Welcome to Portland Story Theater!
Portland Story Theater delivers engaging, true stories for adult audiences. We are a grass-roots operation, commited to creating original work and building awareness and appreciation for
narrative.
Photography by Russell Young © 2011 Studio 3024
Portland Story Theater provides a unique live theater
experience where the artist and the audience are always making direct eye-to-eye contact.
The honest, authentic story that unfolds between them has been called "raw, revealing, vulnerable,"
by The Oregonian. Portland Story Theater's groundbreaking work "keeps audiences entranced
from start to finish." (The Oregonian) We consistently hit emotional pay dirt,
tapping into the age-old power of the spoken word tradition by empowering the
imagination.
Portland Story Theater's mission is to
find the meaning in the mundane, and to illuminate the universal through personal narrative.
We strive to make the narrative arts an integral
part of Portland’s rich cultural identity.
What We Do
Portland Story Theater was launched in 2004 to bring the urban community together for a unique performance
experience, telling original tales that stimulate the mind and rouse the heart. Our vision is to enrich,
inspire, challenge and expand our world through the narrative arts.
Photography by Russell Young © 2011 Studio 3024
Portland Story Theater delivers thought-provoking, funny, and
sometimes irreverent stories that make people think, evoke an emotional
response, and "satisfy the soul" (The Oregonian). Our stories tap into what is universal in the human condition,
awakening the listener's own experience.
How We Do It
Portland Story Theater uses a collaborative model to produce our work.
We work with all kinds of people: architects, authors, social workers, therapists, teachers,
artists, computer programmers, anthropologists, actors, designers
- anyone who
is passionate about story - to join
us in co-creating a program that is woven together collaboratively. We
workshop the stories together, creating a synergy within the ensemble, and
honing the stories in preparation for performance. Lawrence Howard,
and Lynne Duddy have been priviledged
to work with a number of talented
people in the Portland urban community, including
Penny Walter,
auGi the SexyNurd,
Sharon Knorr,
Brad Fortier,
Ryan Wolf Stroud,
Will Hornyak,
Olga Sanchez, and
Rick Huddle, to name a few.
Portland Story Theater is driven by our core values. We are:
Stewards of the oral tradition and authentic performances.
Catalysts for community relationships and alliances.
Passionate advocates for diverse narrative artists and the loyal audience that supports our work.
May The Narrative Be With You!
Portland Story Theater Board
Lynne Duddy
Lawrence Howard
Penny Walter
PST is the Pacific Northwest's Premier Storytelling Organization
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In 2009, we established ourselves as a not-for-profit business and are an IRS certified 501(c)(3) public charity. Your kind donations are appreciated.
Portland Story Theater Programs
Armchair Adventurer Series
Every January audiences are mesmerized by stories of
man against nature; fighting freezing temperatures,
80 mile-per-hour winds, loneliness, grief, madness and
starvation.
Shackleton's Antarctic Nightmare,
Mawson's
Mettle, and
Polar Opposites have been featured
since the series began in 2008.
Singlehandedly
This is a solo performance festival that takes place each Spring
and spotlights Portland Story Theater's commitment to the
narrative arts. Gaining momentum every year, this festival
began in 2009 and was an immediate hit with the fans, friends,
and followers of Portland Story Theater.
2010 was terrific and this year's festival features some
Portland Story Theater favorites like Ryan Wolf Stroud,
premiering his first feature-length show, Lawrence Howard
of Shackleton fame, and auGi, Portland's own SexyNurd,
along with Slash Coleman, best known for his PBS special
and Off-Broadway one-man show, "The Neon Man and Me,"
and many others! Every night is different and all the stories
are true, told live on stage without scripts, notes, props,
or accompaniment.
Halloween Event, The John Palmer House
An evening of scary stories in honor of All Hallows Eve
that celebrates our community, the art of storytelling,
and brings crucial funds to Portland Story Theater and
the community. Last year we shared the loot and donated
over $1,500 to Our United Villages for The Rebuilding
Center on North Mississippi.
The Art of Personal Narrative
This workshop
series gives people an opportunity to craft
their story so that it flows through them, seamlessly, in
its true form, without any barriers: open, fresh, revealing.
Urban Tellers
People from all walks of life showcase their personal
stories. It's not acting. It's not writing. There's no script.
This is narrative, spoken straight from the heart.
Real. True. Stories.
Portland Story Theater Resource Council
Portland Story Theater is working to build its resources. These good people are helping us take it to the next level.
Lynn Fitch
Josh Ellyson
Alison Bailey
Cheryl Brock
Olga Sanchez
We are always looking to expand our community. If you are interested in volunteering with Portland Story Theater please send us an email at
tellers@portlandstorytheater.com.
© Portland Story Theater, Inc. 2003-2012
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