Let's get serious for a second. With the election upon us it's time for Post5 to take on one of the most serious issues facing our country. The issue of the mass incarceration of our populous. With this in mind we have decided to produce Bruce Graham's stirring, Coyote on a Fence.
Set on death row Coyote on a Fence asks the question: can you be innocent even when you're guilty?
Is compassion for all human beings compulsory? And if the answer to that question is no, where does the line exist? Coyote on a Fence tells the story of condemned felon John Brennan (Jeff Gorham) and cell partner Robert Alvin Reyburn (Jacob Camp). Two people with vastly different ideas of what it means to be free. The story is told through the eyes of Shawna DuChamps (Andrea White) the African American female prison guard who spends her days presiding over the lives of men she knows earned their fate and yet she still can't sleep. John writes a prison paper, "The Death Row Advocate." It has caught the attention of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Sam Fried, (Sam Dinkowitz).
Bobby's arrival sets in motion a philosophical and emotional journey for John that teach him the freedom he needs is not the freedom he wants.
Post5 Theatre is happy to partner with The Oregon Department of Corrections and various other local organizations to offer pre-show talks on the subjects of incarceration, rehabilitation, and the death penalty. These dates and exact panel guests will be forthcoming.
We are also happy to announce a partnership with local Prison Arts Organization, Open Hearts Open Minds. With their help, Post5 will be producing a concert fundraiser featuring graduates of the Columbia River Correctional Institution Music/Dialogue Program. This event will take place on Wednesday, November 16th.
Starring:
Jeff Gorham, Jacob Camp, Andrea White, and Sam Dinkowitz
Production team:
Set design by Aaron Kissinger
Costume design by Carrie Anne Huneycutt
Sound design by Gordon Romei
Lighting Design by Laura A. Klingman
WHAT THE CRITICS THINK
"Does a lousy upbringing excuse heinous crimes? Is there room for mercy and repentance within the judicial system? And if Americans really knew the inhabitants of death row, would they want to see them die? Worthy questions...a provocative subject and a literate sensibility " -Variety.
"The language is as precise as it is profane, provoking both troubling thought and the occasional cheerful laugh...[COYOTE ON A FENCE] will change you a little before it lets go of you." -Cincinnati CityBeat.
"...excellent theater in every way..." -Philadelphia City Paper.
Post5 Theatre started in August of 2011 with three people in their mid-twenties and the dream of staging the beautiful classic- Romeo and Juliet. We picked the courtyard of Mile Post 5, an artist community in Portland, OR to launch our new company with a vision to produce fresh, youthful, ensemble based theatre.
2015 saw Post5 moved to the Portland community of Sellwood. Just a short ten-minute drive from downtown, the new space has been a work-in-progress that continues to grow as a hub of creativity for the Portland theatre scene.
In the fall of 2015 Founding Artistic Director Ty Boice and Associate Artistic Director Cassandra Boice handed over the reigns to a new artistic team comprised of Paul Angelo, Rusty Tennant and Patrick Walsh. With new leadership comes new faces, new ideas, and new expectations. For years, the slogan of Post5 Theatre has been "Come play with us." We now hope you will "Come grow with us."
Our 2016 Season features three of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, two hilarious adaptations of Shakespeare classics, a Dickensian favorite, and two contemporary classics we hope to share with you. Post5 aims to be a viable opportunity for professional theatre firmly rooted in developing the cultural landscape of the Sellwood community.
Over the years, Post5 has become known as a place to see the stories we have told for centuries (and are likely to tell for centuries to come) in new and exciting ways while still maintaining an edge of youthful energy. This is something that we hope will never change. Our intimate 80-seat theatre doesn't rely on the machinations that consume massive amounts of the budgets of some of the larger theatres. Instead, we focus our funds into the artists themselves, and then challenge them to create something memorable and special for our audiences.
Who: Post5 Theatre Company
What: Coyote of a Fence by Bruce Graham
Directed by Paul Angelo
When: November 4th - Nov 20th
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays.
Preview Performances: November 2nd and 3rd
Opening Night: November 4th
Regular run: Through November 20th
All performances at 7:30pm
Where: Post5 Theatre, 1666 SE Lambert St. Portland
Tickets:$20 regular price; $10 seniors.
PWYC Previews on November 2nd and 3rd.
Every Sunday and Thursday Performance is always Pay What You Will at Post5.
Buy Tickets: www.post5theatre.org or 971.333.1758
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