Artists Repertory Theatre Explores High Stakes Artistic Expression With “Indecent”
Portland, OR. Music, dance, artistic freedom, censorship, and a 1920’s lesbian love story, collide with the looming threat of the Holocaust in an award-winning play now being staged by Artists Repertory Theatre. Indecent by Paula Vogel, is part of Artists Repertory Theatre on Tour (ART) season, which is taking place as the company’s theater is undergoing renovation. The play features Michael Mendelson (picture above) and is being produced with Profile Theatre; the production takes place at Portland State University. Indecent is described as a backstage drama filled with music and the history of Jewish theatre. (Photo credit, Kathleen Kelly)
Miriam Schwartz and Jamie M Rea
“Our need to tell our own stories is one of the most ancient needs we have,” says Artistic Director of Profile Theatre and director of the play, Josh Hecht. “It’s not just the telling that is important. It’s the witnessing. It’s the confirmation that comes from speaking our truths and having someone else say, “Yes, that’s me, too. Yes, I recognize that. We may be different, but in this way we are the same.”
“This original production of Vogel’s acclaimed, moving, and ultimately joyous play is a collaboration between Profile Theatre, Artists Repertory Theatre (ART), and Portland State University (PSU),” says Dámaso Rodríguez, Artistic Director of Artists Repertory Theatre. “This ambitiousness and scale of this project, which affords opportunities for PSU students to interact with and learn from some of our city’s most accomplished theatre artists, might have been out of reach for all of our companies had we not combined our resources to make it possible.”
Here’s a video about the production:
Indecent runs through March 8th, at Lincoln Hall, Portland State University, 1620 SW Park Ave. ART descriptions include the following: A boldly touching portrayal of the original theatrical company that presented Sholem Asch’s The God of Vengeance. The creator, Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Paula Vogel based scenes off of Asch’s play portraying the risk-taking group that brought the script to the stage.
Tickets are $60 regular price; $30 preview/student/under 35; $15 PSU student with ID. Special Discounts include Sliding Scale Sunday (tickets start at $10): applies to Sunday evening performances, 20for20: 20 tickets available at every performance for $20, Artists Rep participates in Arts for All and the Multnomah County Library’s Discovery Pass Program. Tickets at 503.241.1278 or www.artistsrep.org
Here’s a video about Artist Repertory Theatre:
More about Artists Repertory Theatre:
ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE’S mission is to produce intimate, provocative theatre and provide a home for a diverse community artists and audiences to take creative risks. Artists Rep gratefully acknowledges our theatre rests on the traditional lands of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River. Artists Rep is Portland’s premiere mid-size regional theatre company and is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez and Managing Director J.S. May. Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the longest-running professional theatre company in Portland. ART became the 72nd member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) in 2016 and is an Associate Member of the National New Play Network (NNPN). Artists Rep’s 2019/20 season can be found here.
Artists Rep has become a significant presence in American regional theatre with a legacy of world, national, and regional premieres of provocative new work with the highest standards of stagecraft. The organization is committed to local artists and features a company of Resident Artists and professionals of varied theatre disciplines, who are a driving force behind Artists Rep’s creative output and identity.
