Quick list of ASL interpreted performances

2024-25 Season interpreted performances

  The 2024-25 season quick list of signed performance is below. This list will be updated soon, to include links to each production's we...

Sunday, February 21, 2016

reminder: "Breaking Rank" interpreted performance

Well Arts Institute
In Partnership with Returning Veteran’s Project
and Wise Counsel and Comfort
present an interpreted performance of




Saturday, February 27th at 2:00 pm
at Milagro (Miracle) Theatre
525 SE Stark, Portland OR

Interpreters: Carolyn Brockway and Dot Hearn
Tickets: $15 regular; $10 students and seniors

Five local women veterans share their stories of breaking barriers and overcoming odds. 

The play will explore the experiences of women in the U.S. Armed Forces: some have survived tours of duty in combat zones, some cope with military sexual trauma, all of them share what it was for them to be living and working in  a male dominated environment.



"Revenge of the 47 Loyal Samurai - English Kabuki" - interpreted performance

Portland State University
School of Theater and Film Main Stage Production
and the PSU Center for Japanese Studies
present


(Chūshingura) 
English Kabuki




Portland State University - Lincoln Hall
1620 SW Park Ave, Portland OR
interpreted performance
Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $8.00, purchase ONLINE
Interpreters: Dana Walls and Andrew Weaver


"Enjoy the beauty, drama, pathos and splendor of KABUKI in this presentation of Japan's archetypical revenge story."


The first-ever production of this kabuki play by a university in the continental United States will be a PSU main-stage theater production in Lincoln Performance Hall, under the direction of Professor Laurence Kominz. It will feature a large company of student performers and several experts in Japanese music, dance, and costuming from outside the university.  PSU stage design faculty will lead student teams in using lighting, projection, and construction materials to create the sets for nine separate scenes. Dr. Wynn Kiyama, Executive Director of Portland Taiko, with an affiliation with the PSU School of Music, is the Musical Director.

About the Director, Professor Laurence Kominz
In the past decade, student performed kabuki and kyôgen plays directed by Dr. Kominz have proven highly popular on campus and in the greater Portland community. They typically draw standing room only audiences who are not only entertained but who learn about the Japanese performing arts. Professor Kominz’s productions achieve remarkable authenticity in terms of movement, costuming, music, and staging. He provides stage-ready English translations of plays, and conveys his own breadth of training in traditional theater to his student performers.



Wednesday, February 10, 2016

reminder: Profile Theatre's "The Call," interpreted this Friday



The first production in the Tanya Barfield season at Profile Theatre, "The Call," opened last Saturday night to rave reviews (read an excerpt from one, below). 



written by Tanya Barfield


Interpreted on Friday 2/12/16 at 7:30 pm
1515 SW Morrison, Portland, OR
on the Morrison Stage (upper level)
Interpreters: Dot Hearn and Dana Walls

To purchase tickets, call 503.242.0080 for accessible seating. 
*New for 2016 season is a special subscription price for the Deaf Community*

The In Dialogue preshow event at 6:50 pm will also be interpreted. 
(Check the schedule here for more information.)


SUMMARY: 
"Annie and Peter have it all: successful careers, a lovely home and a good marriage, until failed attempts to start a family begin to turn their lives inside out. The choice to expand beyond the American border and adopt a child from Africa reveals to the couple new insight into their marriage, their identities, and their community. Faced with an ever more complex set of circumstances, they must decide together if they are willing to embark upon a most unexpected path to parenthood."



REVIEW EXCERPT;
"The Call, the first play in Profile Theatre’s new Tanya Barfield season, opened Saturday night at the Artists Rep complex, and suggests a season of playful, contemporary, issue-oriented, and curiosity-driven theater to come. It’s part domestic drama, part cultural-conflict theater, part situation comedy, part mystery thriller, and always smart and engaging." -Bob Hicks, ArtsWatch (You can read the rest of the article by clicking here.)



Monday, February 1, 2016

reminder: "Great Expectations" 2/4/16 at 7:30 pm

Portland Center Stage's production of



Adapted from Charles Dickens
by Lucinda Stroud


interpreted performance
Thursday, February 4, 2016
7:30 pm on the Main Stage
128 NW Eleventh Ave, Portland OR
interpreters: Dot Hearn, Sarah Hewlett, Andrew Weaver
sign coach: Justin Coleman

or call the box office at 503-445-3700


Based on Charles Dickens’ classic coming of age novel, Great Expectations tells the adventures of the Victorian orphan Pip. As a boy, Pip has three encounters with people that will change his life: the escaped convict Magwitch, the bewitching and cold Estella, and the unhinged Miss Havisham. When Pip comes into an unforeseen fortune and begins the life of a gentleman his past is not so easily left behind, and the surprising adventures of his new life are decidedly unexpected.



Saturday, January 16, 2016

Interpreted performances: 2016 first quarter

There is a very full and varied calendar of theatrical productions coming up in the next three months. You can print out this handy overview to carry in your wallet or notebook. If you want to add any of these to your Google calendar - click on the "calendar" link near the top of the page, and look for the production, click, and copy quickly and easily to your own calendar.

More information will and a reminder will be posted about the individual productions as the specific performance nears.

But, for now, here is a handy guide to some of the interpreted theatre available in through March 2016.

- - - - -

Thu 2/4 7:30 pm
Portland Center Stage "Great Expectations"
On the US Bank Main Stage

Adapted from Charles Dickens by Lucinda Stroud
Directed by Jane Jones

Interpreters: Dot Hearn, Sarah Hewlett, Andrew Weaver
Sign Coach: Justin Coleman


Based on Charles Dickens’ classic coming of age novel, Great Expectations tells the adventures of the Victorian orphan Pip. As a boy, Pip has three encounters with people that will change his life: the escaped convict Magwitch, the bewitching and cold Estella, and the unhinged Miss Havisham. When Pip comes into an unforeseen fortune and begins the life of a gentleman his past is not so easily left behind, and the surprising adventures of his new life are decidedly unexpected.

Run Time:
Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes; including one intermission.

------------------------------

Fri 2/12 7:30 pm
Profile Theatre "The Call"
On the Morrison Stage

By Tanya Barfield
Directed by Gemma Whelan

Interpreters: Dot Hearn & Dana Walls

Annie and Peter have it all: successful careers, a lovely home and a good marriage, until failed attempts to start a family begin to turn their lives inside out. The choice to expand beyond the American border and adopt a child from Africa reveals to the couple new insight into their marriage, their identities, and their community. Faced with an ever more complex set of circumstances, they must decide together if they are willing to embark upon a most unexpected path to parenthood.

Featuring: Chantal DeGroat*, Jasper Howard, Anya Pearson, Amanda Soden* and Tom Walton

Creative Team: Megan Wilkerson (Scenic Design), Ruth Nardecchia (Lighting Design), Sara Ludeman (Costume Design), Sharath Patel (Sound Design), Emily Wilken (Props Design), D Westerholm* (Stage Manager) and Jake Turner (Production Assistant)

-----------------------------

Sat 2/27 2:00 pm
WellArts "Breaking Rank"
at Milagro Theatre

In Partnership with Returning Veteran’s Project and Wise Counsel and Comfort

Interpreters: Carolyn Brockway & Dot Hearn


Five local women veterans share their stories of breaking barriers and overcoming odds.

The play will explore the experiences of women in the U.S. Armed Forces: some have survived tours of duty in combat zones, some cope with military sexual trauma, all of them share what it was for them to be living and working in  a male dominated environment.

Written By
Jeanne Clayton (BM3, Navy)
Patti Jay (SSGT, Air National Guard)
Jojo Jackson (Airforce/Army)
Layna Lewis (Enlisted, Army)
Sandy Scott (Officer, Air Force/Air Nat. Guard)

Facilitated and Directed by Jessica Dart

Featuring actors: Margie Boule, Stephanie Cordell, Garland Lyons, Sofia May-Cuxim, Cecily Overman, Andrea White

------------------------------


Thu 3/3 7:30 pm
Portland Center Stage  "Forever"
In the Ellyn Bye Studio

By Dael Orlandersmith
Directed by Neel Keller

Interpreter: Pamela Cancel
Sign Coach: Edwin Cancel


Forever begins in Paris at the famed Père Lachaise Cemetery, where strangers from around the world make pilgrimages to the graves of legendary artists such as Marcel Proust, Richard Wright and Jim Morrison. As she visits the resting places of her idols, Orlandersmith is moved to investigate the complex legacy she received from her mother and their often harrowing life together. Riveting and powerful, Forever is about family – the ones we are born into; the strange way powerful bonds are formed with people who, though unrelated by blood, come to feel like family; and the legacies that shape us all.

Run Time:
Approximately 90 minutes; no intermission.

Note: Forever is recommended for ages 16+. Contains mature language and graphic descriptions. Learn more about the show’s content in this rave review from The New York Times. Children under 6 are not permitted at any PCS production. There is no late seating or re-entry in the Ellyn Bye Studio.

------------------------------


Sat 3/5  2:00 pm
Artists Repertory Theatre "Mothers and Sons"
on the Alder Stage

By Terrence McNally
Directed by Jane Unger

Interpreted by mother and son, Sheila Brager-Hall and Rich Hall


In this sensitive and wryly humorous 2014 Tony Award-nominated play, a mother, after a 20-year silence, pays a surprise visit to her deceased son’s former lover seeking a connection she can’t fathom. At his Central Park apartment, with his husband and young son by his side, he shows her that healing and hope are possible, even after devastating loss. In this play, vastly different worlds collide, yet truth and compassion rise to reveal that all dreams begin with the common ground of forgiveness.

4-time Tony Award-winning playwright
NW Premiere

------------------------------


Thu 3/10  7:30 pm
Portland Center Stage "Each and Every Thing"
In the Ellyn Bye Studio

By Dan Hoyle
Directed by Charlie Varon

Interpreter: Dot Hearn
Sign Coach: Irene Jazowick


The newest solo show from award-winning actor/playwright Dan Hoyle (The Real Americans) is about how we experience the world in the digital age. From a showdown with a violent felon in small-town Nebraska, to a childhood listening to anti-conformist rants in San Francisco; from the hard-scrabble corner boys of Chicago to the intellectual temple of Calcutta’s famed coffeehouse; from a Digital Detox retreat in remote Northern California to an intimate confession in Manhattan, we join Dan in his search for true community, spontaneity and wonder in our fractured, hyper-connected world.

Run Time:
Approximately 80 minutes; no intermission.

Note: Each and Every Thing is recommended for ages 16+; contains mature language and content. Children under 6 are not permitted at any PCS production. There is no late seating or re-entry in the Ellyn Bye Studio.

------------------------------

Sat 3/12  7:00 pm
Portland Community College "Arabian Nights, Part I"

Performing Arts Center, PCC Sylvania Campus, 12000 SW 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97219.

Interpreters: Marie Groshans and Cheryl Witters


It is a well-known tale: King Shahryar, after finding his first wife in the arms of another, murders her and her lover. Left alone, the King decides to marry a new woman eight night -- only to kill her in the morning. That is, until Scheherezade courageously marries the King and begins telling a wondrous tale each evening and continuing through until dawn -- when she is supposed to be killed, except that the King always allows her to live in order to finish the next story. In this way, she suspends her death sentence for one thousand and one nights, and slowly heals King Shahryar’s broken heart, in the process.

All Seating is General Admission; there is no assigned seating.

Tickets: General Admission: $10 (a small fee will be added by Brown Paper Tickets). Tickets available online.

Students, PCC Staff, Seniors, Veterans and PCC Alumnae: $8, available at the box office one hour before curtain time of each performance in the PAC lobby, and in the PCC Bookstore.

------------------------------

Tue 3/15 7:30 pm
Profile Theatre: In Dialogue Staged Reading TBA


In Dialogue Staged Readings include new and contemporary plays in conversation with Tanya Barfield’s body of work, as well as readings of Barfield plays not included in our Main Stage season.

Profile Theatre will be announcing their In Dialogue Staged Readings over the course of the season. Check back for more information!

------------------------------


Thu 3/17  7:30 pm
Portland Center Stage "Stupid F**king Bird"
On the U.S. Bank Main Stage

By Aaron Posner
Directed by Howard Shalwitz

Interpreters: Carolyn Brockway and Krista Harmon
Sign Coach: Irene Jazowick


In this irreverent, contemporary, and very funny remix of Chekhov’s The Seagull, award-winning playwright Aaron Posner wages a timeless battle between young and old, past and present, in search of the true meaning of it all: an aspiring young director rampages against the art created by his mother’s generation; a nubile young actress wrestles with an aging Hollywood star for the affections of a renowned novelist; and everyone discovers just how disappointing growing up can be. Winner of the Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Resident Play and Outstanding New Play or Musical.

Run Time:
Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission.

Note: Stupid F***ing Bird is recommended for ages 16+. Contains mature language (surprise!), fleeting nudity, loaded guns and theater people. The actors in this production will be using tobacco-free herbal cigarettes. Children under 6 are not permitted at any PCS production.

---------

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

"The Miracle Worker" at Artists Repertory Theatre

Artists Repertory Theatre presents
an interpreted performance of

THE MIRACLE WORKER

By William Gibson
Directed by Dámaso Rodriguez



DATE & TIME: Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 2:00 pm
LOCATION: 1515 SW Morrison St, Portland, OR 97205 
TICKETS: 503.241.1278 *mention code ACCESS for
2-for-1 community ticket price*
INTERPRETERS: Rich Hall and Dot Hearn


"One of the most triumphant stories of the human spirit ever told, the soul-stirring The Miracle Worker evokes hope and inspiration for the entire family. With dignity, perseverance and respect in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, a child, a teacher and a family learn to communicate. A play based on the lives of Helen Keller, who became DeafBlind as an infant, and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who enabled her to become one of the most influential women of the 20th Century."

1960 Tony Winner for Best Play
1962 Academy Award-winning classic film
Uplifting Family Classic

RUN TIME: 2 hours & 10 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.



Wednesday, December 16, 2015

"The Santaland Diaries" interpreted 12/17/15

*reminder*
Tomorrow night is the night for the interpreted performance at Portland Center Stage of David Sedaris' story about working as a Macy's Elf. Yes, a Macy's Elf in Santaland.


The Santaland Diaries

Written by David Sedaris
Adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello 


Interpreted Thursday, December 17th at 7:30 pm
Portland Center Stage in the Ellen Bye Studio
128 NW Eleventh, Portland OR 97209 

Purchase tickets online with promo code SIGN ($25)
or call the Box Office at 503-445-3700

Interpreter: Jayodin Mosher
Sign Coach: Guthrie Nutter


This comedy is based on the true chronicles of David Sedaris’ experience as Crumpet the Elf in Macy’s Santaland display, this cult classic riffs on a few of Sedaris’ truly odd encounters with his fellow man during the height of the holiday crunch.

*

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Early Warning: PCS's "Santaland Diaries" and "Twist Your Dickens"

*
It is almost that time of year again for holiday cheer and - well, you know how it goes. Green things and red things and gold things and blue things; star shaped things and round things and tree shaped things. And candles; I almost forgot candles.

So this is your early notification of the interpreted performances of the upcoming holiday shows at Portland Center Stage. But please, don't just mark your calendars - also make your ticket reservations. These shows are popular and they do sell out; "Santaland" sells out quickly.

Seriously, don't delay. Mark the dates on your calendar and then purchase your tickets as soon as you can, before it's too late.

Also, in case you didn't know it, both of these shows are funny, both of these shows are about Christmas, and both of them are non-traditional. Seriously. Non-traditional, but a good time will be had.

Check out the links below to read more about the plays. And when you purchase your tickets online, be sure to use the promo code SIGN to get the community discounted ticket price and your seats with sightlines to the interpreter(s).

*

By David Sedaris 
Adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello


Thursday December 17 at 7:30 pm
in the Ellen Bye Studio
Interpreter: Jayodin Mosher
Sign Coach: Guthrie Nutter

Based on the true chronicles of David Sedaris’ experience as Crumpet the Elf in Macy’s Santaland display, this cult classic riffs on a few of Sedaris’ truly odd encounters with his fellow man during the height of the holiday crunch.

Note: The Santaland Diaries is recommended for ages 14+; contains mature content and language, and the secret of Santa is exposed. Children under 6 are not permitted at any PCS production. There is no late seating or re-entry in the Ellyn Bye Studio.

*

By Peter Gwinn & Bobby Mort


Wednesday December 23 at 7:30 pm
on the Main Stage
Interpreters: Jayodin Mosher and Dot Hearn
Sign Coach: Irene Jazowick

A complete send-up of the holiday classic, this adult comedy is adorned with the improvisational genius of the legendary comedy troupe The Second City, and includes zany holiday sketches, an ever-changing list of drop-in local celebrities and uproarious improv based on audience participation— it’s never the same show twice!

Note: Recommended for high school age and up.

*
Portland Center Stage
128 NW Eleventh Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97209 
503-445-3700

Check out the tickets page for more information, such as the Arts for All program.
*

Thursday, November 19, 2015

reminder: "Broomstick" interpreted Sat 11/21 at 2pm

Artists Repertory Theatre
presents
an interpreted performance of


BROOMSTICK

.
Saturday, November 21st at 2:00 pm
Call the Box Office for tickets  503.241.1278 or email 
Interpreted by Dot Hearn  
Understudy Carolyn Brockway
A fairytale-twisted yarn of delightful humor and spine-tingling suspense conjures a spooky seasonal experience unlike any other. With Vana O’Brien in a tour-de-force solo performance, an Appalachian witch tells a heartfelt and poetic tale of her long life from first love, to heartache, to the hair-raising vengeance she wreaks upon those who’ve crossed her.
  • Critically acclaimed spellbinding sensation
  • NW Premiere

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

This week: Fats Waller, Time Traveler, Samurai Rabbit

*
This is an exciting week for interpreted performances. There are three shows and their storylines are diverse: A musical about Fats Waller, a whimsical & gender-bending epic tale, and a World Premiere of a staged adaptation of a classic Japanese Comic. They are all on different days and times so you can pick one, pick two, or pick all three! It is a fabulous week for theatre.

*


Thursday, November 12th at 7:30 pm

Portland Center Stage
128 NW 11th Ave, Portland
503-445-3700

(musical)
Interpreters: KT Corlett, Jayodin Mosher, Dana Walls; Sign Coach: Irene Jazowick

Tickets $30 with promo code SIGN

 "Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, this sassy, sultry revue celebrates the remarkable life and talents of a legendary jazz great, Fats Waller. Director Chris Coleman has created “a bright and shining new production … he has knocked out the walls and opened the show to the streets, bringing in the heady Uptown of the Harlem Renaissance and the bleaker days of the Depression Thirties to give the songs a deeper visual and impressionistic context."

*


Friday, November 13th at 7:30 pm
Profile Theatre, Alder Stage
1507 SW Morrison, Portland
503.242.0080
(fantasy)
Interpreters: Rich Hall and Dot Hearn
See more information for Ticket Pricing

"Orlando, a young Englishman, sets out to encounter love and adventures with queens and kings, princesses and archdukes, historic poets and fictional sea captains. Riding waves that transcend time and space, Orlando transforms again and again. This epic tale of discovery, based on Virginia Woolf’s novel, crashes through the ages as a whimsical, gender-bending fantasy."

*
Saturday, November 14th at 7:00 pm 
Portland Community College, Sylvania Campus
Performing Arts Center (PAC)
12000 SW 49th Ave., Portland

(World Premiere)
Interpreters: Kassie Hughes and Andrew Weaver

Tickets: General Admission: $10, available online. Students, PCC Staff, Seniors, Veterans and PCC Alumnae: $8, available at the box office one hour before curtain time in the PAC lobby

"Set in rural 16th century Japan, where danger lurks everywhere and feudal lords fight for power, Usagi Miyomoto, is a hero worshiping rabbit who yearns to become a Samurai. To do so, Usagi must leave his mother and abandon his friends while studying the ways of the samurai with an eccentric and frustrating sensei, the master swordsman Katsuichi, an aging lion. But once he receives his training, he must struggle against an old friend in a winner-take-all samurai tournament. And upon his return to his home village, he must to confront a gang of bandits, and their leader, a gigantic bear at the grave of his father. Will Usagi prevail? Come and find out, in this play adapted from Stan Sakai's beloved comic book!"
*