Third Rail Announces Summer & Fall Quarter Programming

As a part of their innovative new Membership model, Third Rail announced their Summer and Fall programming at a public event on Monday night. "In an effort to keep pushing ourselves to innovate," says Artistic Director Scott Yarbrough, "this is the first step in a new process. We plan on announcing our shows a quarter at time, at least 6 months out. We want patrons and our community to know that there is always something exciting coming at Third Rail."

With the success of Third Rail's new Membership model - whereby unlimited access to a wide range of programming is available for a low monthly fee - the company wishes to change how audiences relate to the theatre. "We've gotten used to this model where a theatre holds all of its cards close to the chest until they do one big epic announcement of the whole season, hoping that a flood of subscriber dollars rolls in to finance the coming months," Company Member Isaac Lamb says. "But we're interested in a more holistic engagement and a more sustainable model. We want our community to feel like they are stakeholders in the company year-round; like they won't just be in the building or in the seats on their subscriber night but they'll be here constantly, experiencing a wide range of performance, art, and dialogue. In the process, we hope they feel like a low monthly fee is more than their money's worth year-round."

Part of that engagement means that Third Rail will always be announcing their coming programming in an effort to make Membership authentically valuable throughout the year. Additionally, Third Rail will be programming every quarter - including Summer - with Main Stage, NT Live, and Wild Card shows. Says Company Member Maureen Porter, "We take our mission seriously - to be a dynamic artistic home for audiences in Portland. This new way of rolling out our programming and engaging our community year-round is a part of that mission."

The Plays:

Annapurna
by Sharr White
August 5 - 27, 2016
Third Rail @ Imago Theatre

Twenty years ago Emma walked out on Ulysses in the middle of the night, taking their young son with her. That's given Ulysses two decades to write his magnum opus, perfect his naked cooking techniques, and move into a dingy trailer with a phone-eating dog. But when Emma hears that he's also battling for his life, she returns to hash out the best and worst of their marriage, and the mysterious circumstances of the night she left. ANNAPURNA by Sharr White is an hilarious, heartbreaking look at the enormous power of forgiveness.

The Nether
by Jennifer Haley
September 30 - October 22, 2016
Third Rail @ Imago Theatre

Morris has been assigned to investigate rumors of bizarre and terrifying behavior in The Nether, an online virtual realm where technology can realistically simulate all five of our senses. As her investigation takes her deeper and deeper into this mysterious world, she's forced to face truths about herself that she never knew existed. THE NETHER is a chilling look into an inevitable future, one that asks: can morality and laws be enforced in a world that doesn't actually exist.

The Wild Cards:

The Bylines featuring Marianna Thielen and Reece Marshburn
July 6 - 9, 2016
Third Rail @ Imago Theatre

The Bylines have spent years performing in clubs, music venues, and at festivals. Their unique brand of contemporary-but-classic songwriting and throwback performance style has made them sweethearts of the Portland Music scene. And now they're returning to Third Rail's stage after their smash hit show in August of 2015! The band will include Reece Marshburn on piano, Thielen on vocals, drums, bass, and a four-piece horn section. In addition, the show will feature guest dancers and actors - including members of Third Rail's Core Company, Darius Pierce, Amy Beth Frankel, and Isaac Lamb. The show will be 100% Marshburn/Thielen compositions. La Belle
verse by Devin Stinson
adapted by Carol Triffle and Jerry Mouawad
December, 2016
Imago Theatre

Set aboard a steamship circa 1920, La Belle is the unlikely love story of the ship's coal stoker (Sam Stoker) and one of the passengers (Lady Rose). When she takes refuge from a storm, Rose finds herself in Sam's engine room far below. She is drawn to a myriad of trunks and treasures accumulated there, including objects of Sam's own creation and discovers that he has constructed the story of La Belle et la Bête in the world of the automata (figurines brought to life by the ingenuity of clockwork mechanics). She also knows the story and soon joins him in the telling. They become friends, beautifully melding the real and fantasy worlds while playing the characters of Belle and the Beast, and beyond their control they fall in love.

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