Portland, OR. The Red Lion Jantzen Beach Hotel, was packed with over 600 supporters on February 23rd for the IMAGINE Dinner & Auction. The 10th annual event raised $460,000. IMAGINE is the theme because Northwest Association for Blind Athletes imagines life-changing opportunities through sports and physical activities for all children, youth, and adults who are blind or visually impaired. (Photo credit, Andie Petkus)
Speakers included Billy Henry (Founder & Executive Director), Erik Selden (Board President), C.S. & Angela Sheffield (Presenting Sponsor), as well as many NWABA athletes, like Octavio, and his family, who shared their personal stories and experiences. The evening was co-hosted by Mark Matthias and Kim Capeloto, along with assistance from local NWABA Athletes, Jovany and Gabe.
Board President, Erik Selden, thanks the community for coming out to celebrate and support NWABA.
In front: Dr. Robin Virgin, Jim Virgin, Harrison Lynch, Billy Henry, Ashlyn Salzman, Carly Lowder, and Mason O’Lennick. In back: Kimberly Woodside, Jeff Woodside, Monica Gilberg, Jay Gilberg, and Marty Forsmann
A sea of supporters hold up bid cards high to win trips to Paris, Edinburgh, and Iceland!
Stacey Gibbins, Gabe, and Jovany. In back: Ella, Anita, Rick, Elwin, Logan, and Lillian.
Our Mission: To provide life-changing opportunities through sports and physical activity to individuals who are blind and visually impaired.
Our Vision: To be the national leader in transforming the quality of life for all individuals who are blind and visually impaired through participation in sports and physical activity.
Portland, OR. The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon (FCCO) is kicking off a countdown to its 100,000th spay/neuter surgery. Every cat which comes to the clinic between now and the 100,000th cat will be entered into a drawing to win $1,398. The number is intentional because according to the feral cat equation, one unaltered female and her offspring, can produce 1.398 million cats over the span of 10 years. To schedule an appointment with FCCO and enter the drawing, please call 503-797-2606 or go to feralcats.com.
Organizers say the drawing is a way for the nonprofit to say “Thank You” and bring awareness to how quickly cats can multiply.
Having spayed and neutered more than 97,000 cats since the program was established by local veterinarians in 1995, FCCO is encouraging the community to help spay/neuter feral, stray and pet cats as a simple, humane and effective way to curb pet overpopulation and reduce the number of homeless pets in Oregon and SW Washington.
“Our goal has always been to make spay/neuter clinics accessible and affordable to caregivers of feral and stray cats, and more recently pet owners that struggle financially. We are very proud to be reaching this incredible milestone with the help of so many people who care so deeply about cats,” said Karen Kraus, Executive Director of the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon. “As a community, we’re actively working together to combat pet overpopulation, ultimately reducing the number of homeless cats that come into our shelters, or are getting by on our streets.
About the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon:
The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, a 501c3 organization supported solely through donations, is a unique spay/neuter program with a state-of-the-art clinic for feral, stray, and pet cats serving over 22 counties in Oregon and SW Washington. Our mission is to improve the welfare and reduce the population of feral and stray cats through spay/neuter programs and education. Holding 4 clinics per week, spaying over 6,000 cats per year, enables us to prevent litters and reduce the number of animals for whom resources are not available. Our unique program offers feral and stray cat services to caregivers at no charge. Low-cost services are available for pet cats. For more information please visit feralcats.com.
Portland, OR. Local cinema fans are gearing up for the 42nd Portland International Film Festival which will run from March 7th through March 21st. The Northwest Film Center is revealing the 42nd Portland International Film Festival (PIFF 42) lineup.
The Opening Night selection is Amateurs from director Gabriela Pichler (Sweden, 2018). Here’s a description: In Pichler’s side-splitting and astute sophomore effort, the lightly fictional small town of Lafors, Sweden is potentially due for a big upgrade as the German megamart chain Superbilly picks their newest location. The Lafors city council, in direct competition with a neighboring town, seeks to differentiate themselves and lure in Superbilly by making a promotional video extolling the quaint hamlet’s virtues. But when local government employee Musse (Fredrik Dahl) has the brilliant idea to enlist local teens to make the video, two young immigrant students, Aida (Zahraa Aldoujaili) and Dana (Yara Ebrahim Eliadotter), take it upon themselves to film their reality and uncover the real Lafors, warts and all. A touching cross-generational comedy, Amateurs gently skewers the provincialism and nationalism running through today’s Europe. (102 mins.) In Swedish, English, Arabic, Tamil, Kurdish, and Bosnian with English subtitles.
Here’s more information about the Film Festival’s opening night and other special screenings:
Amateurs will screen simultaneously on Opening Night at the Whitsell Auditorium, located in the Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park Ave) and at Regal Fox Tower 10 (846 SW Park Ave). Here’s a trailer for the film:
Opening Night Screening times:
March 7 – Thursday 7:30 p.m. (Whitsell Auditorium)
The Northwest Film Center and Regal Cinemas invite you to join us for our Opening Night screening of Gabriela Pichler’s Amateurs at Regal Fox Tower or the Northwest Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium followed by our Opening Night party in the Portland Art Museum’s Fred and Suzanne Fields Ballroom. Celebrate this year’s festival with Sponsored by Bulleit Bourbon, Ketel One Botanical and Tanqueray London Dry Gin. Co-hosts Elk Cove Winery Adelsheim Vineyard, Pike Road Wines, Rogue Brewery, World Foods, CHEFSTABLE Catering, and XRAY.fm.
Opening Night Film & Party tickets: $25 General Admission. The evening, and all other PIFF and regularly-priced, year-round Film Center screenings—nearly 500 annually— are free for Silver Screen Director, Producer, and Premiere Circle members.
ADDITIONAL FESTIVAL DETAILS
Following Opening Night, PIFF retains a sizable presence downtown and throughout the city with screenings at the Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, located inside the Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park Avenue), Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Avenue), Regal Fox Tower (846 SW Park Avenue), the Empirical Theater at OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave.), and Cinemagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd.).
Over the past 41 years, the Festival has populated its schedule with diverse and innovative films for an audience of more than 40,000 annually from throughout the Northwest. As Oregon’s largest, most culturally diverse film event, the Portland International Film Festival pulls together a multi-faceted experience with over 130 films (88 features and 48 shorts) and special events presenting a full spectrum of features, documentaries, and shorts – featuring works by both returning masters and emerging talents.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
ASH IS PUREST WHITE
Dir. Jia Zhangke
China | France | Japan, 2018
Jia’s 11th feature is a piercing tale of lost love, following Qiao (Zhao Tao, in one of the year’s fiercest and most heartbreaking performances) and her mob-boss boyfriend Bin (Liao Fan), rulers of the Datong underworld at the turn of the 21st century. When a rival gang threatens Bin’s life, Qiao acts in defense, setting off a series of life-changing events that see her traveling hand-to-mouth across the country—and notably through Jia’s familiar Three Gorges Dam region—in search of Bin and the life she left behind. Spanning decades and moving across vast swaths of China’s diverse physical and psychic landscape as seen through the eyes of one woman scorned, Ash is Purest White is “Zhao’s finest showcase to date—for the way she uses grace, intelligence, and humor with a dexterity that’s perfectly suited for the register of Jia’s aesthetically and thematically diverse film.”—Sam C. Mac, Slant Magazine. (137 mins.) In Mandarin with English subtitles. Trailer: https://youtu.be/SOCpXuHQAZQ
MAYA
Dir. Mia Hansen-Løve
France | Germany, 2018
In this gently-plucked-from-the-headlines, warmly intimate film, war reporter Gabriele (Roman Kolinka) returns to France, along with his colleague Frédéric (ever-reliable Alex Descas), after being released from a hostage situation in Syria. Unable to resettle comfortably after his harrowing experience, he travels to India, meeting with family friends including Maya (Aarshi Banerjee in a winning, breakout performance), a young woman searching for her next step in life. Gabriele’s family has a history in Goa, including their dilapidated rural home where he settles, while his estranged mother lives in a seaside town; past and present meet in the search for his future. Shot on luminous 35mm by star cinematographer Hélène Louvart, Hansen-Løve’s latest is a tender ode to life’s chance meetings and the ways they affect our future selves in unexpected and invigorating ways. “Beguiling…sinks deep under your skin because of how adamantly it refuses to get stuck in place.”—David Erhlich, Indiewire. (107 mins.) In French and English with English subtitles.
Assayas’ (Personal Shopper, Clouds of Sils Maria) latest is perhaps best explained by its original French title, which roughly translates to “double lives.” Set in the book publishing world, this funny, insightful film follows Alain (Guillaume Canet), a publisher broadly past his prime, and his wife Selena (the ever-charming Juliette Binoche), a well-known film and television actress, as they navigate changing methods of the public’s artistic consumption. An almost-washed-up novelist (Vincent Macaigne) wants to publish his latest book with Alain, but larger forces intervene in many ways, causing the two men to reexamine both their places in the world and the necessity of storytelling in an increasingly fragmented artistic landscape. Finely tuned to the dynamics of change, Assayas crafts a warm, empathetic film about the anxiety of the unknown. (108 mins.) In French with English subtitles.
Turkey | Republic of Macedonia | France | Germany | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Sweden, 2018
Continuing in the long-take, deeply intimate and conversational vein of much of his previous work, Ceylan’s latest is one of the year’s most beautifully-shot films. Sinan (Dogu Demirkol), an aspiring writer fresh out of college, returns to his childhood village in search of inspiration, grounding, and funds as he tries to write and publish his first novel. But returning home unearths a complex web of emotion, as Sinan’s addict father (Murat Cemcir) coaxes forth the personal struggle between familial responsibility and creative freedom—plus the hard work that goes along with both, even when telling your own story. A deeply perceptive and engaging film, with The Wild Pear Tree “Ceylan delivers what might be his funniest, most politically poignant work yet. It also happens to be achingly personal.”—Bilge Ebiri, The Village Voice. Turkey’s foreign-language Oscar submission. (188 mins.) In Turkish with English subtitles.
Adapted from Anna Seghers’ 1944 masterpiece novel, with Transit Petzold transports the story of those fleeing the Nazis during WWII to modern-day Marseille—with a crucial twist. Franz Rogowski turns in a career-making performance as Georg, an average man trying to escape France. Asked to deliver papers to a subversive author, Georg instead becomes caught in an existential cat-and-mouse game, taking on the identity of a presumed-dead doctor and becoming involved with the doctor’s mysterious lover Marie (Paula Beer), who also longs to escape the increasingly claustrophobic confines of wartime France. Petzold, the unofficial leader of the “Berlin school” of filmmaking, delivers perhaps his finest work to date with the taut, crystallineTransit. “White-hot…lean, rigorous filmmaking.”—Steve Macfarlane, Slant Magazine. (101 mins.) In German, French, and French Sign Language with English subtitles.
Hamaguchi’s feature filmmaking career started with a bang with 2015’s incredible Happy Hour, but his latest is no sophomore slump; rather, it’s full of invention. Asako I & II follows the titular 21-year-old Osaka woman (Erika Karata) who falls in love with the charmingly vacant Baku (Masahiro Higashide). One day, Baku mysteriously vanishes, but when, two years later, Asako meets what appears to be his look-alike in Tokyo, her world is thrown upside-down. Crisply shot and beautifully acted, Asako I & II plays like a strange kind of contemporary ghost story, one in which ghosts of the recent past appear in the most unexpected of ways. “Intoxicating. Hamaguchi’s mastery is making you hang on every moment to see how he undercuts or develops on his thesis. It’s thrilling to try and guess where he’ll take the story next.”—Davey Jenkins, Little White Lies. (119 mins.) In Japanese with English subtitles.
Chile | Brazil | Argentina | Netherlands | Qatar, 2018
In this angular, sun-faded coming-of-age drama, Sotomayor Castillo excavates a certain feeling of youth in a teenage girl on the verge of adulthood: too old for naivete, too young for the hurt that comes with fledgling romance just outside the bounds of playground love. At a gathering of families seeking utopian, communal living in the mountains outside Santiago, 16-year-old Sofia (newcomer Demian Hernández) undergoes profound changes—her father increasingly distant, her mother nowhere in sight, and her slightly older love interest just out of firm grasp—scaffolding into a familiar feeling of tender malaise. As the harshness of the Pinochet regime began to fade from view in the early 1990s, Sofia—and so many like her—became an adult. Winner, Golden Leopard for Best Director, 2018 Locarno Film Festival. (110 mins.) In Spanish with English subtitles.
Under General Francisco Franco’s fascist military dictatorship in Spain, lasting from 1939 until his death in 1975, the Spanish people endured unspeakable atrocities, with dissidents regularly tortured and killed and the country held in the thrall of state violence. Over six years of painstaking work, Bahar and Carracedo focus on the victims of this violent history, following groundbreaking legal proceedings in Argentinian courts geared toward bringing some of Franco’s most notorious lieutenants—many of whom still have streets and other public spaces named after them—to final justice. A film by turns an excavation, a deeply emotional journey to justice, and a vital portrait of a country coming to grips with its fascist past, The Silence of Others is a necessary affirmation of the will to live and the fight for lives free from violence. (96 mins.) In Spanish with English subtitles.
The question posed by the title of Astra Taylor’s (Examined Life, Zizek!) latest documentary is undoubtedly a huge one with massive implications for contemporary global society—but this piercingly forthright and wide-ranging film is surely up to the task. Shot over several years, What is Democracy? seeks to answer some of civilization’s most pressing questions, using illuminating interviews with such luminaries as Silvia Federici, Wendy Brown, Cornel West, and many others to expand our knowledge of this well-spread political system and give us some sense of its future in the age of Trump and Brexit. Beyond the experts, however, Taylor’s focus expands to the immigration crisis currently gripping Europe and the US, fashioning a brilliant film that will leave your mind churning with ideas. What is Democracy? “serves as a sharp reminder to pay attention to politics and to remember that the personal and the local are political.”—Charlie Phillips,The Guardian. (117 mins.) In English.
Dir. Santiago Caicedo | Paola Gaviria (Power Paola)
Colombia | Ecuador, 2017
Based on beloved Colombian-Ecuadorian artist Power Paola’s graphic novel of the same name, Virus Tropicalis a brilliantly line-drawn, gorgeous black-and-white film covering roughly twenty years in the life of Paola, born to an average middle-class Bogotá family. Paola is a mischievous, spirited girl, blossoming into a headstrong young woman who’s something of an outsider. The filmmakers beautifully capture Paola’s—and her family’s—travails including new children, domestic dramas, upheavals, and the normal stuff of life, crafting a film of subtle power and nuanced emotional intelligence. “An amazing look at a life that feels both familiar and exotic, and if we look inward, perhaps all of our own adventures have the potential to fascinate in the same way.”—Josh Hurtado, Screen Anarchy. Winner, Audience Award, 2018 SXSW Film Festival. Ages 16+. (97 mins.) In Spanish with English subtitles.
In addition to the Opening Night film, the festival will host a Focus on Lucrecia Martel. Lucrecia Martel is the most important woman director in Latin America and among the finest directors in contemporary world cinema. Her already-storied career consists of four features spanning 16 years and numerous short films mostly made in the 1990s and early 2000s. Her first three features—La Ciénaga (2001), The Holy Girl (2004), and The Headless Woman (2008)— are all set in her native Argentina within a middle-class milieu and concerned with alienation, desire, and trauma as they play out specifically for women in this culture which Martel knows intimately. Her most recent feature, Zama (2017), an adaptation of the Antonio Benedetto’s novel, concerns the travails of a mid-level colonial bureaucrat in 18th-century Paraguay, and has appeared
on myriad best-of-2018 lists. All four of Martel’s features have premiered at the
world’s most prestigious film festivals, including Berlin, Cannes, and Venice, and her precise, exacting use of cinematic framing, sound, and uncanny acting make her
work uniquely thrilling in the broader landscape of the festival circuit. Marked by inconsistent funding, perhaps owing to her unique stylistic concerns, Martel’s relatively scant output (in the wider scheme of film production trends) is illustrative of the hurdles women directors often face when getting their work made and presented on screen, at festivals, and in distribution. Despite this, Martel has become one of international cinema’s most important and treasured voices.
As in past years, the festival features an abundance of short films. This year’s lineup features over 50 memorable snapshots from around the world and here in Oregon.
include LAIKA, The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, Travel Portland, The Oregonian, and many others.
The Northwest Film Center is a regional media arts organization offering a variety of exhibition, education programs, and artist services throughout the region. The Center presents a program of foreign, classic, experimental, and independent works year-round at the Whitsell Auditorium, located in the Portland Art Museum. For more information, visit www.nwfilm.org.
Portland, OR. There’s a new exhibit at the Japanese Gardens and it features Suiseki, which is the Japanese art of stone appreciation. Formed over centuries by wind, water and erosion, viewing stones are valued for their distinct shape, color, and texture. Viewing stones take many forms including distant mountains, plunging cascades, and other natural wonders. Traditionally, they are placed on a fine bed of sand in shallow bronze or ceramic trays creating distillations of nature enjoyed indoors.
The Ice and Stone Suiseki Viewing Stone exhibition at Portland Japanese Garden (through March 24) features more than two dozen pieces from the Jim and Alice Greaves collection at the prestigious Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. The exhibition is curated by Huntington Cultural Curator, Robert Hori.“Since ancient time, people in Japan have found beauty in rocks and cherished them for their unique patterning. They evoke the grandeur of nature,” said Hori.
“Since ancient time, people in Japan have found beauty in rocks and cherished them for their unique patterning. They evoke the grandeur of nature,” said Hori.
To commemorate this year’s 60th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Portland and Sapporo, located on the island of Hokkaido, the stones are paired with black and white photography of rugged Hokkaido landscapes by Northwest photographer Michael Kenna. The commonalities of Portland and Sapporo remind us that the Pacific Ocean is not a barrier but a bridge between our two countries.
Ice and Stone is the first of four Art in the Garden exhibitions of 2019. It is included with Garden admission (adult $16.95) and is on display in both the Tanabe and Pavilion Galleries.
Portland Japanese Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since opening year-round to visitors in 1967, the Garden has been immersing its guests in beautiful scenery while they experience the art and culture of Japan. Celebrated as one of the most authentic Japanese Gardens outside of Japan, the Portland Japanese Garden features eight separate garden styles on its 12-acre site.
Portland, OR. United Way partners with H&R Block to offer MyFreeTaxes.com, free online tax preparation and filing for anyone making less than $66,000 a year. Now in its 10th year, 1.1 million people have used MyFreeTaxes.com, bringing more than $1.4 billion in tax refunds back to local communities.
If your household earned less than $66,000 in 2018, you can file both your federal and state returns for free using MyFreeTaxes.com. This is the only free, national, online tax-filing product offered by a nonprofit. United Way has made it available to over 100 million U.S. taxpayers as part of its fight for the financial stability of every person in every community.
From United Way of Greater Portland:
United Way of Greater Portland, together with committed partners and donors, are working toward lasting large-scale change around our community’s shared vision, Thrive2027. We build powerful partnerships across our region and innovate the way people, organizations, and systems work together to improve education, financial stability, and health for every person in Greater Portland.
The collaborations we forge with community partners are powered by the collective community and led by United Way. Organizations and individuals come together around a common agenda – Thrive2027 – with shared goals, strategies, data, and guiding principles. We build on strategies that are known to achieve the best results, and we rigorously evaluate our progress. Working together, we are capable of achieving real and lasting population-level impact. This is the collective impact model.
Learn about our partners and how we all move towards the same clear goals.
Portland, OR. The Milagro Latino Theatre company is featuring The North American Premiere of La Segua, a cautionary tale by playwright Alberto Cañas Escalante. La Segua transports audience members to 17th Century Costa Rica where ambition, narcissism, and madness abound. Inspired by the legend of la Segua, Cañas crafts a story of two young lovers who are haunted by a ghost standing in the way of their happiness and sanity. The play runs through March 2nd at the Milagro Theatre, at 525 SE Stark Street, in Portland.
NOTE: La Segua is a Spanish Language Show with English supertitles
(Photo credit, Russell J Young)
Here’s more information about the show:
Performances are through March 2nd, 2019
Thursday – Saturday at 7:30 PM, Sunday at 2 PM
TICKETS: Adult tickets are $27 in advance, $32 at the door.
Senior tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door.
Student/ Veteran tickets are $20 in Advance, $25 at the door.
Special Pricing: Preview tickets are $18 in advance, $22 at the door
Opening night pricing: $40 for all general admission tickets
Additional discounts for groups 15+, and welcomes Arts for All pricing.
Buy tickets: 503-236-7253 or milagro.org or https://milagro.org/event/la-segua/
At Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark Street, Portland
ABOUT THE PLAY
In the city of Cartago in colonial Costa Rica, a beautiful woman, Encarnación Sancho, is haunted by the spectre of La Segua, who appeared to her former suitor, driving him mad. Blaming herself, Encarnación resists starting a new relationship with a new suitor, Camilo de Aguilar, a fortune-seeking adventurer who has fallen in love with her. In La Segua, Cañas takes a hard look at Costa Rican values, including ambition, hypocrisy, and follows themes of machismo, vanity, and narcissism. A cautionary tale for all to heed.
ABOUT THE LA SEGUA LEGEND
La Segua is a Costa Rican legend designed to scare men into being loyal and staying close to home at night. As men wander home, often drunk, a patch of fog appears, and in it stands a beautiful woman, with porcelain skin, long black hair, and big dark eyes.
Charmed by her beauty and forgetful of their relationships, the men offer to accompany her home. But when they turn to look at her, their dream is really a nightmare. The beautiful woman has disappeared and has been replaced by a monster with a horse’s head, accompanied by burning red eyes and big yellow teeth, terrifying the men (sometimes to the point of killing them) and in some cases making them lose their minds.
La Segua has a variety of origin stories in Costa Rica. One version says that in colonial Cartago, a young woman fell in love with a Spanish officer who eventually left her, prompting her to wander the streets of the city forever, on the lookout for men to torment as revenge. Another version relates that also in Cartago, the town’s most beautiful young woman was invited to a dance by a wealthy Spaniard. However, her family refused to let her attend due to his “don Juan” (term for a man who seduces women) reputation. The young woman lashed out at her mother and was punished by an otherworldly force who made it so that men would always be drawn to her because of her body but would flee when they saw her horse face.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Alberto Cañas Escalante (16 March 1920 – 14 June 2014) was Costa Rican politician, writer, intellectual, public servant, and journalist. He is considered one of the most important figures in the cultural, political, and social life of Costa Rica during the latter half of the twentieth century. Among his many achievements, he was Vice Minister of International Relations (1955–1956) and was the first Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports (1970). In 1971, he founded the National Theatre Company (Compañía Nacional de Teatro.)
He wrote La Segua in the late 1960s in an effort to reconnect and modernize myths and legends, especially his own. The play premiered as the closing performance of the First Central American Festival of Collegiate Theatre in 1971, and was revived by the National Theatre Company in 2015 in his honor after his death in 2014.
In La Segua, Cañas draws on Costa Rican folklore to criticize the country’s attitudes toward beauty, a message impactful far beyond Costa Rica and long after the play’s 1971 debut. In an epilogue to the play, Cañas explains that he wanted to play with mythology, and he found his chance while glancing through a history book. He stumbled upon the story of two women who were accused of being witches in colonial Costa Rica. In the account, Cañas saw the perfect moment for la Segua to appear. In the play, she doesn’t actually make an appearance, but her presence is alluded to and feared.
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Carlos Escalante Macaya was born in Barcelona, Spain of Costa Rican parents. He studied at the University of Costa Rica in the School of Musical Arts. During his studies, in 1992, he won the “September 15” Permanent Central American Contest for his piece “Violin and Piano Sonata”. In 1995 his opera “The Two of Us”, book by Carlos Tapia, was produced at the National Lyric Company. He has written music for orchestras as well as chamber music, film scores, choral music, music for dance, and a large variety of incidental music for theatre. He moved to Cape Town, South Africa in 2000, where he completed his post-graduate studies with Maestro Peter Klatzow, a former student of famed French composer Nadia Boulanger. He currently teaches at the National Music Institute and the University of Costa in the School of Musical Arts.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Roy Antonio Arauz is a Costa Rican-American director, choreographer, and Milagro’s Producing Creative Director since 2016. Select directing credits: Anna in the Tropics (Latino Theatre Projects); The Gene Pool, The Temperamentals, The Hen Night Epiphany (Arouet); La Mariposa (Book-It, touring); My Mañana Comes(Associate Director, ArtsWest); Annie, The Music Man (Driftwood Players); The Humans (Assistant, Artists Rep); Éxodo (Co-director, Milagro). Choreography credits include: Female Hitchhikers(Consenting Adults, Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Choreography); Annie, The Wizard of Oz (Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theatre.) He founded and was artistic director of Arouet in Seattle from 2011–2015, and is a founding member of Theatre9/12, where he was mentored by Charles Waxberg. He is a member of the Latinx Theatre Commons Steering Committee, the 2015 Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, and the 2016 Directors Lab West.
LA SEGUA
By Alberto Cañas Escalante
Original music by Carlos Escalante Macaya
Directed by Roy Antonio Arauz
ENSEMBLE
Johanna Echavarría | Encarnación Sancho
David Cabassa | Camilo De Aguilar
Patricia Alvitez | Manuela/Petronila
Laura Di Mare | Baltasara/María Francisca
Enrique Andrade | José Manuel Sancho
Carlos Adrián Manzano | Ensemble Marian Mendez | Ensemble
Elizabeth Vizcaíno | Ensemble
From Milagro:
The Milagro MainStage theatre company produces a full season of regional or world premieres, including one Spanish language play each year, as well as its long-running Día de Muertos signature production.
Teatro Milagro, Milagro’s touring and arts education program, presents its original bilingual plays and educational residencies to diverse and underserved communities across the nation. Milagro provides a home for Latino arts and culture at El Centro Milagro, where it enriches the local community with a variety of community engagement projects and educational programs designed to share the diversity of Latino culture.
Portland, OR. Stan Foote, Artistic Director of Oregon Children’s Theatre (OCT), announced his plan to retire at the end of the 2018-2019 season. Foote began working with Oregon Children’s Theatre in 1991 and was named its first Artistic Director in 2001. Across his 28-year tenure, he directed nearly 50 plays and shepherded the creation of 20 brand- new scripts based on beloved books for children and families.
These adaptations include collaborations with award-winning children’s’ authors such as Lois Lowry (The Giver) and Louis Sachar (Holes) and became a hallmark of OCT’s rise to national prominence amongst its peers.
OCT made the announcement:
Originally hired to develop OCT’s education programs, Foote is responsible for creating and shaping the company’s acclaimed Acting Academy and Young Professionals Company, as well as programs that are delivered in schools and the community. Under his artistic direction, the company has grown to be the region’s largest provider of performing arts experiences for young people.
Stan Penkin, OCT’s board president said, “Meeting Stan some eight years ago was a special moment for me,” said Penkin. “I was immediately captured by his wonderful soul, his obvious caring for children and his dedication to helping transform lives. His exceptional character, tireless spirit, and unquestionable integrity are deeply embedded in an organization that will miss his presence.”
On making his decision to retire, Foote stated, “It has been a joy and an honor to be the Artistic Director of OCT. I am grateful to the staff, board, patrons, artistic community, business partners, and my peers in the field of theatre for young audiences for embracing me, guiding me, and traveling on this creative journey with me. I am humbled by their trust and support and could not have done it without them. By the way, I see sunny beaches in my future. Salud!”
OCT’s Managing Director, Ross McKeen, expressed his admiration for Foote and his confidence in the company’s future. “Working alongside Stan as co-leaders over the past 12 years has been a gift for me. His artistic vision in this field is remarkable. More than that, he has given this company a solid foundation of guiding values and vision, particularly in his respect and care for young people and his commitment to reaching every child.”
Foote’s innumerable contributions to Oregon Children’s Theatre will be recognized at OCT’s annual evening gala on August 24, 2019, and a campaign to honor his legacy will be launched this spring. (octc.org/gala). Foote is currently directing OCT’s 20th world premiere production, The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors, and will continue as Artistic Director until September 2019. At that time, Associate Artistic Director Marcella Crowson will serve as Interim Artistic Director while OCT’s Board of Directors make plans for filling the role permanently.
About Oregon Children’s Theatre:
Since 1988, Oregon Children’s Theatre has been creating extraordinary theater for young audiences. We bring great stories to life on stage, with productions distinguished by their professional polish and awe- inspiring staging. For many children, attending an OCT production is their first experience with professional performing arts.
Our work is grounded in the belief that theater and storytelling can educate, inspire, empower, and entertain in remarkable ways. Each season, we reach more than 125,000 children and families through: unforgettable theater productions that delight and inspire families and school groups; Acting Academy programs that teach the craft of theater while fostering life skills; and dynamic performances, classes, workshops, and residencies in schools and in the community that use theater and storytelling to teach and inspire.
OCT was created by Sondra Pearlman as the “Theatre for Young People” under the auspices of the Portland Civic Theatre in 1988. When Portland Civic Theatre closed its doors in 1990, Pearlman formed Oregon Children’s Theatre with the goal of providing children their first exposure to theater and the performing arts through field trip performances. Since that start, we evolved by adding family performances and robust arts education programs.
Portland, OR. This is the largest donation in the Dougy Center’s 36-year history. Kimberly Wuepper Rudick, a local agent with New York Life Insurance Company, presented the $1 million check on February 8th. Ashleigh Gunter, The Dougy Center’s Board Chair and Brennan Wood, The Dougy Center’s Executive Director were on hand for the presentation. The grant will fund expansion of The Dougy Center’s program development trainings in the U.S. and round the world.
Based in Portland, Ore., The Dougy Center provides peer-based support programs for children, teens, young adults and their families grieving the death of a parent or sibling.
Portland, OR. What’s the biggest event of the year for the Oregon Humane Society? The Doggie Dash. Registration opens Thursday, February 14th and is free until March 31. Doggie Dash is a Portland tradition and one of the largest gatherings of pets and people in the country.
In 2018, more than 7,000 people and thousands of pets converged on Waterfront Park for the epic celebration.
Doggie Dash is also the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Oregon Humane Society. Donations raised by Dashers help fund critical life-saving services including adoptions, veterinary care, pet behavior services, disaster response and help for abused and neglected animals.
What – Oregon Humane Society Doggie Dash
When – 7:30 a.m. registration, 9 a.m. run/walk, Saturday, May 11
Where – Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Naito Parkway and SW Stark
Participants can sign up for a specific wave time and have the option of a 1.5 or 2.5 mile loop. A huge pet festival with entertainment, raffles, a free pancake breakfast and activities will greet finishers. Dashers who raise $500 or more will have access to a VIP area with snacks, bag and coat check and deluxe bathroom facilities. Prizes are also available for Dashers who reach specific fundraising levels. New for 2019 – the first 100 Dashers who raise $25 will receive an adorable pair of pet-themed slippers.
Dog-less dashers, cat fans and all animal-lovers are welcome at this fun event!
Some quick facts about the Oregon Humane Society:
In 2018, OHS found homes for more than 12,000 pets. It was the ninth year that adoptions exceeded 11,000 and the first time 12,000 pets found their new home through OHS.
OHS receives no tax dollars and relies on private donations to help pets in need.
The OHS medical team provides free and low-cost spay and neuter surgeries for thousands of pets owned by low-income families.
In 2018, OHS’s Second Chance program set another record by welcoming more than 8,000 pets from shelters around the region, across the country and from areas affected by disasters.
From Basic Manners to Reactive Rover, OHS offers dozens of pet behavior classes and workshops plus a free pet behavior helpline.
OHS educators reach more than 12,000 youths and about 2,000 adults annually through humane education programs.
The Oregon Humane Society is the Northwest’s oldest and largest humane society, with one of the highest adoption rates in the nation. OHS receives no government funds for its adoption, education, medical and behavior programs. Visit oregonhumane.org for more information.
Seattle, WA. Matt Broshat made news by pedaling the perimeter of the U.S. to raise money for his favorite charity, Young Life. On February 5th, the 26-year-old boxed up his bike and flew home to Minnesota. Matt Broshat had biked 11,075 miles, starting in August in Portland and ending in the Rose City, 176 days later. Along the way, he surpassed his fundraising goal by $5,000, raising nearly $30,000 for Young Life Capernaum. It’s a nonprofit program for students with disabilities. The money will be used to send kids to summer camp and other events.
Matt Broshat grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from the University of Minnesota. He quit his job at Land O’Lakes to take on the bike trip, camping and staying with volunteer hosts along the way. “I’ve been overwhelmed with the support and encouragement from thousands of people this whole entire journey. I feel like some kind of celebrity, but in reality I am just a guy who likes bikes, a challenge and doing ministry,” he explained.
176 days and 11,075 miles later, Matt Broshat marked his arrival back to Portland with a selfie.
Matt Broshat’s route took him to Maine, Florida and San Diego, CA.
This is a photo, taken on Day 32, shows Matt overlooking Lake Michigan.
As he completed his ride, Matt Broshat made a list of experiences, writing:
“I can’t pin down a specific emotion to describe it, but there were many things running through my head:
-The risk I took to quit a job and seek an adventure of a lifetime
-The thousands of people who were part of my journey
-My friends and family who provided encouragement along the way
-The countless amount of poptarts and sardines required to make it all happen
-The overcoming of ACL surgery 1 year ago
-The prayers of many who helped to keep me safe throughout
-Those who donated to a ministry I love @younglife
-And the realization that I just biked the US perimeter!”
Matt Broshat is looking forward to time with friends and family now. You can keep up with his future plans on his website: https://www.bikerbroshat.com/.
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