Photo Flash: Celebrate the Holidays with A CHRISTMAS MEMORY/ WINTER SONG

This winter, a delightful offering of holiday story and song will run in The Armory's Ellyn Bye Studio. Truman Capote's tender holiday tale, A Christmas Memory, will be paired with Winter Song, an original presentation of music and storytelling created by the brilliant singer Merideth Kaye Clark and The Armory's own Brandon Woolley. Preview performances will begin November 18, opening night is November 24, and performances will run through December 31.

Local favorite Leif Norby will take the stage for A Christmas Memory and then join Merideth Kaye Clark to perform in Winter Song. Brandon Woolley, who previously collaborated W.T. Clark for her concert performances of Joni Mitchell's album BLUE, will direct both pieces. Mont Chris Hubbard, who also collaborated on BLUE, will provide music direction and accompaniment.

"Winter is the most emotionally complicated season," said Clark of the inspiration behind Winter Song. "The music that it inspires is rich. There are, of course, holiday songs. But we were more interested in the music that captures other winter feelings. Traveling home or hunkering down in the cold. The loneliness and isolation the darkness brings. The gatherings of families and communities."

Regular tickets start at $25. Tickets may be purchased at www.pcs.org, 503.445.3700, or in-person from the box office (128 NW Eleventh Avenue, Portland, OR). Rush tickets are $20. Students and patrons who are 30 or younger can purchase $30 premium tickets. $5 tickets are available for Oregon Trail Card holders through the Arts for All program. Discounts for groups of 10+. Active duty or veteran military personnel and their immediate families get 50% off the price of regular tickets. General performance times are Tuesday through Sundayevenings at 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. and Thursday matinees at noon (special exclusions apply, see below). A special 2 p.m. show will be offered on Thursday, December 28. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

A Christmas Memory, Truman Capote's autobiographical recollection of his rural Alabama boyhood, is a tiny gem of a holiday story offering an unforgettable portrait of an odd but enduring friendship between two innocent souls - one young and one old - and their shared memories of beloved holiday rituals. Winter Song, created by Merideth Kaye Clark and Brandon Woolley, is an original presentation of favorite songs that celebrate winter and all it represents: love, loss, family, solitude, renewal and friendship. More information at www.pcs.org/winter.

Photo by Patrick Weishampel/blankeye, courtesy of Portland Center Stage at The Armory.

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