Artists Rep presents the Northwest Premiere of
Broomstick
a tale of tricks, treats and just desserts
WHO: Artists Repertory Theatre
WHAT: Broomstick by John Biguenet. Directed by Gemma Whelan.
WHEN: October 27 – November 22, 2015
WHERE: Artists Repertory Theatre, Morrison Stage, 1515 SW Morrison Street, Portland
TICKETS: $48 regular price; $25 previews, students, under 25
- Pay-What-You-Can First Preview performance: October 27
- Preview performances: October 27-30
- Opening Night: October 31
- Regular run: through November 22
- Buy Tickets: 503.241.1278 or artistsrep.org
PRODUCTION PHOTOS AVAILABLE: October 29, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Portland, Oregon |October 7, 2015. Artists Repertory Theatre is delighted to offer John Biguenet’s Broomstick on the Morrison Stage from October 27 through November 22, 2015. A fairytale-twisted yarn of delightful humor and spine-tingling suspense conjures a spooky seasonal experience unlike any other. This production features a tour-de-force solo performance by Portland’s premiere actress and Artists Rep Resident Artist, Vana O’Brien. As an Appalachian witch, she 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.
Broomstick, winner of the 2006 National New Play Network Continued Life of New Plays Fund Award, has enthralled audiences across America with its wickedly funny and surprisingly insightful tromp through the life, sorrows and triumphs of this entrancing character.
“. . . the merger of pathos, insight and horror is hair-raising. . . . Tightly woven, richly detailed and fully enjoyable.” –Los Angeles Times (An LA Times Critics’ Pick)
Broomstick is guaranteed to provoke unexpected thought—as it keeps the viewer jumping at shadows and itching the nape of the neck long after final curtain.”
–Arts in LA
“A must-see, . . . John Biguenet’s hit play, Broomstick, sweeps away the dust that lies on the path between fantasy and reality [and] is so seamless, its ninety minutes fly by.”
–Broadway World (New Jersey)
“She has lived a long life, filled with pain and tragedy,” said Artists Rep’s Broomstick director Gemma Whelan of the Witch. “She carries the weight of her experience in her body, but also literally in her layers of clothing, from pieces of lace representing her first sweet love, to animal bones and teeth and rings, all an outgrowth of her lived years. Her home is yet another layer, an extension of herself, and almost indistinguishable from the encompassing woods.”
The creative team for Broomstick features four Artists Rep Resident Artists Kristeen Willis-Crosser (Scenic Design), Gregory Pulver (Costume Design), Mary McDonald-Lewis (Dialect Coach) and Rodolfo Ortega (Sound Design). This team will build an immersive experience for the audience, transporting them to the back woods of Appalachia and conjuring the deepest memories of the Witch to the stage.
Broomstick
By John Biguenet
Directed by Gemma Whelan***
CAST
Vana O’Brien*^ Witch
CREATIVE TEAM
Kristeen Willis Crosser^ Scenic Designer
Carl Faber** Lighting Designer
Gregory Pulver^ Costume Designer
Rodolfo Ortega^ Composer/Sound Designer
Mary McDonald-Lewis^ Dialect Coach
Sarah Lucht*^ Understudy to Vana O’Brien
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
** Represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE.
***Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
^ Artists Rep Resident Artist
ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE
Portland’s premiere mid-size regional theatre company is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodriguez and Managing Director Sarah Horton. Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the longest-running professional theatre company in Portland. For the 2015/16 season Artists Rep will offer eight bold and entertaining plays written by internationally acclaimed playwrights and guided by esteemed directors. Artists Rep productions will feature the work of a core group of accomplished Resident Artists, each with a shared history and a shorthand for collaboration, working alongside guest artists from Portland and beyond. Artists Rep is also home to the ArtsHub, a program which offers residencies within Artists Rep’s facility to smaller and emerging arts organizations with subsidized administrative, performance and rehearsal space, as well other infrastructural services. The Artists Rep facility serves as a community arts center, where performance venues and other public spaces are continually buzzing with activity.
Artists Rep’s mission is to engage diverse audiences in fresh, thought-provoking and intimate theatre. We are committed to world-class acting, directing, design and stagecraft that support new playwriting and aspire to embody great literature, moving audiences to truly feel — to experience — storytelling in a way that only the best live theatre can.
The 2015/16 Artists Repertory Theatre season is presented by Ronni Lacroute/WillaKenzie Estate and David and Christine Vernier. Broomstick is presented at Artists Rep with support from Romy Klopper. Our season media sponsors are The Oregonian and KINK. Other season support comes from the Regional Arts Culture Council, Oregon Community Foundation, Collins Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation and Work for Art.
Artists Repertory Theatre
1515 SW Morrison St.
Portland, OR 97205
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Book by Carlos Lacámara
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