“An absolute delight: moving, warm, generous and sparkling with the absurdly hilarious interjections of a woman who has both Tourette’s syndrome and an extremely Pythonesque sense of humour.” – The Guardian
Four one-of-a-kind evenings of highly irreverent stand-up from one of Europe's most distinctive voices in arts and disability justice. Each performance will also include various short performances by local and visiting artists.
Additional performers by date:
Friday, May 4: Jan Derbyshire, Vancouver-based comedian and facilitator/consultant for Canada’s Deaf, Disability, and Mad Arts sector
Saturday, May 5: Disability Art & Culture Project, Artistic Director Kathy Coleman, and the Inclusive Arts Vibe Dance Company
Friday, May 11: Portland-based multidisciplinary performance project Wobbly Dance and documentary filmmaker Cheryl Green
Saturday, May 12: Portland-based performer Little Clown Big Shoes
Make sure to check out the two free events with Touretteshero
a talk, an experiential workshop, and four performances
with Touretteshero from the UK
*all events will be interpreted*
May 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 events will be at Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37th Ave Portland, OR 97214
Quick overview (more info below).
* Tues, May 8th 6:00-7:30 pm "Laughter, Access, Diversity, & Inclusion: Jess Thom, Changing the World One Tic at a Time" at Multnomah County Library downtown, a discussion with Jess Thom
* Thu 5/4 & Sat 5/5 7:30-9:30 pm "Stand Up, Sit Down, Roll Over" performances, artist presentation, and a short conversation. All performances are *relaxed; at Echo Theatre in SE Portland.
* Sun 5/6 2:00-5:00 pm "Heroes of the Imagination, a workshop with Touretteshero" for kids of all abilities and their families, *relaxed and fun, experiential; at Echo Theatre in SE Portland.
* Thu 5/11 & Sat 5/12 7:30-9:30 pm "Stand Up, Sit Down, Roll Over" performances, artist presentation, and a short conversation. All performances are *relaxed; at Echo Theatre in SE Portland.
*All Touretteshero performances are offered as “relaxed,” meaning all audiences are welcome to move around or make noise if and as they wish or need.
* Tues, May 8th 6:00-7:30 pm "Laughter, Access, Diversity, & Inclusion: Jess Thom, Changing the World One Tic at a Time" at Multnomah County Library downtown, a discussion with Jess Thom
"Internationally acclaimed UK writer, artist and part-time superhero Jess Thom (Touretteshero) is committed to increasing opportunities for those living with Tourette’s Syndrome. She characterizes herself as a ‘superhero’ not a ‘sufferer’ of the condition she has experienced since she was a child. In her thoughtful, funny, and groundbreaking presentation, Ms. Thom will speak about making visible the hidden barriers that exclude people with disabilities, and others, from public spaces. Whose responsibility it is to adapt to our culture? What are our preconceptions about disability? How can disability be reconceptualized as a springboard for creativity and spontaneity? How does diversity and inclusive thinking benefit all of us? Together, Ms. Thom argues, we can ‘change the world one tic at a time.’"
* Thu 5/4 & Sat 5/5 7:30-9:30 pm "Stand Up, Sit Down, Roll Over" performances, artist presentation, and a short conversation. All performances are relaxed - meaning all audiences are welcome to move around or make noise if and as they wish or need.
Boom Arts presents four one-of-a-kind evenings of highly irreverent stand-up from one of Europe's most distinctive voices in arts and disability justice, accompanied by performance & conversation programs featuring local and visiting artists. May 4, 5, 11, & 12 at 7:30pm at Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37th Ave. Tickets $12 and up at www.boomarts.org.
Guest artists:
-Friday, May 4: Jan Derbyshire, Vancouver-based artist and comedian and facilitator/consultant for Canada’s Deaf, Disability, and Mad Arts sector
-Saturday, May 5: Portland’s own Disability Art & Culture Project, Artistic Director Kathy Coleman, and the Inclusive Arts Vibe Dance Company
* Sun 5/6 2:00-5:00 pm "Heroes of the Imagination, a workshop with Touretteshero" for kids of all abilities and their families, relaxed and fun, experiential; at Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37th Ave, Portland
An afternoon of free, fully accessible, multi-sensory drop-in activities for disabled and non-disabled children (and their grown up sidekicks) created and facilitated by Touretteshero and featuring superhero-themed activities. Heroes of the Imagination is wheelchair accessible; a roaming American Sign Language interpreter and an audio describer will be on hand to make sure everyone can get involved; and a “chill space” will be set up for anyone who needs a break. Over the course of the afternoon, children will discover their powers, create their own superhero identity, and use their imaginations to change the world.
* Thu 5/11 & Sat 5/12 7:30-9:30 pm "Stand Up, Sit Down, Roll Over" performances, artist presentation, and a short conversation. All performances are relaxed - meaning all audiences are welcome to move around or make noise if and as they wish or need.
Boom Arts presents four one-of-a-kind evenings of highly irreverent stand-up from one of Europe's most distinctive voices in arts and disability justice, accompanied by performance & conversation programs featuring local and visiting artists. May 4, 5, 11, & 12 at 7:30pm at Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37th Ave. Tickets $12 and up at www.boomarts.org.
Guest artists:
-Friday, May 11: Portland-based multidisciplinary performance project Wobbly Dance and documentary filmmaker Cheryl Green
-Saturday, May 12: Portland-based performer Little Clown Big Shoes plus TBD
DATE & TIME: Thur 4/19/18 at 7:30 pm LOCATION: The Armory, 128 NW Eleventh, Portland OR 97205 TICKETS: use promo code SIGN online for community discount or call 503-445-3700 INTERPRETER: Carolyn Brockway SIGN COACH: Justin Coleman
A frank, funny and inspiring story of a contemporary Cherokee woman who goes on a six-week, 900-mile journey with her father along the Trail of Tears to better understand her own identity and the conflicts of her nation. And So We Walked is a powerful, multi-faceted dramatic memoir that draws on interviews, historical research and the artist’s personal experiences to convey the complexities and conflicts with which the Cherokee wrestle.
DeLanna Studi returns to The Armory for her own very personal play after starring as Marie Dorion/Sarah Astor in Astoria: Part One and Two.
Run Time: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes, including one intermission.
Note: Recommended for ages 13 and up. Contains some mature language. Children under 6 are not permitted at any production at The Armory.
By Andrew Hinderaker Directed by Halena Kays with magic created by Brett Schneider
DATE & TIME: Thursday 3/22 at 7:30 pm LOCATION: 128 NW Eleventh, Portland OR TICKETS: use promo code SIGN online; or call the Box Office 503-445-3700 INTERPRETERS: Dot Hearn and Dana Walls SIGN COACH: Jayodin Mosher
"A theater is a realm of illusion. So is a magic show. Playwright Andrew Hinderaker mashes these traditions together with alluring results. The Magic Play follows a young magician trying to get through a live show just hours after his partner has left him. As the performance progresses, he confronts the fact that the spectacular tricks that impress people on stage don’t serve him as well when it comes to building truthful personal relationships. This mesmerizing new play questions the extent to which we must be honest with ourselves in order to be so with those we love."
Run Time: Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission.
Note: Recommended for ages 16 and up. Contains adult situations and explicit language. Children under 6 are not permitted at any production at The Armory.
*parking available in the school lot, 1 1/2 blocks north*
TICKETS: available online or call the Box Office (503) 488-5822
INTERPRETERS: Dot Hearn & Kassie Hughes
"Condemned by her community, Hester fights to build a life for her and her daughter in Puritan Boston, Massachusetts. Funny, sweet, and heroic; this new musical based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter stars Rebecca Teran, Isaac Lamb, Susannah Mars, Darius Pierce, Dana Green and many other Portland favorites!"
Produced in Partnership with Bitch Media and PHAME!
"...here, in 2018, as women are still fighting to be viewed by legislators, religious leaders, and employers as fully human, with the same liberties and opportunities as men, the time seems more than right for an update of Hester Prynne’s story." - Andi Zeisler, co-founder and creative/editorial director of Bitch Media
Welcome to Colchester, a small town where everybody knows each other and the pace of life allows the pursuit of love to take up as much space as it needs. Our tour guide is Suzanne, the town photographer, who lets us peek into her neighbors’ lives to catch glimpses of romance in all its stages of development. A play about love, nostalgia, the seasons and how we learn to say goodbye. A world premiere from our 2015 JAW festival (previously titled Colchester). Run Time: Approximately 90 minutes, no intermission.
Note: Recommended for ages 12 and up. Children under 6 are not permitted at any production at The Armory.
Based on the book ASTORIA: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire, A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival by Peter Stark
DATE & TIME: Thursday, February 8th at 7:30 pm
LOCATION: 128 NW Eleventh, Portland OR
TICKETS: order online with promo code SIGN or call the box office
INTERPRETERS: Krista Harmon and Andrew Weaver
SIGN COACH: Justin Coleman
World Premiere! Continuing the ambitious adventure of Part One, which told the stories of the Astor expeditions by land and sea to establish trade routes to the Pacific Northwest, Part Two is about the extraordinary endeavors that lead to the establishment of Astoria, the first permanent United States settlement on the West Coast.
Run Time: Approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes, including one intermission.
Note: Recommended for ages 14 and up. Contains gunshot sound effects, and some mature content and language. The actors in this production will be using tobacco-free herbal pipes. Children under 6 are not permitted at any production at The Armory.
