-Corbett as a Shoshone guide and Leif Norby as John Jacob Astor in “Astoria: Part One.” Jennie Baker

Members of the Overland Party meeting with Arikara Chiefs. Michael Morrow Hammack as John Reed, Shawn Fagan as Wilson Price Hunt, Brandon Contreras as Pierre Dorion, Christopher Salazar as Le Gauche, Shaun Taylor-Corbett as Les Yeux Gris, Jeremy Aggers as Donald Mackenzie and Benjamin Tissell as Ramsay Crooks in “Astoria: Part One.” Jennie Baker

Members of the cast in “Astoria: Part One.” Photo by Kate Szrom. Jennie Baker

From PCS:

Adapted from the best-selling true story by Peter Stark, this harrowing dual journey — one over land, one by sea — will be told with a cast of sixteen actors. At a time when the edge of American settlement barely reached beyond the Appalachian Mountains, two visionaries — President Thomas Jefferson and millionaire John Jacob Astor — foresaw that one day the Pacific would dominate world trade as much as the Atlantic did in their day. Just two years after the Lewis and Clark expedition concluded in 1806, Jefferson and Astor turned their sights westward once again. Thus began one of history’s dramatic but largely forgotten turning points in the conquest of the North American continent. This monumental piece of American history will be told in two parts over the course of two seasons at Portland Center Stage. Part One is the journey to Astoria and Part Two is about the establishment of Astoria, the first permanent United States settlement on the West Coast.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.