2011-2012

Oklahoma!

Music by Richard Rodgers

Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs
Original dances by Agnes de Mille
Main Stage

Sept 20 – Oct 30

Part charming love story, part stirring retelling of American history, and many parts beloved songs and stunning dance, Oklahoma! was the first collaboration by the legendary team of Rodgers and Hammerstein, and was a milestone in the development of American musical theater for its fusion of song, story and dance. We are giving this boisterous favorite a new spin: in the 19^th century Oklahoma Territory, there were over 50 all African-American towns; in that same period, one in three American cowboys was black. Chris Coleman’s production will feature an all African-American cast, generating fresh insights into a classic American tale.

The Real Americans

By Dan Hoyle

Ellyn Bye Studio

Sept 6 – Nov 6
Frequently described as an actor/journalist, Dan Hoyle has focused his form of “theater journalism” in this new piece on a months-long road trip to some of the not-on-the-coasts parts of the U.S. The idea, he says, was to get outside the “latte liberal bubble,” find out what people in rural America are thinking and savor some small-town cafe pie. Beneath the masterful humor that Hoyle brings to the piece—as he takes on the personas of the many people he encountered—a rich texture of human connections asserts itself. It surfaces in stories of unemployment and in the frenetic form of a Dominican from New York he meets on the road; it gathers heart-wrenching impact in a Vietnam vet’s reflections on the kids coming back from Iraq and one of his San Francisco friends’ concern for her sister in Alabama. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that The Real Americans should be seen in and outside every liberal bubble in this country, and that Hoyle “displays a gift for mime and vocal mimicry that recalls solo artists John Leguizamo, Sarah Jones or Lily Tomlin.” 

A Christmas Story

By Phil Grecian

Based on the motion picture written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown & Bob Clark

Main Stage

Nov 20 – Dec 24

 Based on the beloved movie, this classic holiday comedy is a funny and sweet tale of growing up in the 1940s, by an American master storyteller, Jean Shepherd. Ralphie pines for an official Red Ryder Model Air Gun for Christmas, and his machinations to try and make sure Santa delivers, while his father obsesses over his “major award” (an abominable lamp), guarantee that nothing about the family Christmas will be filled with heavenly peace.

The Santaland Diaries

By David Sedaris

Ellyn Bye Studio

Nov 29 – Dec 31

Based on the outlandish, and true, chronicles of David Sedaris’ experience as Crumpet the Elf in Macy’s Santaland display, this hilarious cult classic features comic encounters during the height of the holiday crunch. PCS brings a holiday favorite back to Portland as a special Studio Theater presentation.

  World premiere!

The North Plan

By Jason Wells

Main Stage

Jan 10 – Feb 5

After a ruthless cabal seizes power in Washington, Carlton Berg, a bureaucrat for the State Department, runs off with the new regime’s top secret Enemies List. Unfortunately for Carlton, the chase has come to an end in a police station in the Ozark town of Lodus. With a pair of DHS agents on the way, Carlton’s last chance is in the people around him: An unsympathetic police chief, an ambivalent administrative assistant, and fellow prisoner Tanya Shepke, motor-mouthed recidivist and alcohol enthusiast, who appears to have attention-deficit disorder and thinks Skynyrd should be on the new money. Let the revolution begin.

 World premiere!

Shakespeare’s Amazing Cymbeline

A new adaptation by Chris Coleman

Ellyn Bye Studio

Jan 31 – Apr 8

Based on legends about early Celtic kings, Cymbeline is one of Shakespeare’s most fantastical creations—familiar Shakespearean themes of jealousy and innocence wronged are joined with divine intervention from the gods. A lovely princess, an evil queen, a misguided king and a thoroughly rotten clown inhabit this fairy tale-like story of life, and love, renewed. In his adaptation, Chris Coleman has introduced a new character, a pianist, who serves as a guide through the story and also takes on several characters himself. With this device, the complex tale that is Cymbeline has been opened up and, on several counts, streamlined, while preserving the poetry and language that we all love about Shakespeare.

Red

By John Logan

Main Stage

Feb 21 – Mar 18

An intense bio-drama of the renowned modern artist (and Oregon-raised) Mark Rothko, Red earned critical laurels in its New York run last season. Set in the 1950s, when Rothko was commissioned to create a series of large pieces of art for the new Four Seasons Restaurant, Red tackles big questions about art—what it takes to create it, and where it belongs in our world. But perhaps more importantly, the play invites us to experience a legendary artist through the lens of the assistant brought on to help him with a project Rothko is not so sure he can accept completing.  The New York Times described it as “a portrait of an angry and brilliant mind that asks you to feel the shape and texture of thoughts…as much as any stage work I can think of, Red captures the dynamic relationship between an artist and his creations.” PCS and the Portland Art Museum are working together to celebrate Rothko during the run of this production.

 World premiere!

Anna Karenina

Adapted from Tolstoy by Kevin McKeon

Main Stage

Apr 3 – Apr 29

Tolstoy’s classic story of love and marriage in Imperial Russia comes to our Main Stage in a new adaptation by Kevin McKeon, adaptor of Snow Falling on Cedars. This tragic love story has been called by some the greatest novel ever written—it certainly has one of the most famous first lines: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” When Anna’s husband refuses to release her from their marriage to pursue her love for Count Vronsky, the wheels are set in motion for the ultimate sacrifice. Anna Karenina isn’t concerned with observing the minutiae of social etiquette, like Jane Austen, nor with righting social injustices, like Dickens. It’s about uncontrollable passions, and emotional and sexual betrayal, set against one of the most romantic periods of world history.

Black Pearl Sings!

By Frank Higgins

Ellyn Bye Studio

Apr 24 – June 17

In 1935 Texas, Susannah, an academic and song collector for the Library of Congress, visits a high-security prison where she meets Pearl, an African-American woman imprisoned for murder who longs to leave prison and find her lost daughter. Hoping to record the treasure trove of spirituals and folk songs that only Pearl knows—and make her reputation on the discoveries—Susannah bargains for Pearl’s parole and arranges for several public performances. The two women soon find themselves walking a delicate line between exposure and exploitation. Featuring beautiful a cappella renditions of little-known African-American folk songs, Black Pearl Sings! chronicles a powerful story about being a woman in a man’s world, being black in a white world, and fighting for one’s soul in a world where anyone can be a commodity.

It Ain’t Nothin but the Blues

By Charles Bevel, Lita Gaithers, Randal Myler, Ron Taylor, and Dan Wheetman

Main Stage

May 22 – June 24

From African chants and Delta spirituals to the urban electricity of a Chicago nightclub, from dusty backroads bluegrass to the twang of a country juke joint, It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues is a stirring retrospective of blues classics that summons the soul of American music. Over two dozen musical numbers are included, among them “I’m Your Hoochie-Coochie Man,” “Goodnight, Irene,” “Fever,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “The Thrill Is Gone” and “Let the Good Times Roll.” It Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Musical, and has played to rave reviews all over the country. Through the music that is cherished as an original American art form, the standout group of musicians and singers on stage share a moving American story of troubles and triumph.

The Free Shuttle Will Bring You Directly to the Mansion’s Doors for Christmas Around the World.

Take the free shuttle December 17 through January 1. The shuttle pick-up location, which will be marked with a sign, will be at PSU’s parking garage #3 (entrance on SW 12th Avenue or SW 13th just south of SW Market). Click here for a map to the garage.
Parking in PSU’s parking structure is free to Pittock Mansion visitors for the first three hours. When you arrive, go to one of the parking machines in parking structure #3, and you will see three choices: 1. Daily Parking, 2. Hourly Parking, or 3. Pittock Shuttle. Select the 3 for Pittock Shuttle, and then enter coupon code 62782 in the keypad to obtain your free parking permit.

- Shuttle service will be provided by a 12-passenger van, which will have a window sign identifying it as the shuttle to Pittock Mansion.

- The shuttle vans are non-accessible (i.e. unable to load wheelchairs on and off automatically). However, TriMet offers some door-to-door neighborhood shuttle service through their Ride Connection program.  Find out more at http://www.trimet.org/access/index.htm.
- Shuttle vans may have extra cargo space for strollers, but do not have children’s seats for transportation.

- Return trips will depart the Mansion on the half hour with the last departure leaving the Mansion at 4:30 p.m.

This eco-friendly and budget-friendly option is being offered for the fourth year, thanks to a partnership with America’s Hub World Tours. For details, contact Pittock Mansion. Please call ahead to confirm shuttle service during inclement weather.

Elk Mountain and King’s Mountain- two popular hiking destinations in the Oregon Coast range. Most of the trail is nice , but be prepared for a little more rugged and challenging experience than your typical Columbia Gorge or Mount Hood trails.

We started just past the Elk Creek Campground. The signs were easy to follow along, the trail. The trail goes up and down a bit over small knolls. As you go along the trail, there are progressively better views down to the road, toward King’s Mountain and the rest of the Coast Range.

There’s a large clearing and level area to enjoy the views and rest near the top. But, don’t rest to long because you have a long way to go and that’s were the fun begins.:)

Elk Mountain-King’s Mountain Loop Hike:
•Distance: 17.381 km10.8 miles round trip
•Elevation gain: 1,127.76 meters or 3700 feet
•Difficulty: ***Very Difficult***
•Seasons: I’m only suggesting summer or fall. Travel safe!
• Great training hike for climbers to judge their fitness level.

The art of Fly Fishing challenges your thought process in many ways. Friends continue to remind you everything is there just waiting on us to act.

http://www.americashubworldtours.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Alaska-Fishing.jpg

News from Leslie’s Corner!

Great article on the bicycling (and beer!) culture in Portland — for me, this is what makes Portland absolutely unique among U.S. cities.

“A LOT of good cyclists come out of Portland just because you can ride year-round,” said Bruce Rogers, an athletic-shoe designer visiting from his home in Hailey, Idaho. “I love coming back because I love the biking, no matter what time of year it is. More than fitness, it’s a fun outlet. As long as you have decent rainwear you can ride in any weather.”

A less relaxed session by local bike racers in town. Careering through streets on a bicycle in Portland, Ore., this time of year can be an easy weekend adventure that mixes showers, sunbursts, cafes and a robust bicycle culture. And equipped with a sturdy rain jacket, booties, fenders and a bike map (a waterproof version that folds to the size of a credit card is handy), visitors can enjoy the city the way locals do.

On a recent misty Friday evening, bicyclists wearing blinking safety lights formed a spontaneous, festive parade across the Hawthorne Bridge. The impromptu peloton flashed by like a line of flickering fireflies.

Tourists will find that Portlanders seem to know how to avoid the biggest gushers, perfecting the art of ducking into a cafe at the moment that passing showers soak the streets. “I’ve seen a lot of double rainbows this winter,” said Andrew Butterfield, a teacher at da Vinci Arts Middle School, who was drinking a coffee in the Hollywood neighborhood during one cloudburst.

For visitors, it’s possible to land at Portland International Airport and hop the MAX Light Rail to start a city tour. “You can just load your bike on the train and head into town,” said Don Shepler, a Portland-trained chef who, together with his wife, Erin Zell, runs Galena Lodge, a Nordic skiing retreat and summer hiking stop in southern Idaho. The couple enjoy returning to Portland for biking-and- food tours.

“The last time we were there we rode to a bunch of different restaurants on Alberta Street,” Ms. Zell said. “We’d enjoy a drink and appetizers and ride somewhere else.”

Days of clear weather come and go this time of year, but it never really rains that hard, Mr. Shepler said, adding that he liked the flow of bicycle traffic in Portland. “On the side streets with bike lanes you’re on the grid, and you can just go,” he said.

It helps to have a Bike There! map, published by the regional governing body known as Metro and available at bike shops and the downtown visitors center. A mapping program, found at byCycle.org, can help visitors pick the best biking route to markets, galleries, museums or other destinations.

Locking up at on-street bicycle parking stands downtown near the Portland Museum of Art, cyclists also take advantage of Benson Bubblers, drinking fountains in various locations around town. While filling a water bottle, it was impossible not to notice how many people are on bikes despite the rain.

“Portland is a really easy and comfortable city to use a bicycle as transportation,” said Roger Geller, Portland’s bicycle coordinator since 1994. “There is a lot of energy around cycling right now and it’s not just 20-year-old men racing. I see average people out biking.”

Mr. Butterfield, who has been a bicycle commuter in Portland for 20 years, suggests that visitors take a tour over the four bicycle-friendly bridges on the Willamette River (the Broadway, Steel, Burnside and Hawthorne Bridges) as a good way to get oriented. But a bridge tour only scratches the surface of biking opportunities in and around Portland. A trip on the tram from the river to the hillside campus of Oregon Heath & Science University reveals a compelling green landscape. Fresh snow on the volcanic peaks of Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens in the Cascade Range makes the view of the city hardly seem urban.

Riders who wish to delve deeper into Portland’s diverse bicycle culture can simply drop in on pubs like Hopworks Urban Brewery in Southeast, a tavern decorated with spare bike parts that serves organic beer.

Stopping at Hopworks pub was Brian Schultz, an engineer with Chris King Precision Components, a manufacturer of bike parts, transplanted to Portland from California, and his wife Molly Mattecheck Schultz, a former employee of Team Estrogen, an Oregon-based company specializing in fitness apparel for women. Conversation quickly turned to tales of their recent 5,000-mile coast-to-coast bicycle tour, inspired by their love of cycling in Portland.

“People were amazingly generous and trusting,” Ms. Shultz said of their trip, adding that it helped her gain a new appreciation for the commitment to bicycling in Portland. It’s not unusual to see women riding through the winter in skirts and knee-high boots, followed by athletes training in winter riding clothing, she said.

Portland’s embrace of bike culture means that there are hundreds of miles of bike lanes and multiuse paths already in place.

“The goal is to become a world-class bicycling city,” Mr. Geller said. “There has been a linear rise in bike use, but in the last four years it’s been exponential.”

The steady flow of bicycle traffic also makes it easy for visitors to commune with fellow cyclists or at least to ask for directions. Street signs indicating the distance between points, including an estimated bicycling time, make Portland a logical city to navigate on two wheels. The signs are posted on streets commonly known as bicycle boulevards — quieter, safer alternatives to busier roads with bike lanes.

Visitors will find that special bike-crossing signals and bike lanes highlighted in bright green help to guide traffic in the most complicated intersections. Breaking up a ride with a stop at a cafe or a pub adds to the pleasure, said David Lord, a bike racer and elementary school teacher, who commutes by bike more than 4,000 miles each year. Bicyclists might also find themselves steered toward a slice at Mississippi Pizza Pub, chased by a beer down the road at Amnesia Brewing.

“There is an amazing selection of restaurants and brewpubs like the Lucky Lab and the Bridgeport Brewery, but my favorite thing to do is hit Powell’s Books,” said Mr. Rogers, the shoe designer. “Every trip I spend a few hours there, not only to check out books, but to check in with the world.”

Back on the road, Portland can sometimes look like an elaborate model railroad table with everything in motion, especially if viewed from one of the Willamette bridges. Riding toward North Portland on the Broadway Bridge, it is not unusual to see the Amtrak Coast Starlight train crossing the Steel Bridge headed for Union Station a little after 3.

“The thing about Portland is there are so many world-class rides at your fingertips,” Mr. Rogers said, as he prepared to ride with his best friend across the Willamette to Council Crest, said to be the highest point in the city, with a panoramic view of the Cascade volcanoes. “Portland’s pretty much roadie heaven.”

IF YOU GO

byCycle.org (www.bycycle.org) is an interactive trip planner that integrates the regional bicycle map.

BikePortland (bikeportland.org) covers the Portland bike scene.

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (www.bta4bikes.org) is a nonprofit organization that works to promote bicycling and improve bicycling conditions in Oregon and southwest Washington. Its Web site has plenty of links to resources for bicyclists.

The Community Exchange Cycle Touring Club (www.exchangecycletours.org) promotes cycling as “a means of cross-cultural interaction and earth-friendly transportation by providing bicycle maintenance and bicycle touring resources.”

Shift (www.shift2bikes.org) calls itself a “a loose-knit and informal bunch of bike-loving folks” who organize bicycle events, including social rides, educational tours and art-bike parades.

“Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities” (oregonstate.edu/dept/press/o-p/PedalingRev.html) by Jeff Mapes investigates how cyclists in Portland and other cities and college towns work with the support of local government.

“Veer” (www.veerthemovie.com) is a film  that looks at the lives and bike-centric social groups of five people in Portland over the course of a year. It is to be shown the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center in New York on May 5 at 6:30 p.m. Learn more.

Looking for something new?

SILVER FALLS STATE PARK 

“The Canyon Trail is a nationally recognized trail system that leads hikers along the banks of the north and south forks of Silver Creek. It takes you to 10 majestic waterfalls, ranging from the grand South Falls (177 feet), to the delicate Drake Falls (27 feet). Four of these falls have an amphitheater-like surrounding where you can walk behind the falls and feel the misty, crisp spray.”

experience oregon

• Taste your favorite wine in the lovely vineyards and wineries on our tour of Oregon’s world-renowned Pinot Noir country
• Let us show you the waterfalls and vistas on our tour of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area – including the second highest waterfall in the United States
• Enjoy the breathtaking mountain views and green valley’s on our tour to the timberline of Mt. Hood, Oregon’s highest peak
• See the devastation and rebuilding process of the 1980 explosion of Mount St. Helens on our one-of-a-kind tour to this intriguing mountain
• Set eyes on the breathtaking beauty of the cliffs, sandy beaches, sea islands and charming beach towns of the enchanting Oregon Coast
• Savor the many flavors of beer on our fun tour of Portland’s Micro Breweries
• Let us guide you to the best places to shop on our shopping tour

Hub World Travel can take you there – and everywhere in between. Take one, several or all of our tours and return home with lasting memories of your time in the grand Pacific Northwest.

Our well-traveled staff will handle all the details. We can even customize a tour – just for you. Take the trip of a lifetime – or just a brief respite from daily life.

For business or pleasure, a Hub World Travel tours will make your day. Learn more

 David Hill Winery, Kramer Winery, Montinore Estate, Willakenzie Estates, Schaffer Vineyard

  Erath Winery, Lange Winery , Archery Summit Winery, Vista Hills Vineyard
Domaine Serene Vineyard

Learn more