|
Event
Lora Grasshopper Kitty Cat - workshop production
New Room Studios, a Portland-based nonprofit production company, makes its live debut with an access-forward workshop production of Lora Grasshopper Kitty Cat, a new play co-written by Lora Lafayette and Ben Moorad and devised by Alanna Fagan, Erin Leddy, Lily Linz, Maesie Speer, Mary Rose, and Ben Moorad.
About the Show
Portland writer Lora Lafayette has always lived in a world of curious mayhem. Based in part on her fearless memoir, Possums Run Amok, a Finalist for an Oregon Book Award, this is the askewtinated* tale of a life within one womans electric mind: A place where kitty cats are the ultimate life form, grasshoppers mean death, and words bloom into infinite truth and upheaval.
Join Lora and her friend Ben as they workshop their reckonings with freedom, friendship, mental illness, death, and art, where a table is a boat, a door, a bed, and an altar and the self is likewise multiple. In this dance of embodied writing and memory, well practice failure and discover heroism in ourselves and each other.
This production is an opportunity for the creative team to learn through dialogue with the audience, and each performance will be followed by a facilitated discussion and opportunities to provide written feedback. We encourage all audience members to share their experiences to inform further development of the project, especially those with lived experience of disability, neurodivergence, and mental illness. We aim to incorporate what we learn from this workshop production into a full production of the show next year.
*A word coined by Lora to describe the physical and mental experience of being twisted askew.
Content Notice
This production contains explorations of mental illness, hearing voices, self-harm, suicide and suicidal ideation, as well as references to institutional abuse and sexual assault. Despite the lighthearted title, this show is not created for children.
Amplified sound and theatrical lighting will be used (no strobes or moving lights).
Access
ASL/English interpretation and audio description will be provided at all performances. Large-print scripts will also be available at the box office.
General admission seats are on folding chairs on a bleacher-like platform. Accessible seating is available on the floor, and we can accommodate up to 8 mobility devices in this space.
A sensory room will also be available 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after the performance. This room will feature soft non-fluorescent light, chairs and tables, fidgets, and plush toys.
Creative Team
Co-Writers: Ben Moorad and Lora Lafayette
Director: Erin Leddy
Performer/Creators: Alanna Fagan, Ben Moorad, Lily Linz, Mary Rose
Dramaturg/Production Manager: Maesie Speer
Access Coordinator: Becky Emmert
Access Consultants: The Curiosity Paradox (Grant Miller & Jonathan Paradox Lee)
Composer: Wilson Vediner
Lighting Designer: Rikkia Pereira
Stage Manager: Victoria Spelman
House Access Manager: Rae Anderson
ASL/English Interpreters: Lavender Cygnet and Jasmine Smith
Audio Describer: Barb Green
House Manager: Alyssa Mathews
Rehearsal Support: Joaquin Lopez and Jenni GreenMiller
About New Room Studios
New Room Studios is a new nonprofit that produces, incubates, accelerates and supports arts projects and programs of high artistic quality that advance equity and justice in our communities, so we can help build a more dynamic and diverse arts ecosystem. We provide bedrock support and capacity building for artistic projects, incubate and nurture community arts programs, and help artists produce new work.
|
|
 |
LocationNew Expressive Works (N.E.W.) (View)
810 SE Belmont Street
Portland, OR 97214
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 12 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
|
Contact
Accessibility
We strive to make this show as accessible as possible for everyone. Please see newrooms.org/lora for info on access. If you have any questions about access, please contact us at accessrequestmail@gmail.com or 971-599-4010 (voicemail/text). Thank you!
|
