Embracing Storytelling Visions: Indigenous Artistry Shines in Collaborative Journey with Artists Repertory Theatre

PORTLAND, OREGON – October 27, 2023  Artists Repertory Theatre, in partnership with the Public Art Committee of the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), have selected Blaine Fontana and Toma Villa for the mural project, entitled Sky Fox, for the newly renovated ART building on SW Morrison Street. The mural, set to begin October 30th, is inspired by Toma Villa’s timeless origin story of the stars and moon that will be painted on both the SW 15th Avenue and continue on the SW 16th Avenue side of the Artists Repertory Building currently under construction.  

The inspiration for the mural comes from the storytelling tradition of Toma Villa, a member of the Confederated Yakama Nation. Sky Fox is told through the view of an innocent young girl trying to capture Sky Fox’s tail. The story evolves into a metaphor for acquiring wisdom, responsibility, and a deeper understanding of immortality. 

Artist Toma Villa expressed, “This mural is a profound expression of authentic Indigenous artistry, a vessel for sacred storytelling, and an invitation for all to contemplate the profound essence of theater, community, storytelling, and the wonder of creation, inviting engagement on spiritual, intellectual, formal, and environmental planes.” Villa continues, “On one side, viewers will be entranced by the majestic presence of Sky Fox and a resplendent night sky, while on the other, the Daughter playfully attempts to ensnare Sky Fox with Father’s Dip Net.”

Fontana and Villa are both well respected muralists, deeply rooted in the vibrant cultural tapestry of Portland. They have been friends for over 25 years, both holding deep reverence and wisdom of their respective heritages. Between the two, they share over 40 years of experience, having worked alongside each other on multiple mural projects. However, this endeavor will be their first truly collaborative creation, fusing visions, artistic styles, processes, and the diverse richness of mixed media. 

This project is also profoundly meaningful for Blaine Fontana, “Nearly two years ago, I was entrusted with the momentous mural project on ART’s newly unveiled back wall, following an ambitious redesign of the block that the Theatre has lovingly safeguarded for generations. Sponsored by the Wood Partners Group, the existing 200-foot-wide by 40-foot-high mural graces the city block in the newly completed Alta ART Tower plaza, nestled between the two buildings. This mural, narratively designed to honor the theatre, garnered the approval of their board. The new murals for ART will lovingly embrace this existing piece, complimenting it with a vivid, engaging, and enchanting narrative for the community, creating a heartfelt connection for all,” shared Fontana. 

Work on the murals is set to begin at the end of October and is expected to take 4-6 weeks to complete. To follow along on the progress and other updates about the renovations at Artists Repertory Theatre, visit our website www.artistsrep.org.

Meet the Artists

by RaChelle Schmidt, 
Director of Performance and Partnerships PHAME

PHAME actors in rehearsal hall with Director Melory Mirashrafi, Sapience by Diana Burbano. Photo by RaChelle Schmidt .

Our goal at PHAME is to help our students find those opportunities to take their artistic pursuits to the next level, and to do that we need great arts partners who are open and willing to explore ways to make artistic participation accessible to everyone. I feel that we have that partner in Artists Repertory Theatre and I look forward to working together to create more artistic and creative opportunities for your students.  

In June of 2023, I had the pleasure of accompanying two PHAME students who were invited to be actors as part of the Artists Rep’s Sapience workshop with playwright Diana Burbano. Going into any new process with students who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities can be daunting at times.  The arts have a certain amount of ablism and gatekeeping built into what we have come to know as “standard processes”. Often, when allowed into a creative space, there can be an air of tokenism involved, that doesn’t allow our students to participate as much as observed. As a teacher and theater artist, I can honestly say that the week that we all spent in that room working was one of the warmest, most welcoming, creative, and professional rooms I’ve ever been a part of.

Workshop Director, Melory Mirashrafi (ART’s Artistic & Producing Associate), shared, “It was an honor to collaborate with PHAME Academy to bring Diana Burbano’s Sapience to life. The partnership between these two organizations runs deep, from PHAME’s time as an ArtsHub company, to ART’s Mercury Company, where PHAME students led the way to craft stunning world-premiere short films. This workshop was a beautiful example of how joyful and necessary it is to center lived-experience in storytelling––I believe it can always be this way.”

Our students immediately became contributing artists to the process. Working along-side a professional playwright, director, and actors, our students got to experience what it truly means to be “in the room” and have a genuine role in making theater come to life. I could go on about what it meant to me to get to watch our students gain this experience, but I want to share what Jane, the mother of one of Zack one of the Sapience actors had to say:

Sapience by Diana Burbano workshop rehearsal. Images provided by RaChelle Schmidt.

[Portland OR, October 19, 2023] — Artists Repertory Theatre’s (ART) Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to lay off Artistic Director Jeanette Harrison. While ART deeply appreciates Jeanette’s artistic leadership during her time here, the financial realities ART faces, including the suspension of production for the 2023-24 season, have led the Board to conclude that, unfortunately, ART does not have the capacity to retain her position within the organization. 

The decision regarding Jeanette’s role arises from the financial realities facing ART. With resources being carefully allocated towards the completion of our newly renovated venue, ART finds itself at a juncture that calls for strategic adjustments in the leadership structure. Despite the change, ART remains steadfast in its commitment to the community and is optimistic about the future. Board Chair, Pancho Savery stated, “We are grateful for Jeanette’s time at ART. Jeanette’s vision helped us forge a path forward to return to the building.”

Harrison expressed that, “While my time here was short, I’m particularly proud of the strides we made with IDEA work and representation through the commissioning of Diana Burbano’s Sapience and the development of the script in workshop with PHAME, ensuring that complex characters who are disabled are played by actors with disabilities, in a fully inclusive rehearsal room.” She continued, “ART’s commitment to access is embodied in its Morrison Street building, which will have a fully accessible control room. I hope Portland will rally around the remaining staff as they focus their attention on finishing the building.”

Artists Rep is focusing its resources on actively fundraising to return to the home space on Morrison Street. This effort is geared towards establishing a solid foundation for sustainable growth. The newly renovated space will host the vibrant ArtsHub, further enriching the local arts community by sharing our venue, equipment, and professional resources for below market rates with individual artists and organizations. ART remains committed to its mission of providing a home for a diverse community of artists and audiences to take creative risks. ART looks forward to the future, thanks to the continued support of our Portland community.

Hello ART Community,

I am thrilled to have some very good news to share with you. Due to a generous gift from Mary and Tim Boyle, and two other fantastic donors, we will be able to include the building out of the lobby space within our current phase of renovation, now underway at our home on 1515 SW Morrison St.

This is exactly what we needed to happen to propel ART forward. The grand lobby is the heart of the new building and we will be able to present work there as early as spring 2024

This build out will be a rough finish of the space, with all of the comforts and necessities our guests will need including an elevator from the parking garage. It will be furnished with real theater seats, which are moveable to accommodate multiple configurations – and will later become the seats used in the completely finished theater and studio.

With this amazing news we are set to have a beautifully finished building, with partial occupancy in the lobby, and parking – and be set to launch fundraising for the final stages to completely build out the interior.

We can’t yet say what we will present in this lobby space, and honestly it may not be a full play. We are still struggling with operational cash and don’t have the funds for a full production. However, we are thinking creatively about fun, meaningful things we can do in that space as soon as possible.

There is also positive news for our operating cash crisis. We’ve received a steady trickle of donations, and with successful fundraising in Nov/Dec anticipate being able to stay afloat through March – with optimism for making it through the fiscal year.

Our plan is to continue to build on the momentum of this moment, share our story, and continue to make strategic decisions that conserve our cash and accelerate our ability to put on plays and develop meaningful work. I remain optimistic that we will pull through this fiscal year, and be able to emerge on solid footing for a healthier future.

Take good care – And thank you!

Aiyana Cunningham
Managing Director, ART

“The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the SEEING PLACE. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation.”

– Stella Adler

Take a look at the progress in the video below.

by Melory Mirashrafi

In May of 2023, during ART’s production of True Story by E. M. Lewis, actor Maria Porter experienced a health emergency that led to actor and writer Lolly Ward stepping into her role leading up to opening night. Director Luan Schooler, Porter, and Ward sit down with Artistic & Producing Associate Melory Mirashrafi to discuss their experiences on True Story, and what the world of theatre has learned about prioritizing actor health as a result of the pandemic.

Maria Porter, True Story by E.M. Lewis. Photo by Lava Alapai.

Melory Mirashrafi (MM): What was your experience stepping in or out of a role during True Story?

Maria Porter (MP): It was the first day of tech, and I had started to see floaters in my left eye.

I was on lunch break with two of my colleagues, and one of them said, “You know, my dad had that. It was retinal detachment and it was pretty serious.” So I reported to the stage manager, Danny Rosales, and to the director, Luan, and our associate director, Vin Shambry, drove me to the emergency room that night. Two days later I ended up having emergent retinal reattachment surgery.

It was a shock, clearly, and a trauma. What was secondarily traumatic, and I don’t mean to be hyperbolic, was that this had been my first text-based role in many years, and I had been having the time of my life. It was a company of incredibly supportive artists, and it was like… heaven. I felt like I was in heaven every day. And to be faced with the idea that I might not be able to complete the performance was heartbreaking.

We went to the doctor Monday morning after the surgery, and he said, “You have to lie face down for two weeks, 50 minutes out of every hour,” and I said to my husband, who jokingly is also my agent now, “You know how much this means to me. Can you promise that you’ll help me try to do this?” and he said yes.

So then I called you, Luan, and we navigated a solution that was generous and had me back in the room, lying face down during tech rehearsals, hearing this wonderful human and artist, Lolly, jump in and embrace this role.

Luan Schooler (LS): It was a big day.

As Maria said, it had been a dreamy process. It was such a comfortable, joyful group of people. So when Maria came and said, “I need to go to the emergency room,” it was like, “Yes. Let’s just make that happen.”

Joshua Weinstein & Lolly Ward, True Story by E.M. Lewis. Photo by Lava Alapai.

Coming into tech was an interesting experience… that’s not my favorite way to come into a show. Just as a metaphor, when I arrived, the door to the theater was locked, so I came in from backstage. So I was coming in literally through the back door into this show! But everyone was so nice, introduced themselves, and ran to get things. Luan printed up the book for me—and then printed a second book that would work a little bit better on the stage—Maria was there to answer questions, and the costume fit… it all came together in a beautiful way.

LS: I think the whole thing actually went quite smoothly because of the people involved. Maybe because of the pandemic we have all learned that it’s not the end of the world, like, “No one has died today.” But I don’t think we can overstate the importance of the generosity of the people. That’s what made it almost funny when Maria was lying face down on her little cot in front of the stage, and Lolly was walking through lines saying, “Maria, where do you put your scotch?!” It was a wonderful experience in its own weird way. I don’t wish it on anyone else… but it was.

LW: I agree that we’ve learned a lot from the pandemic. We’ve had to cancel so many things and change so many expectations, and it’s made us more flexible, to say, “This is what we’re doing now.” And I absolutely agree about the generosity of the whole team.

MP: I think I healed in the way that I healed because I was allowed to come back and continue to be a part of this community, which had become so important to me. It never felt like I stepped out of the role; it was as if we were all in it together. I just stepped aside.

MM: How else has the pandemic changed our expectations around illness and health emergencies? I think about all of the times that I’ve seen people go on while ill or injured under the pretense of “The show must go on.”

MP: I’d like to speak to that. I think the culture of scarcity, in terms of opportunity in the theatre, and especially for people who identify as female, is still prevalent for me. In me it has bred this sense of, “There are 10,000 people behind you who can replace you.” And that is really hard to shake. It is really hard to shake. There was that vestige of scarcity of opportunity bred in me from when I was a young actor that said: “If you go down now, you’re going to get a reputation; you’ll never work again.” Fortunately, I wasn’t able to give it any air.

LS: I think [before the pandemic] theatres also had an expectation, and maybe audiences had it as well, that every performance would be the same. Whereas now I think there’s a little more permission to say, “Oh well, that person has just picked up this role, and so they have a book,” without it seeming like you’re being robbed of a perfect experience. After COVID you’re just like, “Yay, I went to the theatre and the show happened! Let’s all celebrate!” So maybe there’s more space for saying, “It’s a little different tonight. It does have somebody carrying a book,” but that doesn’t have to invalidate the experience.

LW: And now I’ve heard of several people with retinal detachment, so let’s spread the word!

MP: Watch out if your eyes get dry, friends.

MM: Maria, what was your experience stepping back into the role?

MP: Yes, well, I had one eye. I was wearing an eyepatch. I remember Luan holding my hand—it was so dark for the first entrance—and saying, “Feel your hand along the desk. Just feel the edge of the desk,” and our production assistant, Riley Lozano, behind me. Riley would gently help me onto the stage up to closing night, because I didn’t want to change any of my routine. I’d become superstitious in that way of magical thinking.

I remember that first night back thinking, “Oh my God, where is the audience?” And hearing Luan in my head saying, “Just find the edge of the desk, and rest against it,” which I think is also a metaphor. As soon as that light went up and I was able to see the back of the theater, I thought, “I’m good.” I just needed to see the back of the theater from the stage.

In terms of generosity, I was also very aware when I came back that I was putting people through more rehearsal than they needed to have.

LW: I was aware of that for me too.

MP: I was deeply aware of the cost of extra labor on everybody else’s part, and feeling like, “Are you sure you want to do this for me?” And that was also something I had to put down, so that I could move forward. [Producing Director] Shawn Lee was there an extra day, the light board operator, Joel Ferraro, agreed to go through the lights with me, and then when I took the eye patch off the last week, Joel and Danny went through the light cues again and made sure that I could tolerate them with both eyes. This was the last week of performances.

I don’t know what magic ART does, I don’t know how you manage to gather such salt of the earth people, but I tell you… all of that labor on behalf of this opportunity, to see this to the end, was the most moving, generous thing that’s ever been done for me in the theatre, I think.

LS: I will add that you looked so dashing in that eyepatch.

MM: I almost hesitate to use the word “understudy” for you, Lolly, because that implies some kind of preparation–

LS: There should be a better word. Hero?

LW: I had a dream of being off book. I do a lot of staged readings, so I knew I could come off the page, but I didn’t feel 100% confident, so having that book in my hand was so great. I used every available moment to memorize: every moment in the dressing room, every walk to dinner, every walk back. I read [the lines], I wrote them, and I listened to them like a song, so that I could get every different sense working on them. And again, there was such generosity—people in the dressing rooms and in the halls would say, “Do you want to run lines?” Anytime, they were up for running them with me.

MP: Now would be a wonderful opportunity for me to express how deeply grateful I am. Of course to ART, but to you specifically, Lolly. It must have been terribly difficult, but you did it with such ease and grace, and it was an amazing act of generosity, and I am so grateful to you.

LW: Thank you. I feel the same.

MM: What advice would you have for someone who comes across a health emergency, or has to step into a show last-minute?

MP: Trust and advocate for yourself. That would be my advice for a person who’s stepping out.

LS: I think that’s important. Advocate for yourself. When you [Maria] said, “Here’s what I can do, here’s what I think will happen, and here’s our checkpoint,” it was good to know that you wanted to come back, and of course we wanted you back, but also you had clearly talked to your doctor first about a way forward.

From the producorial side, try to hold this stuff lightly. Miracles don’t come when you squeeze it too hard. Try not to catastrophize about things. Just go, “What do we need to do right now? Where can we get to? What’s the first step?” And of course, only work with super generous people who make these things possible.

LW: Understudies, if there’s budget! It sure helps. I know companies where they do a whole second cast so they can alternate; they build it into the process.

LS: Yes, understudies from the beginning who are part of the process, and have just as much love and investment in the processes as the main cast.

I think it comes too with releasing the expectation that you have for a show when something changes—part of the generosity is saying, “The show that we built may not be the show that we have now, but it is equally as valuable.”

MP: It was helpful to sit with you all. To remember what it was, and to look at everybody in both of your eyes and say thank you. Thank you.

Artists Repertory Theatre (ART) has made the difficult but necessary decision to suspend production of our 2023-24 season as planned.

This news comes as we were set to begin rehearsals for Pueblo Revolt by Dillon Christopher Chitto, which was to be mounted at both the University of Portland and the Center for Native Arts and Cultures.

Funding for the arts sector has been challenging in general, and crucial funding has not materialized for ART specifically. Most notably, House Bill 2459* was not passed by the Oregon Legislature and resulted in $250,000 not being awarded to us as part of the proposed recovery funding for the arts and cultural sector. The bill would have appropriated monies to cultural organizations in response to the negative impact of the pandemic on organizational finances.

This shortfall leaves us with insufficient cash on hand to cover critical operating expenses, necessitating immediate reduction of expenses and redirecting staff resources to operational planning and revenue generation.

The timing of this suspension is particularly difficult, as pre-production work for Pueblo Revolt had begun, and we were greatly looking forward to hosting playwright Dillon Christopher Chitto for collaboration during rehearsals. ART deeply regrets that we have been forced to suspend the production of a new play by a Native playwright, with Native actors and a culturally diverse creative team with short notice. We acknowledge the impact this decision has on Dillon, the production team, and the venue partners we were excited to work with.

All of us at Artists Repertory Theatre are actively working to address the stunning reality of this moment. Incoming Managing Director Aiyana Cunningham, and Artistic Director Jeanette Harrison are evaluating all of our options for a path forward, including the potential to present work later in the planned season. With our leadership, ART will methodically assess the multiple factors that converged to create this crisis, and the strategic options for achieving our immediate and long term goals for a sustainable future. 

The decision to suspend our season comes as the aftermath of the global pandemic continues to impact regional theaters across the country. ART, like many of our peers, has encountered several challenges, including escalating operational costs, decline in ticket sales, and reduced staffing capacity. Acknowledging these realities, Pancho Savery, ART’s Board Chair, emphasizes, “The ongoing national crisis among regional theatres has presented us with significant obstacles that require careful consideration and action. To navigate these challenges successfully, we believe it is crucial to take this strategic pause in order to focus on key areas that will shape the future of ART and ensure its sustainability.”

We’ll be sharing our progress in addressing this situation as frequently as we are able to. For now, we thank you for your continued support of the 40+ years that our company has been a home for artists and audiences. 

In deepest regret and gratitude,

Aiyana and Jeanette

*House Bill 2459 appropriates moneys to Oregon Business Development Department to distribute to Oregon cultural organizations in response to the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on organization finances. The proposed bill would have awarded approximately half of the proposed $50 million to arts venues directly and, using the same model under the CARES act, the other half would have been given to funding organizations such as the Oregon Arts Commission that would have then distributed those funds. ART would have been one of the recipients of the funding from the Oregon Arts Commission.

ART received $684,000 through state allocated CARES and ARPA combined. The funding for both were grants that had been distributed through local county coalitions. Funding for CARES money was distributed by OAC. Funding for ARPA was distributed through Business Oregon. Under that model we would have expected to receive funds from the passing of HB 2459 similar to what we had under the CARES and ARPA.

Under Section 3.C.2 The Oregon Business Development Department shall use $27,432,004.49 of the moneys appropriated under section 1 of this 2023 Act to develop and implement a program for awarding grants directly to Oregon cultural organizations.

HB 2459 Letter