The Theatre Company Will Present THE MOORS by Jen Silverman at Taborspace

The Theatre Company presents its inaugural production, The Moors by Jen Silverman, March 18-April 11. Founded with the intention of transforming found spaces with bold, theatrical endeavors, The Theatre Company has chosen Copeland Commons at Taborspace in the heart of SE Portland's Mt. Tabor neighborhood as their non-traditional performance venue. While Copeland Commons has hosted small scale concerts and other arts events in the past, TTC's production of The Moors marks the first time a professional theatre company has staged a multi-week residency in the space. Co-Artistic Directors Jen Rowe and Brandon Woolley chose the venue specifically for its connection to the community and the story being told.

Rowe and Woolley looked at multiple possible venues for The Moors, but Rowe says, "Copeland Commons stood out as the most inspiring choice for the setting of Silverman's tangled Victorian Era story. The look, feel and nurtured sense of community at Taborspace creates the perfect alchemy for our first production as a new company. We strive to enliven found spaces in Portland and we're thrilled to begin our adventures in SE."

The Moors, a bold, theatrical satire by Jen Silverman, takes us on a wild ride through the beautiful and the dangerous while upending gender politics. Sisters Agatha and Huldey reside on the bleak English Moors. Their Mastiff has a bad case of ennui. The maid has strategic multiple personalities. A crash-landed Moor-Hen can't remember anything. A young governess has just arrived from London. The rooms in the house all look strikingly similar. And no one can seem to find Master Branwell. This Brontë-inspired, twisted Victorian Gothic is Grey Gardens meets American Horror Story meets Calvin & Hobbes. The curated space at Copeland Commons invites the audience directly into the sisters' living room as their capricious lives unfold. The rules are always changing, and that's the only thing anyone can rely on.

Brandon Woolley directs a cast featuring Lorraine Bahr as Marjory, Paul Glazier as The Mastiff, Kelly Godell as A Moor-Hen, Dana Millican as Agatha, Sasha Neufeld as Emilie, and Jen Rowe as Huldey.

Due to the nature of the shared space at Copeland Commons, TTC is required load the show in and out of the venue on each performance day. Wednesday through Saturday performances must begin promptly at 7:00pm in order for load out to be completed by the time Taborspace closes at 9:00pm. Sunday performances begin at 6:00pm.

Tickets and more information available at thetheatreco.org.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Jen Silverman is a New York-based writer. Born in the U.S., she was raised across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Jen's theatre work includes: Collective Rage: A Play In 5 Betties (world premiere at Woolly Mammoth, New York premiere with MCC, London premiere at the Southwark Playhouse, New York Times Critic's Pick); The Roommate (Humana Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Steppenwolf directed by Phylicia Rashad, Long Wharf, South Coast Repertory Theatre, among others); The Moors (world premiere at Yale Rep, New York premiere with The Playwrights Realm, finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award); Dangerous House (Williamstown Theatre Festival; originally InterAct Theatre in an earlier iteration); and Witch(commissioned and premiered by Writers Theatre, Chicago). Her plays have been published or produced internationally in the UK, Germany, Australia, Spain, and Shanghai.

Jen is a member of New Dramatists, an affiliated artist with The Playwrights Center, New Georges, and SPACE on Ryder Farm, and has developed work with the O'Neill, New York Theatre Workshop, Playpenn, The Ground Floor Residency at Berkeley Rep, and the Royal Court in London among other places. She's a two-time MacDowell fellow, recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts grant, a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Fellowship, the Yale Drama Series Award, the Helen Merrill Award, and a Lilly Award. She was the 2016-2017 Playwrights of New York (PoNY) Fellow at the Lark. Jen's collection of interlinked stories, The Island Dwellers, was published by Random House. She also writes for TV and film, most recently on Netflix's Tales of the City. Education: Brown, Iowa Playwrights Workshop, Juilliard.

THE PRODUCTION TEAM

Brandon Woolley, Director

Merideth Kaye Clark, Music Director

Nicole Gladwin, Stage Manager

Kelly Terry, Lighting Design

Adam Smith, Sound Design

Laura Shirk Charles, Costume Design

Lara A. Klingeman, Props/Set Consultant & Technical Director

Alex Meyer, Production Assistant

Beth Thompson & Breydon Little, Production Managers

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