Late last night, Governor Kate Brown announced new recommendations regarding the need to cancel large events in response to COVID-19 and its effect on our community. In light of this announcement, we’ve made the decision to cancel our annual gala, originally planned for this Saturday night, March 14. Due to the financial repercussions and short notice, we will not be rescheduling for another date. Events are changing rapidly, and our first priority is to keep you and our family of staff and artists safe and healthy.
This was a difficult decision to make as this vital event is our major fundraiser for the year: we rely on the funds raised at the gala to ensure Artists Rep’s ability to continue our 37-year tradition of generating new work featuring Portland theatre artists.
With performances and public events being cancelled, the arts in Portland are suffering an undeniable financial loss. We want to provide a safe and comfortable opportunity for our community to show their support of Artists Rep, and recover the significant losses from this event that we’ll be unable to recoup. Our goal is to raise $150,000 in the next three days, and we can’t do it without your support.
Please help us raise the funds needed to create groundbreaking theatre and continue to provide a home for artists and audiences to take creative risks. If you purchased a ticket (or a table) to the gala, we hope you’ll consider that purchase as a fully tax-deductible contribution to ART.
We also invite you to raise your virtual paddle by clicking this link to give online.
Between now and Saturday, we’ll be sharing some of the incredible work and messaging our family of artists created for the gala; please take a moment to read on and hear from Resident Artist Barbie Wu about what Artists Rep means to her.
We deeply appreciate your support and understanding as we all navigate these difficult times together. Thank you so very much.
Sincerely,
Dámaso Rodríguez
Artistic Director
drodriguez@artistsrep.org
J.S. May
Managing Director
jsmay@artistsrep.org
Personal Stories
We planned to feature the personal stories of artists on stage and behind the scenes who have been creating magic at Artists Rep. Resident Artist Barbie Wu has shared the comments she was set to make on behalf of ART:
“I believe theatre can activate social change. I never thought that pursuing acting would be my destiny. Growing up in Taiwan you were not encouraged to dream big. I fell in love with acting when I took my first acting class as an exchange student at North Eugene High School. I discovered the one thing that made sense to me, so much so that I abandoned everyone back home to pursue my dream of becoming a professional actor.
Artists Repertory Theatre gave me that chance when Dámaso cast me as Dr. May Zhou in Magellanica. That was my first production out of graduate school and the dream play that I have always wanted to be a part of. As I embark on my first year as a Resident Artist, I get to teach acting to people that appreciate theatre and are desiring more. Teaching at Artists Rep has made me a better actor as I define techniques and objectives for students.
As I tell you my story, I would like you to remember that my career only started because someone gave me a chance. Giving is what we do as storytellers. One of my professors once said that we tell these stories for the dead and the unborn. We pass down this legacy for our future to be brighter and more compassionate, and you are a huge part of it. We are here today because you gave us a chance and we hope we have earned the privilege of continuing to make magic for you. Please give to Artists Repertory Theatre today.”
We will be monitoring public health announcements from Oregon Health Authority in the coming days, weeks, and months and will make necessary changes to our programming and schedule if, and when, encouraged to do so by local or national authorities. If additional cancellations become necessary, announcements will be posted to our website and social media pages. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 503.241.1278.