Portland’s 9th Fertile Ground Festival Ready to Feature 70 + Events

Bi-Milagro featuring Justin Charles, Ajai Terrazas, Kenyon Acton, Sierra Brambila (Photo credit, Russell Young)

Portland, OR. Theatre, dance, circus, sketch comedy, music, and animation will all be featured in the Portland-grown 2018 Fertile Ground Festival (FG18). The 9th annual festival has over 100 “acts of creation” like Bi, a new play from the Milagro Theatre Company featuring Justin Charles, Ajai Terrazas, Kenyon Acton and Sierra Brambila (Photo credit, Russell Young). Members of Portland’s artistic community with perform in 32 venues all over the city for 11 days from January 18th to January 28th. Click here for a link to the schedule and to buy tickets.

Groovin’ Greenhouse 2018 NW Fusion Dance Company (photo credit, Alexander Dones)

Organized by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance, the key producers for the 2018 Festival include: Artists Repertory Theatre with the world premiere of Magellanica, Milagro with the world premiere of Bi-, along with works from regularly producing companies like Echo Theatre Company, Lakewood Theatre and Theatre Vertigo alongside emerging theatre companies, individual playwrights and choreographers. For FG18, Polaris Dance Theatre will again present the “Groovin’ Greenhouse” with a variety of choreographers and dance groups. PDXPlaywrights will present 12 new works events and Artists Rep will present eight lunchtime readings and one 6pm staged reading in partnership with LineStorm Playwrights.

Artists Rep’s Magellanica takes on climate science in epic play set in the South Pole. With a scope in the tradition of Angels in America, this play takes its inspiration from the true story of the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer at the height of the Cold War. Magellanica is a play written by Oregon playwright E.M. Lewis. Runtime is approximately 6 hours; there are three 10-minute intermissions and one 25-minute dinner break.

Here’s a synopsis: “In 1986, scientists and engineers from around the world converge at the South Pole Research Station to figure out, among other things, if there really is a hole in the sky. In the darkest, coldest, most dangerous place on Earth, eight imperfect souls are trapped together. Utterly isolated from the outside world for eight and a half months, this research team must face life or death challenges, their own inner demons and depend upon each other for survival.” (Magellanica Artists Rep image by Jeff Hayes.)

The High Captain, with be presented by the Clinton Street Theater. (Photo credit, JasonDodson)

Uncle Vanya – Scenes from Life in the Country in Four Acts features Ralph Huntley, Courtney Von Drehle, Joellen Sweeney, Prentice Onayemi, Jacob Coleman, Amber Whitehall (Photo credit, Owen Carey)

Velvet Theatre presents, Vertigo (photo credit, ZoeStuckless)

Stranger Than Fiction from the Echo Theater Company featuring Angela Bryant and Kraig Mead (photo credit, Kraig Mead)

From Fertile Ground:

Fertile Ground is an incubator for new work in all forms and stages of creation offering theatre and dance, workshops, staged readings, readings and multidisciplinary events – for 11 days, at all times of the day. Offering an astonishing breadth of creative work are seasoned theatre and dance companies alongside spunky, young art-creators of every ilk. A full list of Fertile Ground 2018 events can be found here.

FG18’s myriad of new works span theatre in long and short form, musical theatre, circus arts, sketch and improvisational comedy, animation, a wide variety of dance disciplines, social action through the arts, as well as the voices of youth, lesser heard voices and shows that are derived from audience participation. In addition to seasoned producers, dozens of emerging young producers, playwrights, choreographers and animators are also choosing to offer their work in this collaborative Portland showcase festival.

“Fertile Ground offers a place where everything that can be created by Portland artists is welcome,” said Nicole Lane, Fertile Ground Festival Director. “The aim of celebrating the creation of new work by Portland artists however they’d like to share it, and a training ground for new producers and producing artists. It is also a chance to inform audiences about the creation process, and to introduce Festival supporters to new artists, companies and a variety of art forms. This uncurated festival is like none other, it offers artists and audiences the opportunity to explore the wilds of art-making in a plethora of genres and at every point in the process.”

Fertile Ground Festival of New Work 2018

Presented by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance

Dates: January 18-28, 2018

Venue: Citywide, check website or Festival Guide for locations

Tickets: All ticket information at www.fertilegroundpdx.org

Individual event tickets sold through each producer

All can be accessed through www.fertilegroundpdx.org

Festival Passes: $50 – all-access event reservations – www.fertilegroundpdx.org

Description: 100+ “acts of creation” by Portland artists in an 11-day Festival. Patrons can purchase individual tickets to each show or buy a $50 all-access Festival Pass.

2018 Festival full event listings and descriptions can be found at www.fertilegroundpdx.org

Festival Guide: Printed Festival Guides are available in many theatre lobbies including Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Lakewood Theatre, Bag & Baggage, among others, or digitally at www.fertilegroundpdx.org

à All producer press photos available for download here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fertilegroundportland/albums/72157661473531698

à Name of show/producer/photo ID/photographer credit in the file name

TICKET & PASS INFORMATION

All festival ticket information can be accessed through: www.fertilegroundpdx.org

à All access Festival Passes are $50 and are available here: http://fertilegroundpdx.org/festival-passes-and-tickets/

à Single tickets for all festival events are purchased directly through the producing companies.

Links here: https://www.boxofficetickets.com/bot/wa/search?q=fertile+ground

FG18 PROGRAMMING INFORMATION

Full event listings including production descriptions, locations, times and ticket information here:

http://fertilegroundpdx.org/2018-works/

What Makes FERTILE GROUND Unique? Several theatre companies across the nation host “new works festivals” and nearly all of these festivals present “staged readings,” works-in-progress curated by the aesthetic of the producing company’s artistic staff. They are also typically genre-exclusive. In contrast, the Fertile Ground Festival presents a non-curated swath of fully staged world premiere productions in theatre and dance along with workshop and staged reading productions, as well as a large number of multidisciplinary works. This festival is the collaborative endeavor with our local artistic community to represent a broad diversity of creative forms for arts-curious audiences, in a quintessentially Portland manner.

Fertile Ground was launched by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance (the service organization for Portland theatre artists and organizations) in 2009 to provide a platform for Portland theatre companies to showcase their commitment to new work. The Festival has grown to embrace many forms of new works in art allowing arts lovers to discover Portland’s truly fertile ground for creativity, innovation and daring acts of performance.

The Fertile Ground Festival of New Work is presented by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance and is sponsored by Artslandia and The Oregonian/OregonLive.com.

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.