Portland Stage Continues Season with COMPLICATIONS FROM A FALL

Complications From A Fall begins previews Tuesday, October 24, opens Friday, October 27, and runs through November 12 at Portland Stage.

When Helen goes to an academic conference, she reluctantly calls on her absent younger brother Teddy for help with their elderly mother. Over the weekend Teddy truly sees his mother, perhaps for the first time, and learns secrets from the past in this heartwarming drama about the memories we cherish, and those we try to forget.

In Complications from a Fall, Teddy and Helen work through the sibling squabbles of: "Who's going to take care of mom?" that many are all too familiar with. Perhaps the more touching familiarity in the play is how Teddy reevaluates the relationship he has with his mother over the course of one long weekend. The two learn to coexist not only as parent and child, but as two adults; human beings with complex needs and wants-personhood! There comes a point in every child's life where they are forced to consider their parents for the first time -and forever after- as people, with rich histories and intrigues that stretch well beyond the child's lifetime. Complications From A Fall offers viewers the chance to look at Teddy and his mother, and at ourselves, our parents, and even our siblings, as we navigate the messy, complicated, and beautiful intricacies of life on earth.

Playwright Kate Hawley received her theatrical training at UC Berkeley, The American Conservatory Theatre, UCLA and UCSC. Her original plays, Messages, Simply the Thing She Is, and Diva Days have all won or placed in playwriting competitions in Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, and California and have been performed in theaters throughout California. In 1997 her adaptation of Ostrovsky's The Forest was premiered at Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Her screenplay Who Would You Rather Sleep With? won first prize at the Austin Film Festival in 1998. In 2001, her second screenplay, Fall Back, was a finalist. In 1999 she wrote the book and lyrics for Cinderella which premiered at Shakespeare Santa Cruz and went on to be produced by Sacramento Theatre Company, Stages Theatre (Houston), The Penobscot Opera House, Peninsula Youth Theatre, as well as theatres in NY, NJ, and Maryland. Other SSC holiday plays include The Wind in the Willows, Gretel & Hansel, The Princess and the Pea, and Sleeping Beauty all in collaboration with former SSC artistic director Paul Whitworth. Her latest play, Complications from a Fall was produced by the Jewel Theatre in 2015. Coming oh Age will be produced by the Jewel Theatre in 2018.

Portland Stage creates one-of-a-kind productions specifically planned for its community. Each season, Artistic Director Anita Stewart seeks a way to connect the plays with a thematic thread. For the 2017-2018 Season, that thematic thread is a sense of discovery about the characters. A viewer might believe they know who they are meeting in the first scene, but as the plays unfold, audiences discover that characters they thought they knew have an unexpected side.

According to Stewart, these stories highlight the individuality of people. She hopes the community will see themselves in them, and will be able to relate experiences to their own lives, to their communities, and to their own family traditions right here in Maine.

"It is always inspiring to have a group of people who see a body of work, start to finish. I greatly appreciate the willingness of our audience to venture with us on a wide range of theatrical journeys. I'm especially excited about the lineup for the upcoming 2017-2018 Season, which includes several new plays that I think audiences will like," says Stewart. There is a lot within this season to think about, experience and discuss.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit portlandstage.org or call 207.774.0465.

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PORTLAND STAGE'S 2017-18 REMAINING SEASON:

WIT AND WISDOM
Monday Nov 6
6:30 Reception | 7pm Reading, Discussion to Follow

Readings from the Great Writings on the Outrage, the Interest, the Pleasure, the Amusement, Amazement, and Abundance of the Extraordinary Phenomenon of Getting Older. Compiled by Vivian Gornick. Performed by: Maureen Butler, Moira Driscoll, Andrew Harris, Abigail Killeen, Callie Kimball, Daniel Noel, and Monica Wood. Suggested Donation $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY
adapted by Joe Landry
November 24 - December 24

We'll celebrate the Holiday Season with this beloved American classic. This heartwarming story of renewal is retold as a 1940's radio broadcast complete with sound effects performed live on stage. With the help of an ensemble and an angel named Clarence, George Bailey discovers the million different ways we are tied to those around us. Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts,Inc. (www.playscripts.com)

BABETTE'S FEAST
Conceived and developed by Abigail Killeen
Written by Rose Courtney
Adapted from the short story by Isak Dinesen
January 23 - February 18

A refugee transforms a closed religious community by sacrificing all she has to throw a lavish dinner party. Through her radical hospitality, this mysterious woman converts her guests' deeply held notions of scarcity and judgement and opens them up to give and receive abundant grace. This adaptation re-imagines the story you thought you knew about Babette's singular feast: deep, funny, dangerous, sensual, and beautiful.

RED HERRING
by Michael Hollinger
February 27 - March 25

Maggie's a tough, Boston cop, trying to get her finger on the one man who gave her the slip: Jack Murphy, a sly crime boss who worked his way into her heart. As she deals with murder, mystery, and intrigue in Boston Harbor, she also has to deal with Frank, an FBI gumshoe with a proposal more dangerous than commie spies, murderous mobs, and McCarthyism combined: marriage.

THE NICETIES
by Eleanor Burgess
April 3 - April 22

In this riveting two-person drama, Zoe, a biracial student, and Janine, her white professor, meet to discuss their differing views on Zoe's paper about slavery and the American Revolution. This polite clash of ideas soon landslides into an explosive discussion of race, history, privilege, and social justice.

SEX AND OTHER DISTURBANCES
by Marisa Smith
May 1 - May 20

Join us for the world premiere of New England playwright Marisa Smith's latest play. Sarah's husband is obsessed with the collapse of Western civilization. On a search for happiness and escape, she unexpectedly finds herself having a little affair, wondering, "What's the harm?" Sarah finds out the hard way in this fast-paced comedy about friendship, love, sex, and other disturbances

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