October First Thursday with Brown Calculus and Pungent
Celebrate October First Thursday as we start the night with Portland-based Latin jazz, electronic band Pungent and finish out with neo-soul, jazz, band Brown Calculus in our Main Lobby. There will also be a dance performance at the break between bands in the Main Lobby with local Portland ballet dancer and visual artist Hobbs, whose art will be on display on the PG&E Gallery level until the end of November and an exhibit of original drawings by visual artist and props artisan Emma Van Halsema on display in the Ellyn Bye Studio lobby.
Sharing the same body in their past lives, Brown Calculus perform with melanated synergy. Keyboardist and beat maker, Andre Burgos, and singer/songwriter, Vaughn Kimmons, are Geminis, illuminating the sacredness of Black music, seeking to bring about community on Earth and beyond. They explore the soundscapes of the post-soul movement. Revealing the connection between complicated time signatures and Black divinity, with a cosmic sound that remains grounded.
On New Year's Eve of 2018, in a remote small town in Germany, Papi Fimbres confessed to always yearning to be in a "Jazz Band" since the beginning of time. That gorgeously chilly evening echoed the resolution in the forest & the following day, hung over, he emailed Sam Adams (Keys / Sama Dams), Jenny Logan (Bass / DeathList) & Nicole McCabe (Alto & Soprano Sax / Martha Stax) asking if they would be interested in forming a new band under the moniker PUNGENT. Upon returning to Portland, OR., the quartet got together for the very first time on April 22nd & with some vague ideas of Jazz influences thrown at each other, they molded & sculpted their interpretation of what Jazz means to them. Culling inspiration from John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Miles Davis & Sonny Sharrock, this is the new sound from Portland's PUNGENT.
Hobbs the Artist (aka City Troll) is a teenage Portland, Oregon native who is very passionate about art and dance. He has been a visual artist and ballet dancer for most of all of his life, with experience from Classical Ballet Academy and Rose City Ballet. His visual art is rendered in various mediums, most recently silk-screen, and he creates prints, apparel, and canvases to display his design work and fine art.
Whether fabricating, painting or constructing props and sets for multiple platforms of visual storytelling, Emma van Halsema is an artist obsessed with detail. Her southern roots help her make deep connections in whatever medium she works with as well as the people around her. Emma has multiple years under her belt of art department work in both stop motion animation and live action filmmaking; as well as freelance fabrication and illustration. Although her strengths are in Prop Fabrication and Set Dressing, she also has experience in painting and creating fake food (yum!). Emma is used to working closely with the Director and Art Director to help achieve the look of the project.
Current & Upcoming
Improvisation Classes for Beginners
Whether you're looking to get more confident in social situations, think quicker on your feet, or get in touch with your imaginative side, these "one-off" improv classes will set you on the path to success!
Adult Class : TWELFTH NIGHT, Before & After
Join veteran actor Joe Costa for a unique opportunity to take a “deep dive” into both Shakespeare’s text of Twelfth Night, and the PCS Production. Participants will read the play out loud as a group, with “intermissions” provided for lively discussion of themes and content. Interested participants will have a chance to act in selected scenes, guided by the instructor.
Improv Comedy: Love, Shakespeare
Witness the Magic of unscripted Elizabethan comedy! Step into the offbeat world of Love, Shakespeare, where seasoned Portland comedians attempt something audacious: performing a fully improvised Elizabethan play based on your suggestions!
Albina Music Trust presents A Brown Branch Christmas
Celebrate this holiday season with A Brown Branch Christmas at Portland Center Stage. Now in its fourth season, this two-night big band celebration features directors Domo Branch and Charlie Brown III guiding a heavy 15-piece lineup of regional and national musicians.
BIPOC Affinity Night DJ Party with ALoSo
Join us for a double feature BIPOC Affinity Night, featuring a live DJ set by ALoSo, plus holiday craft market vendor tables, art exhibits by Albina Music Trust Wall to Wall Sound and Jason Hill's Favorite Things, with complimentary select drinks provided by Multnomah Whiskey Library and Deschutes Brewery while supplies last.
Winter Teen Academy: Scene Work
Calling all teens! Are you looking to expand your acting skills and be the best scene partner you can be for your fellow actors? In this class, we will dig deep into scene study, character motivation, and active listening, while learning the necessary questions to ask in every rehearsal situation. You'll develop fuller characters and deeper relationships on stage by partnering in scene work — and have lots of fun too!
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
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