JAFFA GATE and NOISEMAKERS Two New Premieres from Northwest Theatre Workshop

There's a New Theatre Company in town - surprise, surprise - with a new way of doing things and two upcoming world premieres to prove its worth.

Northwest Theatre Workshop builds and presents new work by local playwrights and performance makers. Conceived by Portland playwright/producer Ciji Guerin and formed with fellow playwright/producer Wayne Harrel, NWTW uses a four-step process to Create, Develop, Produce, and Connect new work with Portland audiences. The company serves theatre's civic purpose by bringing timely discussions to the stage, initiated by local storytellers to engage with local audiences.

The company strives to make any and every voice heard, provided the creator first completes NWTW's rigorous artistic process. As Guerin says, "We produce plays from all perspectives. We do not pass judgment. You will see projects here that speak for you and others that don't. But by presenting well-developed works regardless of their perspective we serve everyone - artists and audiences - by giving voice, encouraging discussion, and inspiring empathy, without prejudice. The artist just has to do the work first, and the audience needs to join in."

Audiences can experience NWTW this March 24 through April 8 when the company presents the first two original - and wildly different - plays that have completed its process.

First up is Jaffa Gate by Wayne Harrel, directed by Eric Lyness. Set in 1900 Palestine, a trio of religious pilgrims from different faiths tell stories Scheherazade-style to save their lives. Bound in a dark tent, they spin a grand adventure tale with David and Bathsheba, Rumi, Hafiz, Allegri, and Michelangelo, in a desperate plea for mercy - and their heads. It stars Andy Haftkowycz, Sofia May-Cuxim, Dre Slaman, and Johnny Rice.

Then comes Noisemaker by Ciji Guerin, directed by Michelle Seaton. Three dudes pinball through grief in a spinning carnival - of bubbles, booze, lounge chairs, lawn signs, weed, cacti, and ghosts - that keeps the spotlight safely away from the pain in their hearts. It's a raucous adventure, sprung from modern tragedy, in the southwest American desert. Noisemaker stars Murri Lazaroff-Babin, Murren Kennedy, and Joe Healy.

True to Northwest Theatre Workshop's mission, both works come from local artists and will engage Portland audiences with timely issues: trauma and grief through Noisemaker and religious tolerance through Jaffa Gate.

And in keeping with NWTW's distinctive methods, both plays will be presented in rotation, during a single run, at a local theatre (Shaking The Tree Warehouse). While casts and directors are unique to each show, they both share the same design team, venue, and production run - with just an hour to reconfigure the stage between performances. This intentional choice gives NWTW audiences a chance to experience two wildly different stories in the same theatre and even the same day, while maximizing publicity and minimizing production costs - all so this new company can help new voices serve new audiences in Portland.

Tickets for evening, late night, and matinee performances to Noisemaker and Jaffa Gate are on sale now at www.nwtw.org.

That's two world premieres, running March 24 - April 8, thanks to a company that builds and delivers new work in a new way - Northwest Theatre Workshop.

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