OCT’s Blog

YOU'RE INVITED TO OUR OPEN HOUSE!
Saturday, March 17th • 10am - 2pm

1939 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR 97232

The boxes are unpacked, the dust has settled, and classes and rehearsals are underway! It's time to celebrate with a neighborhood open house.

Join us for a day of class samplers, performances, and tours of our new space. Plus, register for spring or summer Acting Academy classes, buy tickets to an upcoming performance, and enjoy complimentary cupcakes from Cupcake Jones.

PLUS:
• Register for Acting Academy classes and save 10%
• Ticket discounts on upcoming plays
• Door prizes!

PARKING: On-street parking surrounding the building.Parking lot 2 blocks south at NE 20th and Davis

SCHEDULED EVENTS

CLASS SAMPLERS
Classes run concurrently at 10:15am / 10:45am / 1:00pm / 1:30pm

Celebrate Singing for younger kids with Mindy Dillard (up to age 10)
Explore Acting with skill-building games (ages 8-11)
Stage Combat for older kids with John Armour (ages 11+)

Impulse Performances
11:15am and 1:30pm
Let the Young Professionals tickle your funny-brains (not your funny-bones... they hate clichés!) with a demonstration of improv based on your suggestions and their ingenuity!

Posted in 2011-2012 Season | 0 Comments

Same great classes, same great teachers, exciting new location.

Our Acting Academy studios and administrative offices are moving from our longtime downtown home in the Galleria building to vibrant inner NE. We will be open for business at the new location the week of January 9th. We can’t wait to welcome you to our beautiful new space. Our mainstage plays will continue to be held downtown at the Newmark and Winningstad Theatres.

OCT ACTING ACADEMY'S NEW ADDRESS: 1939 NE SANDY BLVD

Nestled between the Laurelhurst and Buckman neighborhoods, and the Lloyd District; and just minutes from downtown, our new location features:

• 2 beautiful, custom-built acting studios
• 1 media studio dedicated to film/camera work, vocal work, and coaching
• A 100-seat black box theater
• Free parking
• Secure check in and check out
• Parent waiting rooms
• And more!

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Have you seen Pinkalicious: The Musical? What did you think? Use the comments section to let us know what you thought, your favorite parts, etc. We appreciate your feedback!

Posted in 2011-2012 Season, Pinkalicious: The Musical, Featured | 0 Comments

The Educational Theatre Program--a collaboration of Oregon Children's Theatre and Kaiser Permanente--is seeking a stage manager for a 20 week tour.  The performance tours to elementary schools in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington with no overnight stays.  A clean driving record, comfortability driving an extended-size van, and early mornings are all requirements of this position.

Rehearsals begin in December; performances run January - June.  This is a paid position. Previous experience with  stage management is preferred, touring experience is a bonus.

To be considered for this position, please send a cover letter and resume to tony@octc.org no later than Friday, October 21.

Please direct all questions to tony@octc.org. For more information on ETP's programs, visit our website:  www.etpnorthwest.org

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Do you have a question for Pinkalicious? Ask it here in the comments section and we'll select a few to have her answer on stage. Everyone who asks a question will be entered to win a $20 gift certificate to Cupcake Jones!

Posted in 2011-2012 Season, Pinkalicious: The Musical, Featured | 7 Comments »

Enter to win the chance to pick the Pinkalicious cupcake flavor!
Thursday, October 13th at Cupcake Jones (307 NW 10th Ave)
6:30pm - 7:30pm

Cupcakes Jones is the official cupcake sponsor for Pinkalicious. Starting October 15th they will be selling limited-edition Pinkalicious cupcakes.

One lucky winner and 9 of their closest friends and family (adults and kids welcome) will help select the Pinkalicious cupcake flavor.

To be eligible you must comment on this post with a valid email address.

Deadline to enter is Sunday, October 9th at midnight. Winner must be available on Thursday, October 13th at 6:30. Winner will be notified on Monday, October 10th.

Posted in 2011-2012 Season, Pinkalicious: The Musical | 140 Comments »

This past week at Acting Academy 11 of our Young Professionals (YPs) have been immersed in a class called YP Intensive. The class title pretty much says it all.  Each day brought a new instructor, a new set of skills, and 6 hours of intensive learning!

They studied classical theater with Andy Alcala; learned the language of the Viewpoints Method with Val Landrum; applied the Alexander Technique with Jacklyn Maddux; donned masks and explored Commedia Dell'Arte with Tony Fuemmeler; and directed a staged reading with OCT Artistic Director Stan Foote.

As the Marketing Director at OCT, I spend the majority of my time in the office promoting our plays and classes. During the summer, it’s a pleasure to be able to work off site for a week or two getting to know Acting Academy students and parents.

This week I was reminded again how amazing our Young Professionals are. Ranging in age from 14 - 18, they are smart, polite, mature, and a joy to be around. Their dedication to their craft is impressive! Bravo to our Education Director Dani Baldwin who manages the YP program and to all the parents of these great kids!

Learn more about the Young Professionals program here.

And be sure to catch them in Gatherings in Graveyards and A WWII Radio Christmas!

Posted in Acting Academy, Young Professionals | 0 Comments

Eating well…saving energy…bike safety. It doesn’t exactly sound like summer vacation, but kids all over Portland are laughing, learning, and earning the title “Smarty Pants,” with the Smarty Pants traveling game show.

Surrounded by fast food, bombarded with messages encouraging us to buy more stuff, living in a world where everything seems to be designed to be disposable, the choices that lead to a healthy life can get awfully confusing. 

Smarty Pants is the FREE roving arm of the Educational Theatre Program (ETP)—a partnership with Kaiser Permanente. It gives audiences of ALL AGES a chance to test their knowledge and learn new information about how to make healthy choices.  And kids are eating it up!

“I learned that skin is the largest organ.”

“I learned that you need to get 60 minutes of exercise”

With Smarty Pants, ETP has realized a goal of year-round programming. The flexible format means that groups with specific needs can request a Smarty Pants version that is tailored to their specifications; and that these important messages can reach kids outside of traditional school assemblies.

Smarty Pants can be found at select Portland Parks & Rec Summer Meals Program sites, SUN schools sites, and community centers throughout the summer. SEE SHEDULE HERE.

You can learn more about bringing Smarty Pants or an Educational Theatre Program production to your school or event by visiting http://etpnorthwest.org/. To book Smarty Pants, contact Tony@octc.org. Or call 503-228-9571 x115

Are you a Smarty Pants? 90% of the power your microwave uses is used to do what? (Scroll down for the answer.)

Power the clock

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Earlier this month, “A Wrinkle in Time” closed and we officially concluded our 2010-2011 season.  But before our final goodbye, we have some exciting news to share.

On June 13th, the Portland theater community gathered for the annual Drammy Awards and just one week later on June 20th, they gathered again for the Portland Area Musical Theatre Awards (PAMTA).  OCT is proud to announce that several artists from our 2010-2011 season were honored.

The 2011 Drammy Awards:

• Outstanding Young Performer: Jack Clevenger, “A Wrinkle in Time”
• Two of our Young Professionals, Sydney Dufka and Tyler Parker, received scholarships from the Portland Civic Theatre Guild. (We were particularly tickled when Sydney stood up in front of hundreds of theater professionals and thanked OCT for the training that gave her to confidence to stand up and "own the stage!" She owned the stage, indeed.)

(Photo of Stan Foote accepting Outstanding Director award by David Kinder.)

The 2011 Portland Area Musical Theatre Awards:

• Outstanding Production, “Alice & Wonderland”
• Outstanding Director, Stan Foote, “Alice & Wonderland”
• Outstanding Musical Direction, Darcy White, “Alice & Wonderland”

Big congratulations to all the winners!

In addition, several artists that we’ve worked with won awards for productions at other companies.  We’re thrilled with their achievements and proud to be working with Portland's top theater artists!  

Thus, I present the Awards Recap—Reflected Glory Edition:

• Vin Shambry, who was great in our productions of “Alice & Wonderland” and “How I Became a Pirate” this year, walked away with three Drammy awards: Actor in a Lead Role (“Superior Donuts”); Musical Actor in a Lead Role (“Songs for a New World”); and as a member of Ensemble (“Songs for a New World”).
• Jeff Forbes, who designed lighting for our production “On the Eve of Friday Morning,” won a Drammy for Lighting Design (“A Chorus Line”).
• Sara Catherine Wheatley, who played Alice in “Alice & Wonderland,” won a Drammy for Musical Actor in a Supporting Role (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”).
• Justin Mark, an OCT Young Professional and Impulse Company Member, received a Drammy for Young Performer (“Last of the Boys”).
• Margaret Louise Chapman, who costume designed for “How I Became a Pirate,” won a PAMTA for Outstanding Costume Design (“The Christmas Revels”).
• Annabel Cantor, an OCT Young Professional, who appeared in OCT’s “Small Steps” won a PAMTA for Outstanding Young Performer (“Annie”).
• Roxanne Stathos, an OCT Young Professional, who appeared in OCT’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Sideways Stories from Wayside School” won a PAMTA for Outstanding Young Performer (“Find Me Beside You”).
• Mark LaPierre, who designed lights and sound for OCT’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” won two PAMTAs for Outstanding Original Music and Outstanding Original Score (“Heart Beatings”).

Posted in 10-11 Season | 1 Comments »

Have you seen A Wrinkle in Time? Let us know what you thought! What was your favorite part? How was it different or similar to what you were expecting?

CLICK ON THE COMMENTS LINK TO SEE REVIEWS

Posted in 10-11 Season, A Wrinkle in Time | 4 Comments »

Have you seen the play? Let us know what you thought! We appreciate your feedback.

READ THE COMMENTS SECTION  BELOW FOR AUDIENCE REVIEWS.

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READ THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW TO FOLLOW OUR PROGRESS, AND JOIN US!

Eco-challenge week #7 (Feb. 14 - 18): Plastic recycling beyond the bin.

Acting Academy instructor and former OCT employee Sara Kennedy Adams suggested this for our final eco-challenge. We will collect the plastics that cannot be recycled here at our office and take them to Far West Fibers.

Can you commit to doing the same? Maybe take a monthly trip to a recycling center as a household?

Posted in 10-11 Season, Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly | 0 Comments

READ THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW TO SEE HOW WE'RE DOING - AND JOIN US!

Week #6 (Feb 7 – Feb 11)
Container consciousness challenge. Our offices are downtown and located next to one of the city’s amazing food cart pods! The delicious lunches comes dished up in to-go containers, which can be hard to recycle once contaminated with food, or not recyclable at all! Next time we’re at the food carts, we’ll be brining our own reusable containers! Same for our lunches we bring from home.

Posted in 10-11 Season, Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly | 0 Comments

READ THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW TO FOLLOW OUR PROGRESS AND JOIN US!

Week #5 (Jan 31 – Feb 4)
Once per week challenge. We have a lot of bike commuters at the office, but for those of us who don’t bike to work, the weekends are also great times to get out of the car. We’re committed to biking or walking to a destination at least once this week.

Maybe that means walking to the grocery store for a few items, or pulling out the bike for a jaunt to Sunday morning breakfast! Just once this week would be a success!

Posted in 10-11 Season, Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly, Featured | 2 Comments »

SEE THE COMMENTS SECTION TO READ ABOUT OUR PROGRESS AND JOIN US!

Week #4 (Jan 24  - Jan 28)

Veg out challenge. Eating less meat has a big impact on the environment. Many of us at OCT already live a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian lifestyle, but we’re making an extra effort this week! For some the challenge might be just one meal per day, for others a whole week might be feasible. Join us, and let us know how you're doing.

Posted in 10-11 Season, Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly | 3 Comments »

Have you seen Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly? Let us know what you thought by commenting on this post.

CLICK ON THE COMMENTS LINK BELOW TO READ REVIEWS!

Reviews from Ticketmaster

Posted 02/01/2011
First time at this theatre and seeing a play from the OCT. Great first experience. My 4 yr old son and husband loved it, as did I. The cast, set and music were wonderful. My son was glued to the stage and characters. Would highly recommend seeing this play.

Posted in 10-11 Season, Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly, Featured | 5 Comments »

Steel piping from an unused structure unearthed from Keller Auditorium storage. Repurposed set pieces from Ramona, Miss Nelson is Missing, and Charlotte’s Web.

Shadows cast onto the backdrop show us what things look like from a bug's perspective!

Used bicycle tires and used real estate signs for textured facade.

Cyclorama (backdrop) made from six used vinyl billboards and painted white on the front side. This is a view from backstage.

"Dirt" is made from crumpled up paper!

Posted in 10-11 Season, Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly, Featured | 0 Comments

THE COSTUMES

Even the costumes are environmentally friendly! Designer Sarah Gahagan selects used clothing, everyday household objects, and natural fibers whenever possible.

• Fly: Wings are made from car headlight covers found at the Manzanita Recycling Center on the coast and a steamer basket from Sarah’s house. The main costume body is made from recycled fleece, natural cottons, and wool. Additionally, the wood buttons are sourced from a friend’s plum tree, and the costume is padded with padding from a mattress pad!
• Worm: The main body of the costume is made from recycled fleece made from pop bottles.
• Spider: The fur on the hood is from a different hooded jacket. The shirt and shorts were found, and then tailored and custom embellished.
• After the show the costumes will go into OCT’s costume stock, which is housed at Portland Community College.

Posted in 10-11 Season, Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly, Featured | 0 Comments

SEE COMMENTS SECTION FOR UPDATES -- WE HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US TOO!

(Jan 17 – Jan 21) Join us in keeping plastic bags out landfills....Worm, Spider, Fly, landfills, and oceans will thank you.

The reusable grocery bag thing has officially caught on. Not only are they better for the environment, but they actually hold groceries much better. Now it’s time to take it up a notch. This week we are committed to bringing our own bags on all our shopping trips and errands. Places like Target, Home Depot, the pharmacy, you name it!

Posted in Featured | 2 Comments »

SEE THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW FOR STATUS UPDATES - AND JOIN US!

Week #2 (Jan 10 – Jan 14)
Travel mug challenge. OCT staffers are tea and coffee connoisseurs, and as result there are often many paper cups in the garbage cans. This week we’re committed to using insulated travel mugs to keep caffeinated and keep cups out of the landfill.

Posted in 10-11 Season, Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly | 4 Comments »

The theater industry has a long history of reusing and repurposing set pieces, props, and costumes. Not only does it save money, but it sparks creativity and ingenuity, often with amazing artistic results!

 ON STAGE

• Giant leaves made from carpet that was used for a former Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts campaign event.
• Used bicycle tires and used real estate signs for textured façade.
• Cyclorama (backdrop) made from six used vinyl billboards and painted white.
• Paint remainders from the set design studio's existing stock.
  • Additional paint purchased by OCT will go to Metro’s Central Hazardous Waste Facility as part of their conditionally exempt generator program.
• Reused Styrofoam for giant acorns and spider egg.
• Reused wood from the set design studio's stock.
• Steel piping from an unused structure unearthed from Keller Auditorium storage.
• Repurposed set pieces from Ramona, Miss Nelson is Missing, and Charlotte’s Web.
• Rented disco ball.
• Borrowed bungee from BodyVox.
• Caster wheels salvaged from old set pieces.
• One moving spotlight as opposed to multiple lights saves money AND energy.
  • Because this a world premeire play, OCT will most likely present it again in the next four to five years, which means that all set pieces and costumes will be stored and used for other plays.

NEXT UP: The Costumes

Posted in 10-11 Season, Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly | 0 Comments

CHECK OUT THE COMMENTS SECTION FOR DAILY UPATES FROM STAFF AND (YOU??)

In support of our production of Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly, and in the spirit of new year’s resolutions, the OCT administrative and box office staff are taking a weekly green challenge! We'll be reporting on our progress, and hope you'll join us for a greener 2011.

Week #1 (Jan 3 – Jan 7)

No recyclable left behind. Like all good offices in Portland we recycle a lot of paper, but it can be hard to remember to recycle everything, like plastic yogurt and salsa tubs, milk cartons, etc. This week we’re committed to paying closer attention to what goes into the trash, so that we can keep up the good habits all year long.

Here are some great resources for easy-to-understand information on recycling.

http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=29041

http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=20432

Here is a photo of one of our trash cans "before."

Posted in 10-11 Season, Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly | 10 Comments »

What did you think of the show? Your comments are helpful for others who are considering buying tickets, and we value your opinion!

Posted in 10-11 Season, Alice & Wonderland, Featured | 9 Comments »

Costume design by Sarah Gahagan.

Posted in 10-11 Season, Alice & Wonderland, Featured | 0 Comments

Photos by Owen Carey

Posted in 10-11 Season, Alice & Wonderland, Featured | 0 Comments