2023-24 season ASL Interpreted Plays, part 1

A quick list of interpreted performance dates for September - December 2023 at several Portland Metro area venues. The remainder of the season (January - July 2024) will be posted later in October. Check back for updates. You can also follow Performing Arts Interpreting Alliance on Facebook [paiaPDX] and/or Instagram [paia_pdx].

Check the theatres' websites for more information about these productions, as well as any safety or  programming updates. 

SEPTEMBER 2023

Bag & Baggage Productions 

Our Utopia: Thursday, September 28th, 2023, 7:30PM 

https://bagnbaggage.org 

OCTOBER 2023

Corrib Theatre  

Woman and Scarecrow:  October 12, 7:30 pm

https://corribtheatre.org/woman-and-scarecrow/

Pacific University  

Tunnel City: October 22,t 2:00 pm

https://www.pacificu.edu/calendar/tunnel-city-theatre-fall-2023

Portland Center Stage  

HAIR: October 26, 7:30 p.m.

https://www.pcs.org/hair

NOVEMBER 2023

Third Rail Repertory Theatre  

TWO PINTS:   Friday, November 3rd, 2023 @ 7:30pm  at CoHo Theatre  

https://thirdrailrep.org/mission-production-history/season-18/two-pints-by-roddy-doyle/

Portland Community College 

Twelfth Night: Saturday, November 18th, 7:00 PM 

https://www.pcc.edu/theatre/2023/06/29/12th-night/

DECEMBER 2023

Portland Center Stage    

Liberace & Liza Holiday at the Mansion (A Tribute): December 7, 7:30 p.m.

https://www.pcs.org/liberace-liza-holiday-at-the-mansion-a-tribute

Portland Center Stage    

Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really: December 14, 7:30 p.m.

https://www.pcs.org/dracula-a-feminist-revenge-fantasy-really

Bag & Baggage Productions 

Who's Holiday!: Thursday, December 14th, 2023, 7:30PM

https://bagnbaggage.org

List of Upcoming Interpreted Plays Feb - August 2023

 (Updated 07/07/2023) A quick list of interpreted performance dates for January to July 2023 at several Portland Metro area venues. The show titles link to the specific production page (when available). Below the season is a key to the theatre abbreviations. Check back for updates. You can also follow Performing Arts Interpreting Alliance on Facebook [paiaPDX] and/or Instagram [paia_pdx] for additional information, insights, play reviews, and more.

Portland Center Stage's JAW Festival is happening later this month, July 29-30. All public readings are free and will be interpreted. Join us for these incredible new plays at the end of an intensive theatrical workshopping week! Link below for more information.

NOTE: Interpreted performance dates for some theatres will be available in late August. Schedules and interpreters are being arranged for several theater companies right now.  *The first play interpreted for the 2023-24 season will be at Bag and Baggage Productions on 8/3 - see the link below!

Check the theatres' websites for the most up to date information regarding safety protocols or programming updates. 

The following two productions are available from Artists Repertory Theatre for streaming on-demand with ASL interpretation:

ART: Mercury Company     Berlin Diaries

ART: Mercury Company     Magellanica 

Upcoming interpreted performances 

JUL 2023

July 28-30     PCS    JAW New Play Festival 

AUG 2023

8/3/2023       B&B   Red Velvet

      

*Key to Theater Abbreviations, with links*

ART        Artists Repertory Theatre

B&B        Bag & Baggage Productions

CORR     Corrib Theatre

MODA     Rose Quarter/Moda Center/Veterans Memorial Coliseum

PacU       Pacific University 

PCC        Portland Community College, Sylvania 
PCS        Portland Center Stage at The Armory

PGMC     Portland Gay Men's Chorus

PLC        Portland Lesbian Choir

PPH        Portland Playhouse

RES        The Reser

TRR        Third Rail Repertory Theatre

11/18: "Blink" from Third Rail Repertory

Third Rail Repertory Theatre presents
an interpreted performance of

DATE & TIME: November 18th at 7:30 pm

LOCATION: CoHo Theater - 2257 NW Raleigh St, Portland, OR 97210

TICKETS: $25 & up (check possible discount options)

INTERPRETERS: KT Corlett and Sam Jackson

"Giving up grief's like giving up anything. When you start to think the battle's won that's when you're most exposed."

After each loses a parent, Sophie and Jonah struggle in parallel lives of isolation and loneliness, unable to find a foothold in the unfamiliar blur of London life. With both adrift and sinking fast, Sophie opens the door to an unconventional connection, and Jonah gladly walks through. Their worlds expand and contract - boundaries drawn, erased, and reconfigured. Blink offers a tender, quirky, painfully awkward, sweet, and often-times hilarious look at the fundamental human need to be seen - and the unexpected people who show up for us when we need it most. 

 

We are offering Pay-What-You-Will tickets to anyone who identifies as BIPOC for all of our programming this season. Use the promo code: BIPOC at checkout!

11/19: "Sorry Wrong Number" & "The Hitchhiker" at PCC

Portland Community College presents
an interpreted performance of

"Sorry, Wrong Number" & "The Hitchhiker"

stage adaptations of the radio dramas by Lucille Fletcher

  DATE & TIME: Saturday 11/19/2022 at 7:00 pm

LOCATION: The Little Theatre, PCC Sylvania

                        12000 SW 49th Ave. Portland, OR 97219

TICKETS: available at the door (cash or check only)

                  $5 students, PCC staff, veterans, and seniors; $10 general

INTERPRETERS: Marie Groshans and Courtney Borchert

Come see two plays considered “the greatest audio dramas ever written”. But wait! We’re producing them entirely for the stage!

In Sorry, Wrong Number, we meet Mrs. Stephenson, a sickly woman restricted to bed with only a telephone to connect her to her 1943 New York community. When she overhears a murder plot on a crossed line, she races the clock to save an unknown woman from a date with death! Will she succeed? Can she get anyone to believe her? And why is her husband so late in coming home? Come find out!

In The Hitchhiker, young Ronald Adams sets out from 1941 Brooklyn for the sunny shores of California, but he can’t avoid seeing the same Hitchhiker over and over. Is it a trick of the mind, or has Adams entered a different, relentless roadside reality?

In our first live and in-person production since the pandemic, we present these two suspenseful plays, each masterfully focusing on the isolation each character must overcome to avoid their own bitter end

Trigger warnings: high suspense, strangulation, and existential angst.

Running time: 90 minutes including a brief intermission (where you can view our Art Gallery!)

10/27: "the ripple, the wave that carried me home" at Portland Center Stage at The Armory

Portland Center Stage & Artists Repertory Theatre present
an interpreted performance of

the ripple, the wave that carried me home

By Christina Anderson

DATE & TIME: October 27th at 7:30 pm

LOCATION: The Armory, 128 NW Eleventh, Portland 97209

TICKETS: Check the Ticket Specials page to see what is available; 

                or use promo code SIGN to get a community discount

INTERPRETERS: Taiwo Olopade & Lo Aviles

Like diving into a glorious pool of water, this play suspends you with its bright humor and healing depth.

When Janice is pressed to return to her hometown and speak at a ceremony honoring her father, she has to reconcile with the childhood she’s tried to distance herself from and forget — one defined by her parents’ political activism and fight for the integration of their local swimming pools. Drawing on history that spans from 1930s segregation to the Rodney King trial and beyond, this deeply moving story explores the joys and challenges of forgiveness, justice, and the weight of one’s family legacy. Written by Tony Award-nominated playwright Christina Anderson, this gorgeous play was just selected as the winner of the coveted Horton Foote Prize!

“Anderson is a gifted playwright you want to pay attention to. She has the voice of a poet.” –Variety

 

10/27: "The Last White Man" from Bag&Baggage Productions

Bag&Baggage Productions presents
an interpreted performance of

The Last White Man

by Bill Cain

DATE & TIME: October 27th at 7:30 pm

LOCATION: The Vault Theater, 350 E Main St, Hillsboro OR 97123

TICKETS: Pay-what-you-will starting at $20. Let your generosity pick the price!

INTERPRETERS: Rich Hall and Marie Groshans

Playing Hamlet is no easy task. In a troubled production, three successive actors fight their way through Shakespeare’s longest and most challenging role. Movie star Charlie, his understudy Rafe and the transcendent Tigg battle doubts, ghosts, critics, and each other while trying to prove that each of theirs is the performance to remember. There’s even a disco number to add to the craziness! Bill Cain has penned a thrilling, fast-moving love poem to writers and actors, and everything that makes theatre the greatest show on Earth. This show marks the return of Bag&Baggage Productions Founding Artistic DIrector, Scott Palmer, to the very stage he built. He will guest direct this play, and Apples in Winter, later in the season.

Strong language and themes, including suicide and self harm. This show also includes some strobing/moving lighting effects

10/23: "How I Learned to Drive" at Pacific University

Pacific University Theatre & Dance present
an interpreted performance of

How I Learned to Drive

by Paula Vogel

DATE & TIME: Sunday October 23, 2022 at 2:00 pm

LOCATION: Pacific University, Warner Hall, 2115 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove  97116

TICKETS: at the door - free for students and $5 for general admission

INTERPRETERS: Marie Groshans and Gilly Platt

"Pacific University’s Theatre Department is proud to present its Fall 2022 production, How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel and directed by guest artist Matthew B. Zrebski.

How I Learned to Drive is the story of a woman who learns the rules of the road and life from behind the wheel. A wildly funny, surprising, and devastating tale of survival as seen through the lens of a troubling relationship between a young girl and an older man.

Please note that this play contains explicit content and sensitive themes. Recommended for ages 13 and up."

10/20: "Chicken & Biscuits" interpreted at Portland Playhouse

Portland Playhouse presents
an interpreted performance of

Chicken & Biscuits

By Douglas Lyons

Date & Time: October 20, 2022 at 7:30p; doors at 6:30p

Location: 602 NE Prescott Street, Portland 97211

Tickets: $25 (select ACCESS)

Interpreters: Pamela and Edwin Cancel

Coming to Portland Playhouse from Broadway, A family comedy that’ll leave you begging for seconds…

Join Baneatta and Beverly as they gather to celebrate the life of Daddy. Baneatta’s praying for a peaceful reunion, despite all the spice her family brings. But, in the middle of all the chaos, a family secret walks in and the pot boils over.  

Meet The Family

Baneatta: Just wants to bury Daddy right…

Reginald: Baneatta’s husband, who’s trying to keep the peace & write the eulogy…

Simone: Baneatta & Reginald’s daughter, and Baneatta’s favorite (that’s not the secret)…

Kenny: Baneatta & Reginald’s son. He’s fabulous and knows it…

Logan: Kenny’s very white, very Jewish Boyfriend…

Beverly: Baneatta’s sister, showing up to church ready to show just what God has blessed her with…

La’Trice: Beverly’s daughter, who just can’t help but stir the pot…

And… a family secret that’s been cooking for SO. MANY. YEARS.

*ASL cancelled* ART's "The Hombres" interpreted 9/30/2022

Artists Repertory Theatre presents
an interpreted performance of

ASL interpretation is cancelled 
due to COVID infection in the interpreting team.

The Friday 9/30 performance will continue; but it will not be interpreted. 

The Hombres

 

Date & Time: Friday, September 30th at 7:30 pm
Tickets: Pay at your comfort level $20-60
Location: Ellen Bye Theatre at The Armory (lower level)

                128 NW Eleventh, Portland OR 97209

summary:

Set in New Jersey, The Hombres offers a delicate, funny exploration of masculinity and intimacy of male friendships. Three Latino construction workers are drawn to the yoga studio, initially by voyeuristically watching women in classes from their job site next door. Gradually, their curiosity draws them in, one by one, to private, after-hours classes with the gay instructor whose sexual orientation challenges their machismo and sense of self. A laugh out loud, fresh, nuanced look at the complexity of male friendships through the lens of the machismo culture.

health & safety:

Artists Repertory Theatre is committed to protecting the health and well-being of patrons, artists, and staff. All patrons to ART events must wear face masks at all times except when eating or drinking in designated areas.

Biased Brains - ASL night Fri 9/23

Biased Brains

Why Do Our Brains Care About Belonging & Inclusion?

DATE & TIME: Friday 9/23/2022.  Doors at 7:00pm / Show at 7:30pm

LOCATION: The Siren Theater, 315 NW Davis St, Portland, OR 97209

INTERPRETERS:   Ruth Nardecchia & Chelsea Huber

TICKETS: Suggested scale of $20-$40 (PWYW)

RAFFLE PRIZES: Expect goodies galore from local PDX businesses

We’re leaving shame ‘n’  blame at the door as we explore the Neurology of Equity & Inclusion in an approachable (and dare we say FUN?!) format. Is it a workshop? Is it a play? It’s BOTH!

We’ll first learn about why our brains are hard-wired to do some weird sh*t in a 45-minute workshop facilitated by Monica Dailey. Everyone is at different stages in their personal Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) journeys, and this workshop will be an opportunity to check in with yourself and take advantage of this safe space for quiet self-reflection. There will be no group discussion or public sharing.

After a 15-minute intermission, the workshop concepts come to life in a scripted play. Welcome to Sk8Town, where our fun-loving roller rink employees experience a barrage of brain biases! Our fully BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ cast collectively wrote the script, drawing on personal experiences and sprinkling on humor to make these stories more palatable. 

Starring & Written by Elena Afanasiev, Jonathan Wexler, Mariah Mercedes Munoz, Monica Dailey, Shelly Santa Cruz, and Talon Bigelow

Things to note:

- Cash & card accepted for concessions & tickets at the door 
- Masks are highly appreciated when not actively drinking or eating
- Please stay home if you are not feeling well or have had recent exposure to COVID
- Performers will not be masked

**Biased Brains is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council**