Actor/Journalist Dan Hoyle journeys into the Heartland to meet The Real Americans this fall at Portland Center Stage. The one-man show is based on a months-long road trip into the not-the-coasts parts of the US and meets the real people living outside the "latte liberal bubble" and explores what rural America is really thinking. The Real Americans closes November 6.
The Real Americans is written and performed by Dan Hoyle. Hoyle is an actor, playwright, and journalist currently based in San Francisco. The Real Americans enjoyed a long run at The Marsh in San Francisco, and played Joe's Pub in New York, The Painted Bride in Philadelphia, The Lensic in Santa Fe, Berkeley Repertory Theater, and The Cleveland Playhouse. His third solo show, Tings Dey Happen, won the 2007 Will Glickman Award for Best New Play before running five months Off-Broadway at Culture Project, where it was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show. Tings Dey Happen was based on Hoyle's experiences as a Fulbright Scholar living in the Niger Delta of Nigeria studying oil politics. In October 2009, Hoyle returned to Nigeria to perform the show in five Nigerian cities, sponsored by the U.S. State Department. This tour was filmed by a documentary crew who hope to make it a program for PBS. Hoyle's essays have been featured in Salon, Mother Jones, and Sports Illustrated and he also performs with his father, actor and comedian Geoff Hoyle. Hoyle holds a double degree in Performance Studies and History from Northwestern University.
The Real Americans is directed by Charles Varon. Varon is an artist-in-residence at The Marsh in San Francisco, where he has been writing, performing, directing and teaching for 20 years. He has collaborated with Dan Hoyle since 2004, on his solo shows Circumnavigator, Tings Dey Happen and now The Real Americans. As playwright/performer, Varon's award-winning shows - all created in collaboration with David Ford - have enjoyed extended runs at The Marsh and traveled around the country. These include Rush Limbaugh in Night School (1994), The People's Violin (2000), Ten Day Soup (2002), and Rabbi Sam (2009), which Rabbi Dan Goldblatt calls "the most important Jewish play of our time" and which is now available as a double audio CD. A new comedy, Fwd: Life Gone Viral - written collaboratively by Varon, David Ford and Jeri Lynn Cohen, and performed by Varon and Cohen - will premiere this November at The Marsh.
Scenic design for The Real Americans will be created by Daniel Meeker, with costume design by Jeff Cone, and sound design by Casi Pacilio.
Additional support for this production has been provided by Delta Airlines and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca.
Portland Center Stage's 2011/12 season is funded in part by Umpqua Private Bank, our lead corporate champion; the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Work for Art; the Oregon Arts Commission; the Paul G.Allen Family Foundation; Helen and Jerry Stern; and Tim & Mary Boyle. The Mark Spencer Hotel is the official hotel partner for Portland Center Stage.
Portland Center Stage inspires our community by bringing stories to life in unexpected ways. Established in 1988 as a branch of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, PCS became an independent theater in 1994 and has been under the leadership of Artistic Director Chris Coleman since May 2000. The company presents a blend of classic, contemporary and original productions in a conscious effort to appeal to the eclectic palate of theatergoers in Portland. PCS also offers a variety of education and outreach programs for curious minds from six to 106, including discussions, classes, workshops and partnerships with organizations throughout the Portland metro area.
THE GERDING THEATER AT THE ARMORY houses a 599-seat Main Stage and the 200-seat black box Ellyn Bye Studio. It was the first building on the National Register of Historic Places, and the first performing arts venue, to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification. The Gerding Theater at the Armory opened to the public on Oct. 1, 2006. The capital campaign to fund the renovation of this hub for community artistic activity continues.
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