Posted on: April 23rd, 2013
BRUCE LIVINGSTON’S TEDxTALK NOW AVAILABLE TO WATCH!
If you were unable to attend TEDxCUPortland and enjoy their incredible line-up of speakers and presenters, now’s your chance to enjoy the same content!
Video of PlayWrite Executive Director Bruce Livingston’s talk is available on YouTube, here.
Posted on: March 26th, 2013
On Friday, March 22nd, Program Director Lyndsay Hogland joined graduate writers of PlayWrite’s workshop to go live on the air with KBOO radio’s Bread & Roses. If you weren’t able to catch the live recording, you can tune in by clicking here, and listening on KBOO’s website. Enjoy!
Posted on: February 4th, 2013
Ladies and Gentlemen, can I get a hand for Maxwell Faulk!?
Max graduated the PlayWrite workshop in 2005, and has stayed involved. A regular at our Tuesday Night Writers’ Group, an occasional reader at showcases and performances, and a wonderful creative writer to this very day, Max is about to wow us all again, with his new original play, “I Voted for Obama,” which will be performed at various Portland Community College as part of PCC’s Illumination Project. Check out the showtimes and locations below!
Thursday, Feb. 14th at 9am, Sylvania PAC Lobby
Thursday, Feb. 21st at 11am, Sylvania PAC Lobby
Friday, Feb. 22nd at 9:30am, Rock Creek Campus, Bldg. #2, Room 128
Monday, Feb. 25th at 3pm, Cascade Campus, MAHB Auditorium (Max will be performing in his own play at this particular performance)
Tuesday, Feb. 26th at 11am, Cascade Campus, MAHB Auditorium
Want to lend a hand to Max’s on-stage talents? In addition to performing in the February 25th run of his own piece, “I Voted for Obama,” Max will perform in other plays throughout the festival, with showtimes below:
Tuesday, Feb. 5th at 3pm, Sylvania PAC Lobby - “Double Effects”
Wednesday, Feb. 6th at 3pm, Sylvania PAC Lobby - “Life Pulled Over”
Thursday, Feb. 7th at 12pm, SE Center, Admin Bldg., Community Hall - “Double Effects”
Wednesday, Feb. 13th at 1pm, Sylvania PAC Lobby - “Life Pulled Over”
Wednesday, Feb. 27th at 11am, Sylvania PAC Lobby - “Life Pulled Over”
Thursday, Feb. 28th at 3pm, Cascade Campus, Cafeteria - “Life Pulled Over”
Monday, March 4th at 12pm, SE Center, Admin Bldg., Community Hall - “Life Pulled Over”
Break a leg, Maxwell!
All the Illumination Project’s performances free and open to the public, all are wheelchair accessable, and you can contact the PCC Office for Disabilities at (971) 722-4341 to coordinate sign language interpretation. For more information or to make reservations contact Jeannie LaFrance: (971) 722-8149, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Posted on: January 14th, 2013
Thanks to Portland Center Stage for highlighting our upcoming Fertile Ground performance in a blog post! Check it out here.
WORD.VOICE. will show for one day only during the Fertile Ground Festival, on Saturday, February 2nd at 3 PM, at the Gerding Theater at the Armory, Ellyn Bye Studio. Mark your calendar and get ready to see new, in-the-works, and completed pieces by PlayWrite students and graduates.
Posted on: January 8th, 2013
January 16th: ¿Por Qué No? Supports PlayWrite!
What happens when you combine good friends, a great cause, and seriously tasty guacamole? You celebrate young creativity. You help a teen in Portland find her voice. You show a local high schooler that his story matters.
The fine folks at ¿Por Qué No? have decided to donate a portion of proceeds from all of their sales on January 16th to PlayWrite, Inc., and we are so excited they’re sharing their generosity with us! All next Wednesday, when you go to either ¿Por Qué No? location between their hours of 11am and 9:30pm, you can enjoy delicious, locally sourced Mexican fare, knowing that by doing so, you’re supporting our workshops and resources for youth at the edge in our community.
There’s no flyer, there’s no need to mention PlayWrite (but by all means, let them know if you’re as excited about this as we are!). Simply enjoy a good meal at either ¿Por Qué No? on January 16th, and know that we’re grateful that you chose to do so.
¿Por Qué No? locations are:
3524 North Mississippi Ave.
(between Fremont and Beech)
AND
4635 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
(between 46th and 47th)
Posted on: December 4th, 2012
Would you call yourself something of a mystery buff? A fan of whodunnits? A big-time reader?
Gary D. Cole, co-founder of CoHo Theatre, recently released a new book, titled Black Box, a “story of players, on stage and off, making
deals to save or sell their souls.”
Gary has generously decided to donate $5 from sale of every book to PlayWrite, when purchased using a special code.
To enjoy some smart new fiction, and to support PlayWrite in the process, simply go to www.garydcole.com to purchase Black Box. When checking out, be sure to enter the code 155 to identify yourself as a PlayWrite supporter!
That’s all, and then your only job is to enjoy your new book. But please, don’t spoil the ending for me!
Posted on: November 1st, 2012
Hello, and Happy November.
We’re getting pretty excited over here at PlayWrite…November is bound to be an exciting month. With a workshop starting in just a few days, a performance at the end of the month (we have all the details here), and the Holiday Season fast approaching, we’ve got a whole lot to look forward to in the rest of 2012. And it’s National Novel Writing Month (click here for information), so the whole city will be abuzz with the energies of creative, tenacious writers of all ages, genres, and experience.
For even more excitement, we’re bursting at the seams with anticipation for the launch of the 2012 Willamette Week Give!Guide, in which PlayWrite will be a participant for the second year in a row. The Guide launches on November 7th, and is a great way to help spread the news and mission of PlayWrite, encourage the next generation of donors to get involved in philanthropy, and, of course, to have a ton of fun. Not only does the Willamette Week keep a detailed blog, Facebook page, and Twitter account, but we’ll be highlighting key points of the Give!Guide as well, here, on our Facebook, and on our Twitter. Rest assured that you’ll be able to stay up to date with up-to-date pictures, videos, posts, blogs, and - yes - tweets.
To jump start your Give!Guide excitement, here are a few “Incentive Days” to include in your giving plans this Holiday Season. On these days, all donors to organizations in the Give!Guide will be entered for a raffle to win the corresponding prize. And don’t forget, a Give!Guide donation to PlayWrite - of *any* size - will get you a free drink from Case Study Coffee (give $20 or more for two drinks!). ‘Tis the Season!
November 15th - an ice cream party, courtesy of Salt N’ Straw Ice Cream (yum!)
November 29th - gifts from Shwood Sunglasses
December 6th - the VIP treatment at Holocene for all of 2013
December 13th - distilled spirits, courtesy of Rogue
And, just like last year, every gift to the G!G earns you the Guide’s own incentives, on top of your free coffee. Be sure to check wweek.com/giveguide after November 7th for a complete list of incentives, and for updates on special prize days!
Posted on: October 16th, 2012
Last month, PlayWrite had an absolute blast hosting a group of soccer coaches from Haiti at our office for the evening. MercyCorps launched a program called Foutbol pou Lavi (Soccer for Life) in Fall, 2011, using soccer as a means to stop the spread of HIV, while increase support and reducing stigma for people living with HIV and AIDS. A main part of this program includes working with youth to help boys and girls develop healthy and low-risk behaviors and interests.
In September, 16 coaches - delegates of the Foutbol pou Lavi program in Haiti - traveled to Portland with MercyCorps. Their visit included meeting with players from the Portland Timbers and meeting with representatives at Nike. They also visited local youth organizations, including PlayWrite!
After a few language stumbles (thank you for the English translation, and for hanging in there with my rusty French!), PlayWrite graduate Max and I had a great conversation with the 16 coaches, and some kind folks who attended from MercyCorps. We answered questions about PlayWrite, talked about what it means to write for yourself or for an audience, discussed the transformative power of art and creativity, and describing our program.
One highlight of the evening came at the end of our hour-and-a-half together, when a coach asked for “a demonstration….” Max and I decided on one of the theatre games we play during the PlayWrite workshop, called “Walk Like a Duck.” The game involves - well, it’s pretty much what it sounds like…but if you want a better picture, I encourage you to click here and skip to about 9 minutes into the video on the page. There you have it, Walk Like a Duck.
It was definitely a bit hectic trying to guide about 20 people through a physical theater game, shouting cross-jumbled French and English instructions out over the dull roar of quacking sounds that echoed through the hall. But, after a few minutes of waddling, quacking, flapping our wings, and stomping our duck feet, any remaining communication barriers crumbled, and we were left just plain having a good time together.
The evening was - among many other, wonderful things - an in-person example of what powerful, honest art can do. Subvert language. Inspire good conversation. Communicate something beyond what’s spoken or written in words. Ask, explore, and even answer important questions. And yes, sometimes, despite communication or space restrictions, convince a whole room full of people to be brilliantly, boldly, unabashedly silly.
Quack,
Emily @ PlayWrite
PS - you can learn more about MercyCorps’ Foutbal pou Lavi program by clicking here.
Posted on: September 6th, 2012
Hello!
Yesterday was an exciting day! Not only did we enjoy a screening of “Writing Myself” at Portland’s historic and beloved Hollywood Theatre, but beforehand we rallied the troops for a quick fiesta. Staff, coaches, some of the writers who starred in “Writing Myself” and the documentary filmmaker Brian Lindstrom, all gathered for some tasty Mexican food beforehand. It was great to catch up, hear how everyones’ summers had gone, and spend some time enjoying each other’s company.
Haven’t been able to make any of the screenings this Summer? Don’t worry! You can check out the trailer online for a taste of the film. And stay tuned! Rest assured that if another screening gets marked in the calendar, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Thanks, and have a really great day.
-Emily @ PlayWrite
Posted on: August 30th, 2012
This has been a very good day : )
I’ve been working at PlayWrite for a little bit over a year, and I have to say, this is a very special organization. I truly believe in the work that PlayWrite is doing, and I’m extremely proud to be a part of this wonderful team. I’m moved every day by the tenacity, creativity, and the *bravery* of the writers who participate in our workshops, and I’m inspired by what can happen when youth are empowered to become artists, and truly heard.
And today is a special day, for me at least. It’s my Birthday! And for the second year in a row, I asked my friends and family to donate to PlayWrite, rather than give me any gifts or cards. Last year I made the goal of raising $500 through the effort, and my generous cohort pitched in over $600 to support our workshops. This year, I shot for the sky; I asked for $1,000. Mostly, I thought it would just be good inspiration; I knew my friends and fam were generous, but $1,000 is a lot. I would have been thrilled with any chunk of generosity.
And yet again, my wonderful friends and family exceeded my wildest expectations. So far, donations have totaled one thousand and *ten* dollars.
Whoa!
So, I wanted to take this space to say thank you, to everyone who made a contribution to PlayWrite, but also for everyone who’s been a part or participant of this organization. PlayWrite exists for you; the world is a richer place for your art, your courage, and your growth and transformation. I am so proud of my friends and family for becoming part of something so powerful, and so grateful for the art waiting to come of it. Thank you thank you thank you.
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