Mt. Tabor Art Walk

Take a walk in one of Portland’s most beautiful and unique neighborhoods and view art created by its residents. The Third Annual Mt. Tabor Art Walk is held May 17 and 18, 2008 from 11 am - 5 pm. This event showcases the many artists who live in the Mt. Tabor neighborhood, and promotes high quality visual art in a variety of media. This is a juried art show, and the artists will be offering their work for sale. This year will feature over 40 artists at 30 locations!

For more information and for a map to the walk, go to www.mttaborartwalk.com

Celebrating Werner Herzog

My Werner Herzog journey began, like so many others, with the gripping intensity of 2005’s Grizzly Man. Where I ventured from there in the Herzog cannon, however, was much trippier. I rented some of his older shorts like The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner, a poetic (albeit sentimental) documentary on the psychology of a champion ski jumper-cum-carpenter, and the stoned-out The Potential, the Danger in which an impetuous (some would argue stupid) Herzog and his crew fly to the island of Guadaloupe after they hear a volcano threatens to wipe out the entire island. This month The Northwest Film Center celebrates the cinematic achievements of the legendary German filmmaker with the series A Quest for the Sublime: The Films of Werner Herzog. This series is a strong survey of the Herzog canon, with something for everyone. From obvious selections like Grizzly Man (screens Fri May 16-Sat May 17) to lesser know works like Herzog’s 1979 remake of the seminal 1922 vampire film Nosferatu (Thurs May 29). Also included is 2006’s excellent Vietnam POW film Rescue Dawn starring Christian Bale (Sat May 24) and the 1997 documentary that inspired it, Little Dieter Needs to Fly (Fri May 23-Sat May 24). This is a great chance to watch some of your favorite Herzog films in all their splendor on the big screen, to catch one for the first time, or to introduce a friend to the work of a true living master.

A Quest for the Sublime: The Films of Werner Herzog
Fri May 2-Thurs May 29
Northwest Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium
1219 SW Park Avenue

* For more info go to the festival website at nwfilm.org.

Portland’s Cinco de Mayo

Portland’s Cinco de Mayo Fiesta is the first big celebration of the year at Portland’s Waterfront Park. Attracting more than 300,000 people a year, Portland’s Cinco de Mayo Read more

Stumptown Comics Fest 2008!

Want to meet Nicholas Gurewitch, creator of the much-loved Perry Bible Fellowship comic? Feel like picking the brain of Dark Horse Comics creator Mike Richardson and hear what’s currently on their table? Have you ever wanted to join forces with like-minded people to create an entire comic in one day? Well you can accomplish all this and more in one weekend in Portland, Oregon. This weekend actually. It’s time for Stumptown Comics Fest 2008! What started as a very small gathering in 2004 has turned into a large-scale national comic festival. Come on out and support these artists and innovators!

Stumptown Comics Fest (www.stumptowncomics.com)
Saturday & Sunday, April 26th and 27th, 10am-6pm
Lloyd Center Double Tree Hotel (1000 NE Multnomah)

A Streetcar, Revisited

Without changing a single word of the original text, Portland’s Artists Repertory Theatre has turned a classic play on its head. Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize winning A Streetcar Named Desire is well known for its exploration of madness and the human psyche. Director John Kretzu, in his adaptation, has brought that element of the play even more to the forefront. Told through memories of a now-institutionalized Blache DuBois, this adaptation forces you to question everything you thought you knew about this famous American play.

Artists Repertory Theatre - 1515 SW Morrison - (503) 241-1278
Tues-Sun 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm, through May 18, $20-35

Entusiasmo! A Show About Hope

Entusiasmo!, the upcoming show from Portland’s one and only Do Jump! Theater, uses a aerial dance, breathtaking acrobatics, humor, live music, and a dramatic narrative to tell the true story of Gaviotas. Adapted from the book Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World by Alan Weisman, Entusiamso! features traditional Colombian music by Los Llaneros and live music by composer Joan Szymko. The Oregonian review speaks of the performance as “a triumph” with “tolerance, understanding, inventiveness and vision: a strong sense of community (and) a dedication to peace.”

For 30 years, Founder and Artistic Director Robin Lane has led the Do Jump “actorbats” in creating a unique blend of theatre, dance, aerial work, acrobatics, dynamic visuals and live music that defies categorization. Celebrating both individual creativity and community spirit, Do Jump has thrilled audiences throughout North America.

¡Entusiasmo! May 17 - 31
Newmark Theater at Portland Center for the Performing Arts
1111 SW Broadway - (503) 248-4335

Theater Enlists Puppets for Play

Pulitzer Prize winning author Paula Vogel’s The Long Christmas Ride Home is being produced by local theater company Theatre Vertigo. Director Kristan Seemal has chosen to use not only players but also puppets to portray this darkly humorous study of an American family near the edge of oblivion.

Performing April 18 - May 17, 2008
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 pm
$15 Fridays and Saturdays; Pay-What-You-Will Thursdays

Theater! Theatre! 3430 SE Belmont, Portland OR • (503) 306-0870 • vertigo@theatrevertigo.org

Marjane Satrapi Reads for Portland Arts

Graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi, best-known for her autobiographical works Persepolis and Persepolis 2, will read at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (1037 SW Broadway) Read more

Portland Center Stage Premiers Sometimes a Great Notion

Sometimes a Great Notion, the famous second novel from Pacific Northwest iconoclast Ken Kesey, has been adapted into play form and premiers tonight at Portland Center Stage (PCS), located in Portland, Oregon’s Pearl District. Written and directed by Aaron Posner, the play runs from April 1-27th on the main stage. Kesey’s epic saga of rival brothers, striking loggers, love and betrayal love takes place in the fictional town of Wakonda, Oregon. This is the first stage adaptation of this important fictional work. For more info and for ticket prices visit pcs.org.

Portland Center Stage : 128 NW 11th Ave. (503) 445-3700

Portland Musicians Cover Songs

Portland musicians bound together this past year for a good cause. Bridging the Distance is a compilation of cover songs from some of Portland’s best-loved musicians. All proceeds from the album, released by local label Arena Rock Recording Company, go to p:ear, a local non-profit dedicated to helping at-risk youth transition off the streets through a program of education, art and recreation. Some Portland, OR artists featured on the compilation include The Decemberists, The Dandy Warhols, The Thermals, Viva Voce, Talkdemonic, The Minus 5, Point Juncture WA and Blitzen Trapper. Find out more or purchase the album here.

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