January 19-29, 2012
2012 Press and Information
2012 Press and Information
2012 Press and Information
2011 Press Coverage
2011 Press Coverage
2011 Press Coverage
2010 Press Coverage
2010 Press Coverage
2010 Press Coverage
"Joseph Fisher’s ebulliently sordid (I Am Still) the Duchess of Malfi is less an updating of John Webster’s original Jacobean revenge drama than it is a romp in its macabre sandbox. The plot and characters have been jumbled and streamlined into a violently dissonant two-act that winkingly borrows tropes from camp and noir."
by Matthew Korfhage
Willamette Week
January 18, 2012
Famished (Portland Playhouse) - "Eugenia Woods nibbles away at our neuroses. Given the amount of ink spilled on our other basic desires—sex, love, wealth and power—the number of plays that address hunger is surprisingly small. This is not true of any other art form; there have been books about eating as long as there have been books (see Genesis) and food, in its still-running form, was the subject of the earliest human paintings."
by Ben Waterhouse
Willamette Week
January 25, 2012
"Although you may have thought the vampire craze had long since reached critical mass and collapsed under its own bulging excess, it appears the trend has not yet been staked in the heart Walking the line somewhere between the chaste, no-biting-till-marriage vampires of Twilight and the fuck-anything-that-moves vamps of True Blood is Bite Me a Little, a vampire musical by local playwright and composer Arlie Conner."
by Penelope Bass
Willamette Week
January 26, 2012
Groovin’ Greenhouse – “Fertile Ground is best known for its showcases of new theater works, but the festival also nurtures dance in development in its Groovin' Greenhouse series.”
by Brett Campbell
Willamette Week
January 31, 2012
"Artists Repertory Theater’s staged reading of Claire Willett’s ambitious history science theater follows works like “Proof,” “Dr. Atomic,” “Copenhagen,” in seeking connections between universal phenomena and human behavior. "
by Brett Campbell
Willamette Week
January 31, 2012
"Readers Theatre Repertory’s staged reading of David Berkson’s melancholy comedy runs a real risk: an initially unsympathetic, self-pitying narcissist protagonist gains self-knowledge from a dying child, with lots of literary references. But every time bathos or sentimentality threaten to swell, Berkson punctures it with deft humor."
by Brett Campbell
Willamette Week
January 31, 2012
Big Plastic Heroes (SexyNurd Productions) - "Storytellers auGi and Slash Coleman borrow Triangle Productions' new theater space, the Sanctuary, for a night of storytelling based around the idea of heroism. The two halves of the show are anchored by stories from Coleman and auGi, respectively, plus supplemental stories from two other local performers (on the night I attended, Andrew Bynum nearly stole the whole show with an account of becoming a US Marine)."
by Alison Hallett
The Portland Mercury
February 1, 2012
"In the middle of a vast land of Fertile Ground grows a forest. And in this forest are many things both wondrous and terrible: an innocent sleeping beauty, a brave frog prince, an intrepid, high-climbing boy named Jack, and fearsome beasts both animal and man."
by Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
January 30, 2012
4x4=8. Yes, they know the math is wrong, but the title is still apt. Live on Stage Productions’ contribution to the Fertile Ground festival consists of eight short musicals, each performed on a 4-foot by 4-foot stage.
By Marianna Hane Wiles
Willamette Week
January 27, 2012
There's a reason fairy tales have been plumbed for art's sake so deeply: they're bottomless. Murky with our fears, desires and other shadowy drives, the stories of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson and the like consist of just the sort of muck in which artists love to play.
By Jonathan Frochtzwajg
Willamette Week
January 27, 2012
The Grand Guignol was a Parisian French theater that reveled in the kind of horror you’re not supposed to like but do. The fourth installment of Third Eye Theatre’s experiment with the genre features eye gouging, the mentally disabled and a guy who thinks he’s a glass of orange juice.
By Aaron Spencer
Willamette Week
January 27, 2012
Tues. Jan.24th at 11am on KBOO 90.7 FM & Sat. Jan.28th at 11am on KZME 107.1 FM Dmae Roberts presents a ‘Making Change’ feature story of the women behind Stories: From Survivors of the Sex Trade, a performance produced by Lunacy Stageworks. And in the second part of the show, we’ll hear from Samantha Van Der Merwe about The Tripping Point, an exhibition of fairytale installations at Shaking The Tree Theatre.
By Dmae Roberts
Stage and Studio on KBOO & KZME
January 24, 2012
Arts America writer Jessie Drake names and nicknames her top picks from Opening Weekend of Fertile Ground 2012.
by Jessie Drake
Arts America
January 23, 2012
"...for artists and audiences alike, the festival is a sign that whether we like things salty or sweet, whether we’re after understanding or just amusement, we’re perpetually hungry for stories."
Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
January 23, 2012
Fertile Ground to include works by Lake Oswego playwriters: Billy & Steve Rathje ("Fight Call") and Molly Norton (guest storyteller, Big Plastic Heroes).
Lake Oswego Review
West Linn Tidings
January 21, 201
"Now in its fourth year, the festival's stated goal is to "provide a platform for Portland theater companies to showcase their commitment to new work." Local performers have enthusiastically taken up that challenge—this year, Fertile Ground boasts more than 100 shows, staged readings, and workshop productions, including 16 fully staged world premieres (up from eight in the festival's first year)."
By Alison Hallett
Portland Mercury
January 19, 2012
"This may be the bleak midwinter in some respects, but in terms of Portland theater it’s a time of peak activity. The fourth annual Fertile Ground festival has buds of creative endeavor shooting up in dozens of sites around the city. The 11-day showcase of new, locally-generated performance includes more intriguing shows -- from fully staged productions to bare-bones readings -- to detail at one time."
by Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
January 19, 2012
"After many revisions and various permutations, their (Klay and Brent Rogers') musical Oil Change the Musical Comedy will be presented as a staged reading with live musical accompaniment and choreography for the public to view as part of Portland’s Fertile Ground Festival, a late-January event featuring new theater and dance works."
by Holly Johnson
Oregon Music News
January 19, 2012
"The Fertile Ground Festival takes over Portland for ten days every January. Above all, it's an exciting time when artists from around the city put on new work for the Portland community to enjoy. Portland Center Stage is home to many professional theater artists, but this isn't the only place where they can flex their acting, writing and directing muscles. Other opportunities are always out there for the aspiring actor, writer or director - even one who may be masquerading in a completely different "9 to 5" job."
Portland Center Stage blog
January 19, 2012
"Murder, conspiracy and apocalypse! No, it’s not the latest Ron Paul slogan. As grim as the farcical presidential race has become, it has nothing on some of the bloody, unsettling and bizarre plays premiering at this year’s Fertile Ground Festival. So get out there and take in a little light entertainment—that is, if you’ve got the guts."
by Ben Waterhouse
Willamette Week
January 18, 2012
KZME Radio's Dennise Kowalczyk talks with Festival Director Nicole Lane about this year's Festival.
January 15, 2012
Oil Change the Musical “Feisty fun, racing and romance fuel this family-friendly comedy featuring 18 diverse original songs. It portrays a slice of life in the South, with a helping of NASCAR, and features the endearing and wacky characters at an Alabama Oil Change business.”
Beaverton Valley Times
January 12, 2012
“As Jimmy Durante used to say, "Everybody wants to get into the act." Fertile Ground, Portland's citywide festival of new plays and other performance works, makes that practicable for lots of small and even first-time theatrical producers.”
By Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
February 12, 2012
“It's a great opportunity to sample the breadth and vitality of the Portland performance scene. Here are just a few of the shows that look especially promising, with a focus on the first few days of the festival.”
By Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
February 12, 2012
“In 2009, when the Portland Area Theatre Alliance started a festival to showcase the quantity and variety of new plays and other performance works being created in Portland, the name Fertile Ground might have seemed like an expression of optimism. Now it's starting to sound like an under-statement.”
By Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
February 12, 2012
“Theater digs into fruitful lives - Portland’s Fertile Ground Festival harvests talents of Northwest artists.” Interviews with Cory Huff (Redneck Mormon Thespian), Susan Mach (A Noble Failure) and David Berkson (The Penguins of Ithaca)
By Jason Vondersmith
The Portland Tribune
January 12, 2012
“Fertile Ground One-Liners -- Next week, Fertile Ground Festival will present more than 60 performance works. We asked playwrights, “What’s your favorite line?” and they hit us with their zestiest zingers.”
By Anne Adams
January 12, 2012
Portland Monthly Culturephile
Tues Jan.17th 11am/KBOO & Sat. Jan.21st 11am/ KZME, join Dmae Roberts for a talk with playwrights Susan Mach and Claire Willett. Oregon Book Award-winner Susan Mach’s A Noble Failure is the winner of CoHo Productions’ NEWxNW Playwrighting Competition. Artist’s Repertory Theater presents a staged reading of Willett’s Dear Galileo, both as part of the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works.
By Dmae Roberts
Stage and Studio on KBOO & KZME
January 21, 2012
Dmae Roberts talks with Portland comedian, musician and Fertile Ground/Second City alum auGi and award-winning PBS writer Slash Coleman about Big Plastic Heroes– Warning: Trying to be Your Idol is Dangerous.
Stage and Studio on KBOO and KZME
by Dmae Roberts
January 10, 2012
(Big Plastic Heroes) auGi: "I just read nerd. I try to be cool. I grew my hair out really long when I was younger because I thought I could be Sting, and frosted my hair blond which actually turned out more like hunter’s orange, the stuff they wear so deer don’t shoot them." READ MORE
by Peter Korn
Portland Tribune
Jan 5, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT
Nicole Lane
Festival co-Director
nicolealane@comcast.net
360.601.4298
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE HERE (270 kb pdf)
Fertile Ground’s fourth year shows abundant growth for Portland creative prowess!
More than 100 New Works
Theatre, Comedy, Dance, Animation, Events
50 Producers, 40+ Venues
…and, as always, growing…
PORTLAND, OREGON – December 14, 2011 – In its fourth year, the Portland-grown Fertile Ground City-Wide Festival of New Work continues to flourish planted in a town of prolific playwrights, abundant actors, innovative dancers, talented designers and adventuresome producers. With many returning companies as well as new producers, FG12 brings over 100 interesting and diverse world premiere works to Portland making Fertile Ground 2012 the lushest jungle of creation yet.
With 17 fully produced theatrical world premieres, 14 dance world premieres, and a myriad of workshop productions, staged readings, readings and events at all times of the day, Fertile Ground will be thriving on stages, nooks and crannies all over Portland for 10 days from January 19 to 29, 2012.
Shining out through the winter darkness, Fertile Ground offers an astonishing breadth of creative work for the stage, compressed into 10 of the darkest and wettest days of the Portland calendar. Close to every single major theatre company and many dance companies in town are participating, presenting new work as a world premiere or as a piece in development. In addition to seasoned producers, dozens of small, local producers, playwrights and choreographers are also choosing to offer their work for this collaborative Portland showcase festival.
Audiences will meet a people like a redneck Mormon thespian, a teenage commando, a grease monkey girl in a musical, teenagers in crisis, do-gooder State Department bureaucrat, fairytales that come to life, a boy with Tourette’s, Galileo’s daughter and many more. The festival offers inventive adaptations of seminal works like The Duchess of Malfi, They, Rapunzel and King Lear. Social and political issues are explored with true stories of the sex trade in Portland and homelessness, and with plays like Famished, Café Baghdad, Word.Voice., No Good Woman, B’aktun 13, Graceland, Paraguay and others. In the dance genre, fresh dance pieces populate the “Groovin’ Greenhouse,” and Meshi Chavez and tEEth at White Bird offer completely new choreography. Also added to this year’s breadth is Portland Animation Now! where local animators share their digital artistry.
TICKET INFORMATION
Single tickets for all festival events are purchased directly through the producing companies. All access Festival Passes are $50 and are available on the Fertile Ground website. Festival “Dig It!” buttons and Festival Guides are available for free at various theater lobbies throughout Portland; button-wearers are offered discounts at the door to select performances. Production descriptions, locations, times and ticket information vary; see festival website for details: www.fertilegroundpdx.org.
What Makes Fertile Ground Unique. Several theatre companies across the nation host “new works festivals” and nearly all of these festivals present “staged readings,” works-in-progress curated by the artistic aesthetic of one company’s artistic staff. They are also typically exclusive to genre. In contrast, the Fertile Ground Festival presents a non-curated collection of fully staged world premiere productions in theatre and dance, as well as workshop and staged reading productions, and more. Fertile Ground is about process as well as product in creative development. This festival is the collaborative work of our local artistic community expressing the mother lode of creative capacities, in a quintessentially Portland manner.
Fertile Ground Festival of New Work
Presented by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance
Dates: January 19-29, 2012
Venue: City-wide, check website or Festival Guide for locations
Tickets: All ticket information at www.fertilegroundpdx.org Event tickets sold through each producer
Festival Passes: $50 – www.fertilegroundpdx.org
Description: More information about the Fertile Ground Festival and full event listings and descriptions can be found in the Festival Guide and at www.fertilegroundpdx.org
The Fertile Ground Festival of New Work is presented by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance. The festival organizers are comprised of volunteers who strongly believe in showcasing Portland’s vibrant creativity.
Fertile Ground was launched by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance (the service organization for Portland theatre artists and organizations) in 2009 to provide a platform for Portland theatre companies to showcase their commitment to new work, but the Festival has grown to embrace many forms of new works in art allowing Portland's arts lovers to discover Portland's truly fertile ground for creativity, innovation and daring acts of performance.
Fertile Ground 2012 is a program of the Portland Area Theatre Alliance and is sponsored by The Oregonian, OregonLive.com, Artslandia, KINK Radio, KBOO Community Radio, KZME Radio.
PHOTO LINK: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fertilegroundportland/
FULL LISTINGS FOR 2012 FESTIVAL
SPECIAL EVENTS
Artists Repertory Theatre hosts Festival Kick-off Party with Fuse Ensemble
Reed College presents Dramaturgs’ Town Hall Meeting hosted by Kate Bredeson and Mead Hunter
Playback Theater PDX presents Playback Teaching Workshop
FULLY STAGED WORLD PREMIERES
Artists Repertory Theatre presents (I Am Still) The Duchess of Malfi by Joseph Fisher
Contagious Theatre & Gorilla Bomb Productions presents Fully Loaded Russian Roulette by Dug Martell, Anneke Wisner & Edward Lyons, Jr.
Portland Playhouse presents Famished by Eugenia Woods
Shaking The Tree presents The Tripping Point: An Exhibition of Fairytale Installations by Karin Magaldi,
Ellen Margolis, Andrea Stolowitz, Patrick Wohlmut, Eugenia Woods, Andrew Wardenaar, Nick Zagone, Matt Zrebski
The Accuardi Sisters presents Love Scenes by Sara Jean Accuardi
Teatro Milagro presents B’aktun 13 by Dañel Malán
Curious Comedy Theater presents David Saffert's Birthday Bashstravaganza 2! Older & Wisier by David Saffert
SexyNurd Productions presents Big Plastic Heroes: Trying to Be Your Idol is Dangerous
Teenage Commando by auGi and The Last American Gladiator 3 by Slash Coleman
Portland Center Stage presents The North Plan by Jason Wells
Walking Shadow Productions presents They by Witkacy
Third Eye Theatre presents Grand Guignol 4: Psychosis (The Faith Healer by Matt Hanf, Bedford’s Sty by Daniel Guyton, Operation Midnight Climax by Ron Burch, The Mistaken Lover by Martha Patterson)
Unexpected Company presents One Day by Kevin Muir
Playback Theater PDX presents Playback Theater
String House Theatre presents Waxwing by Emily Gregory
Curious Comedy Theater presents Irregardless by Stacey Hallal
Playback Theater PDX presents POWER/EMPOWERMENT: The Voice of the People
MUSICAL THEATRE
Brent Rogers Creative Services, Inc. presents Oil Change the Musical Comedy book by Klay Rogers, lyrics by Klay Rogers & Brent Rogers, music by Brent Rogers
Playwrights West presents Ablaze, an a cappella musical thriller written by Matthew B. Zrebski
Vanport Square Studio presents Fight Call book by Steve Rathje, music by Billy Rathje, lyrics by Billy Rathje and Steve Rathje
Golden Fang Productions presents Bite Me a Little book and music by Arlie Conner
Live On Stage presents 4 X 4 = 8 Musicals by Diane Englert, Sam Gregory, Chanda Hall, Michael Allen Harrison, Mont Chris Hubbard, Aubrey Jessen, Jeffrey Kaufmann, Mark LaPierre, Valory J. Lawrence, Connery MacRae, Reece Marshburn, Cameron McFee, Kurt Misar and Greg Paul.
WORKSHOP PRODUCTIONS
Redneck Mormon Productions presents Redneck Mormon Thespian by Cory Huff
BaseRoots Theatre Company presents No Good Woman: The Ballad of Joan Little by Bobby Bermea
PDX Playwrights presents Three Short Plays: A Pretty Girl with Cancer by Dave Chapman, This is Temporary by Debbie Lamedman & Scrooge and Marley Have Dinner in Hell by Dave Chapman
Olio Productions Presents Trifecta: Blanche by Sascha Blocker, Voicemail devised by ensemble & 400,000 Letters by Sarah Soards Directed by Nathan Crosby
Public Folklore presents The Most Delicious Chaos: Characters From the World of Professional Servitude by RJ Hodde
Readers Theatre Repertory presents The Penguins of Ithaca by David Berkson
Hand2Mouth presents Something’s Got Ahold Of My Heart created by the Hand2Mouth ensemble
STAGED READINGS
Artists Repertory Theatre presents Dear Galileo by Claire Willett
PDX Playwrights presents Double Feature: Ephemory by Miriam Feder & Dad I Hardly Know You by Gary Corbin
PlayWrite, Inc. presents Word.Voice. written by recent PlayWrite graduates
The Pulp Stage presents PULP DICTION III: Gift of a Thousand Tongues by Fengar Gael
PDX Playwrights presents A Simple Thread by Jenni GreenMiller
Standing Gard presents Graceland, Paraguay by Jason Rosenblatt
Jewish Theatre Collaborative presents Café Baghdad adapted by Sacha Reich
Dust and Dreams Ensemble presents A Live Dress by Martha Jane Kaufman
CoHo Productions presents A Noble Failure by Susan Mach (announce 11/11)
Portland Shakespeare Project presents Lear’s Follies, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s King Lear by C.S. Whitcomb
Standing Gard presents Satanic Organics by Jason Rosenblatt
PDX Playwrights presents Double Feature: Triptych Americana by Karen Alexander-Brown & Skin Garden by Jeremy Benjamin
PDX Playwrights presents Double Feature: Sacagasasquatch & Spellbinders by Brad Bolchunos
PDX Playwrights presents Double Feature: Green by Kate Belden & Fiona and the Queen of Baltimore by David Holloway
The Pulp Stage presents PULP DICTION III: Red Hands by Matt Haynes, from the screenplay by Adam Haynes
PDX Playwrights presents Jerusalem Story by Sharon Sassone
READINGS
Lunacy Stageworks presents Stories: From Survivors of the Sex Trade by survivors of the sex trade
Third Eye Theatre presents Copernicus Rising by Michael A. Rose
Sowelu Ensemble Theater presents Two Writers: Two Works - Comic Book City by Hunt Holman & A Boy Interrupts His Chores by Lorraine Bahr
PDX Playwrights presents Manful! by John Servilio
Third Eye Theatre presents The Bag Lady’s Christmas by Sharon Sassone
Passing Fool Productions presents Farm Story by Jacklyn Maddux
Portland Theatre Works presents Next of Kin by Steve Patterson and Live from Douglas by Andrew Wardenaar
LUNCHTIME
Redneck Mormon Productions presents Redneck Mormon Thespian by Cory Huff
PDX Playwrights presents Kookaburra by Amy Doherty
PDX Playwrights presents The Widow of Tom’s Hill by Aleks Merilo
PDX Playwrights presents Cate Darringer by Sally Sunbear
The Waffle Tree presents City of Roses/City of Thorns by Travis Smith and Eileen DuClos
LATE NIGHT
Penplay presents Asylum No More by Sandra de Helen
Redneck Mormon Productions presents Redneck Mormon Thespian by Cory Huff
The Pulp Stage presents PULP DICTION III: The Pulp Sampler-- Operation Midnight Climax by Ron Burch,
How to Talk to Little Girls by Tina Connolly, Iced by Michael Cooper, Best Son by Paul Handley, Route Nine by Samantha Henderson, All Hallowed Puppets by Bill Ratner and The Devil Made Me Do It by Sydney Somerfield
Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents Karaoke Night! (the musical) devised by the ensemble
Brent Rogers Creative Services, Inc. presents
Oil Change the Musical Comedy book by Klay Rogers, lyrics by Klay Rogers & Brent Rogers, music by Brent Rogers
Northwest Children’s Theater presents Rapunzel ~ Uncut! adapted by James W. Moore
DANCE PERFORMANCE
Meshi Chavez presents…or be dragged. Choreographed by Meshi Chavez
White Bird presents Make/Believe. A new evening-length work by tEEth. Choreographed by Angelle Herbert. Composed by Phillip Kraft
Oregon Ballet Theatre presents Saint Säen’s Carnival of the Animals by Anne Mueller
GROOVIN’ GREENHOUSE DANCE SHOWCASE SERIES presented by Polaris Dance Theatre
Beat BangerZ presents: The Rhythm - Choreography by Damon Keller, Swunk - Choreography by Damon Keller & Erin Lee, Fragile - Choreography by Shannon Wilcox, Rockin' to The Beat - Choreography by Hillary Hart & Erin Lee, Greenlight - Choreography by BBZ
PDX Dance Collective presents: Them and Us - Choreography by Timothy M. Johnson,,Givers - Choreography by Elise Ericksen
Portland Festival Ballet presents: Fluid -- Choreography by Lavinia Magliocco
NW Fusion presents: New Works from NW Fusion – Choreography by Brad Hampton, Eowyn Barrett, Erika Boudreau and Autumn Dones
Dance Coalition of Oregon presents: Collection of Dances—Choreography by Rachel Slater, Kristine Anderson, Agnieszka Laska and The Dolly Pops
Polaris Dance Theatre presents: Dis-Cooperire –Choreography by Robert Guitron
Laura Onizuka with members of Portland Flamenco Events Performance Group present: No Soy Bailarina--
Choreography by Laura Onizuka
Agnieszka Laska Dancers present: Broken Flowers -- Choreography by Agnieszka Laska
AWOL Dance Collective presents: Distant Points –Choreography by Jen Livengood, Alicia Doerrie, Jessica Hoage of A-WOL dance collective with guest Jenni Bregman, dancer and choreographer from San Francisco.
Cerrin Lathrop and Carlyn Hudson with members of SubRosa Dance Collective present: Original Works –
Choreography by: Cerrin Lathrop and Carlyn Hudson
Jennifer Camp with members of Pacific University’s Dance Ensemble present: Beneath the Surface + additional works TBA— Choreography by Jennifer Camp
ANIMATED FILM SHORTS
Northwest Animation Festival presents Portland Animation Now!
Eyeliner by Joanna Priestley
Ursula 1000 - Rocket by Eric Kilkenny
Ruby Rocket, Private Detective by Sam Niemann & Stacey Hallal
Missionary by Mike A. Smith
Old-Time Film by Barbara Tetenbaum & Marilyn Zornado
Operation: Fish by Jeff Riley
# # #
On Planet Eden - The Musical: "At first the show’s trajectory seems relatively straightforward: the aliens come, the weirdos fly away. But things get interesting when the crooked reporter turns his camera on the cult members, revealing a cornucopia of startling pasts and hidden agendas."
Willamette Week
by John Minervini
January 31, 2011
"Robin Hood disguised as Russell Crowe, Maid Marian in trousers wielding a sword, the Sheriff of Nottingham all decked out in exotic pink feathers and zebra skins: The traditional story of “Robin Hood” takes on a fresh flavor in this hilarious new version by james moore, written for the Northwest Children's Theater’s entry in the Fertile Ground Festival of new works."
Holly Johnson
The Oregonian
January 29, 2011
On Body Vox 2: "The combination of ugly movements, cliché costumes, serious expressions, and talented dancers makes for a droll and stunning performance."
Willamette Week
by Rachael Dewitt
January 28, 2011
"In 1968, Tonya Jone Miller's mother got on a plane to Vietnam and walked into a dramatic unfolding of events, guided by love and family in a country devastated by war. Her mother's story worked its way into the annals of their family, an oral history moving from one generation to the next, no less present than the characters it embodied. Forty years later, Tonya recreates this story for the stage, a personal narrative she describes as "stranger than fiction.""
The Daily Vanguard, Portland State University by Candace Opper January 28, 2011
Just Out covers Fertile Ground's "Groovin Greenhouse" dance series at Polaris Dance Theatre this weekend and their preview contribution "Lil' Mo Taste" choreographed by Artistic Director Robert Guitron.
Just Out
by Amanda Shurr
January 27, 2011
pdxpipeline reviews Fertile Ground participant "Captured By Aliens" - episodic series runs through Feb 12.
pdxpipeline.com
by Saundra Sorenson
January 26, 2011
"Overall the play (The Shadow Testament) was truly captivating. The cast, from the wonderfully acted supporting roles to the captivating main characters, truly did this play justice, bringing it to life in a way that few others could."
TheClackamasPrint.com by John Simmons January 26, 2011
On "99 Ways to F*** a Swan"..."A lot goes on in Kim Rosenstock’s survey of sexual deviance, directed in its world premiere production by Megan Kate Ward. It is, unlike most plays about perversion, endlessly funny and even kind of uplifting."
Willamette Week
by Ben Waterhouse
January 19, 2011
Ben Waterhouse calls the work in "My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow" "immersive and compelling as anything I’ve experienced. Leddy’s performance is physically strenuous and emotionally draining, her best work to date."
Willamette Week
by Ben Waterhouse
January 19, 2011
"Porn Shops, Swans and Much More: Portland’s Fertile Ground, Weekend One"
by Suzi Steffen
2AMt (thinking outside the black box)
Fertile Ground Festival founder and co-Director Trisha Mead on her relationship with Fertile Ground 2011 and a metaphor about creation.
by Trisha Mead
2AMt (thinking outside the black box)
KBOO Host/Producer Dmae Roberts continues coverage of the Fertile Ground festival of new work with Tonya Jone Miller and her solo show "Threads: The True Story of an Indiana Farm Girl in Viet Nam."
Stage & Studio on KBOO Community Radio
by Dmae Roberts
Fertile Ground: 3 Quick Reviews
Alison Hallett
The Portland Mercury
Jan 25, 2011
"Fertile Ground festival gets started with a bright little sprout of a play, 'Mr. Darcy Dreamboat'."
by Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
January 21, 2011
"The end of the world takes center stage at Portland’s Fertile Ground Festival this year with Planet Eden: A Galactic Musical (The Truth About December 21, 2012)."
Vanessa Nix
OregonLive blogger
January 21, 2011
"There are lots of ways to subvert the mistaken notion that theater is some sort of stuffy pastime of the social elite, but likely few as emphatic as presenting a play in a soul-food joint. BaseRoots Theatre did that this weekend for its contribution to the Fertile Ground festival, a reading of a civil-rights drama called “The Green Book.”"
Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
January 22, 2011
"You pay your money and you take your chance. Always true with the in-the-moment performing arts, that’s especially so with a wide-ranging festival of new works, such as Fertile Ground, which runs Jan. 20-30 at numerous venues around the city. But when the money isn’t all that much (a festival pass let’s you indulge for around $5 per day), taking chances is half the fun."
Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
January 21, 2011
"Portland’s scrappy, anything goes, DIY theater fest opens tonight, launching 10 crazy days and night of marathon theatergoing."
Mead Hunter
Blogorrhea
January 20, 2011
"For the theatergoer weary of endless revivals of The Odd Couple and To Kill a Mockingbird, it’s a bonanza: In the next 10 days, Portland will see no fewer than 68 performances of new works of theater and dance, all of them created by local playwrights, performers and choreographers."
by Ben Waterhouse
Willamette Week
January 19, 2011
The Portland Mercury says art springs eternal..."Each year, Fertile Ground continues to pick up momentum, even gaining mention this month in American Theatre magazine. As its scope expands, who knows what's next? Fertile Ground Film Festival? Fertile Ground Art Walk? Whatever happens, Portland's artistic landscape is proving to be more fruitful than ever."
The Portland Mercury
by Virginia Thayer
January 19, 2011
"The most shocking part of "The Shadow Testament" is not that it tells the story of an insane cult right here in Oregon, nor is it that the play features a scene of full-frontal male nudity (however brief it may be). No, the most shocking aspect of this play is that it is all based on the true tale of the "Love Cult" started in Corvallis, in 1903."
John Simmons TheClackamasPrint.com January 19, 2011
"Theater allows your work to be tried on and walked around in and so, even if you don't have a horse in this race, you can learn (by observing the process of others), how to enliven your work and be a better writer. And you'll be supporting your fellow creatives in a town rich with starving artists."
"Writer's Block" blog on OregonLive.com
by Vanessa Nix
January 19, 2011
"Fertile Ground one-liners: Playwrights plug the upcoming festival with a few choice quotes, straight from their scripts. (With) a ten-day cornucopia of 70 performance works, could metaphorically plow us under if we took the old preview/review approach."
by Anne Adams Portland Monthly Culturephile Blog January 18, 2010
On her show "Stage and Studio" host and producer Dmae Roberts talks with three women playwrights in the festival on KBOO Community Radio. Listen to interviews with Susan Mach (The Shadow Testament), Erin Leddy (My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow) and Camille Cettina (Mr. Darcy Dream Boat).
Stage & Studio on KBOO Community Radio
by Dmae Roberts
"Next week, Portland, Oregon’s Fertile Ground Festival kicks off, ten days of new work by area artists. In my experience (and it’s my hometown, but I haven’t lived there for ten years), Portland is a really odd place to make art–cheap rents and a super hip, laid back urban core makes it a great place to live and make work..."
Culturebot
Jeremy M. Barker
January 13, 2011
"(Fertile Ground) Launched in 2009 by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance, a volunteer-run service organization for local theater artists and organizations, the festival offers a veritable buffet of creative endeavor from across the city's performing arts scene. Having branched out from plays and musicals to also include dance, comedy and various hybrids, this year's 11-day event will feature 68 shows taking place in more than two dozen locations from the Pearl District to Tigard."
The Oregonian, A&E Cover Story
by Marty Hughley
January 14, 2011
"One such premiere project is the play Threads: The True Story of an Indiana Farm Girl in Viet Nam, written and performed by Portland actress, writer, foodie, and aural courtesan, Tonya Jone Miller."
Dave Knows
Dave Knows Portland.org
January 10, 2010
"‘Til They Reach The Fertile Ground...Third annual citywide arts festival returns with impressive lineup of dance works."
Rebecca Ragain
Just Out
January 7, 2011
"...a great way to sample the creative energy yearning to breathe free in the city..."
Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
January 2, 2010
Polaris Dance Theatre has plans to expose Portland audiences to a wide variety of fresh moves during January's Fertile Ground festival by curating a series of performances. From January 20 to 30, Polaris will open its downtown studio theater to other Portland-based choreographers and dance companies, hosting what it calls the Groovin' Greenhouse.
Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
November 19, 2010
Trisha Mead, Fertile Ground Executive Director and Portland Center Stage's PR and Publications Manager talks to KGW Joe Smith of Live @ 7 about PCS' closing night event "Sprout" at the Armory.
KGW Live @ 7
Joe Smith
February 1, 2010
Photo coverage of the Fertile Ground Opening Night Party at Curious Comedy
Byron Beck.com
January 26, 2010
Fertile Ground festival reports strong attendance for opening weekend...17 out of 32 shows had sold-out houses.
Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
January 27, 2010
Most of you know at least a little bit about Fertile Ground, Portland’s festival of new performance works, which has been playing on stages big and small around the city and continues to do so through Feb. 2.
Bob Hicks
Arts Scatter
January 26, 2010
The Oregonian's staff and freelance critics spent most of the weekend attending the second annual Fertile Ground Festival and writing about it for us. Look no further for The Oregonian's coverage.
The Oregonian
Staff and freelance critic insights and reviews
January 22-25, 2010
The festival, in its second year, is an umbrella for more than 50 shows being staged around Portland through Feb. 2, primarily theater but also dance, comedy, music and various hybrids. It's an eye-opening showcase of the local performing arts scene's vigor and variety, and is starting to draw audiences to its cause, which Mead sums up as "support local artists and try something new.
Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
January 25, 2010
Willamette Week's News and Culture staff post reports daily on their Fertile Ground coverage.
Willamette Week
Ben Waterhouse
January 23, 2010
READ Daily Posts:
WW/Day 1: The Memory of Water, Truth and Beauty, and The Hillsboro Story
WW/Day 5: Pulp Diction and The Light That Lingers
Gerding Theater mezzanine fills the bill both noon and night. The Fertile Ground festival has way too many plays and other performances to present to fit them all into the usual evening time slots. So that's where a space such as the mezzanine of the Gerding Theater comes in handy.
Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
January 23, 2010
This Friday marks the start of the 2nd annual Fertile Ground Creative Festival, a 10 day, city-wide celebration of new local works! Prepare to be delighted by this year’s line-up of over 50 projects and a dozen world premieres, spanning across a variety of genres and being presented by a very diverse group of talented (and hardworking!) Portland artists and organizations.
Julian Chadwick
PDX Pipeline
January 22, 2010
Fertile Ground Oregonian A&E Cover Story
The Oregonian
Marty Hughley
January 21, 2010
Fertile Ground theatre festival: critic’s picks
The Oregonian
Marty Hughley
January 21, 2010
Molly Best Tinsley spent 20 years teaching literature and creative writing at the United States Naval Academy before moving to Oregon to become a full-time writer. Since her arrival, she's won an Oregon Book Award, co-written what's being called the first feminist thriller, and has a short comic play about sex opening as part of the Fertile Ground Festival.
Jeff Baker
The Oregonian
January 21, 2010
Q: You have a reading of your play How the Light Gets In coming up at Fertile Ground Festival. Can you tell me about the play and festival?
A: Well, here's the synopsis: "There is a crack in everything – that’s how the light gets in.”
Adam Szymkowicz
I Interview Playwrights Part 106: Claire Willett
January 21, 2010
While I appreciate that Fertile Ground has an open-door policy regarding participation in the festival—and I think it's really motivated artists to pull their work together—I'm frankly feeling a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of plays and staged readings happening over the next ten days, and the lack of any kind of curatorial focus.
Alison Hallett
Portland Mercury - Blogtown
January 21, 2010
Spring Awakening -- The Fertile Ground festival is back with 10 days of home-grown theater and dance.
Editorial Previews
Willamette Week
January 20, 2010
“There is a wonderful uber-geek sub strain of comic book artists and sci-fi writers making late night mayhem (Pulp Diction), D&D geeks transformed into comic theater (Willow Jade) and nurds who think they are rock stars (SexyNurd).”
BroadwayWorld.com
January 2010
“Something about our city is conducive to creativity. Blame it on the weather, or the all micro-brews… Coffee? Hippies? Food carts? Whatever it is, Portland is fertile ground for artists of all forms. Thus the name of this festival amping up and poised to kick us out of our wintry doldrums.” Portland Octopus January 13, 2010
"Portland’s well of artistic visionaries and performers will be given a proper channel to showcase their collective and individual talents once again, as the Fertile Ground Festival invades the city for the second straight year. Expanding this time to include new genres—dance, comedy, poetry, pulp, music and visual art—the event is a veritable breeding ground for all things creative, and will feature a little something for every type of arts connoisseur."
Ryan J. Prado,
Just Out
January 2010
Ted Douglass, the host for Entercom Radio’s Metroscape program, invited Festival Director Trisha Mead on the show to talk about the breadth of the festival, its genesis and what to be excited about in this year’s festival.
Ted Douglass, host
Entercom Radio, Metroscope
January 2010
PARTICIPANT NEWS STORIES
At the end of a week and a half of packed performance schedules, the Fertile Ground closing party clearly suffered from what those present were calling "festival fatigue." The event was called "Sprout," and it was a variation on what in recent years has been a playful part of a gala for some of Portland Center Stage's donors.
Marty Hughley
The Oregonian
February 2, 2010
'Mawson's Mettle' holds Portland audience in rapt attention. Howard's knowledge of his subject and his unbounded enthusiasm are a gift to the audience; but those in attendance gave much back, as evidenced by the post-show crowd that enthusiastically clustered around him. It's a great day when simple storytelling satisfies the soul like this.
Holly Johnson
The Oregonian
January 31, 2010
Northwest Children's Theater has triumphed gleamingly with its new musical adaptation of "Pinocchio," the classic tale written in the 19th century by Carlo Collodi, who might recognize and approve of this version in the steampunk style (think "Mad Max," "Delicatessen" or "The City of Lost Children").
Holly Johnson
The Oregonian
January 30, 2010
Robert Guitron, Artistic Director of Polaris Dance talks to Joe Smith of KGW's Live @ 7 about their Fertile Ground project xCHANGE3.
Joe Smith
KGW Live @ 7
January 29, 2010
Nerds on Stage - Willow Jade Explores the World of the 20-Sided Dice
Portland Mercury
Alison Hallett
January 28, 2010
auGi aka SexyNurd talks about his workshop production of SexyNurd and Fertile Ground on KGW at Curious Comedy Theater.
Joe Smith
KGW Live @ 7
January 22, 2010
Preview: Tandem
Tandem is the debut show of the comedy duo (oh, why not) called Jean Louis, aka Stacey Hallal and Bob Ladewig. These Second City alums are hilarious, and their comedy chops are legit. And here, of course, is the fifteen dollar question, “Is sketch comedy worth trucking it up MLK for? ‘Cause I’ve got hulu at home.” Turns out, yes.
By Alexis Rehrmann
Portland Monthly Magazine
Culturephile: Portland Arts
January 19, 2010
Tere Mathern Dance & Minh Tran and Company White Bird Dance - Uncaged Series The Tere Mathern Dance / Minh Tran & Company program consists of a new work created by each choreographer for his or her own company. Mathern’s contribution is titled “PIVOT” and Tran’s “KISS.” In addition, Mathern and Tran will perform a duet called “Twine,” created especially for the occasion. Tran plans for his onstage bow after the final performance January 24 to be his last as a dancer. By Rebecca Ragain Just Out January 201
READ the full article here
